Gallego Hosts Listening Session with Arizona Jewish Community Leaders
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) hosted a virtual listening session with leadership from Arizona’s Jewish community. During the session, Rep. Gallego heard from participants on their concerns, needs, and priorities related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. He also updated the group on his efforts in Congress to support the United States’ longtime ally, Israel.
“Hamas’ brutal terrorist attack against Israel has left Arizona’s Jewish community in shock. Listening to them today, I heard a community concerned about the safety of Israelis and Jewish Arizonans, alike,” said Rep. Gallego. “I conveyed my continued efforts to do everything I can in Congress. Whether it’s working as a national security leader to get Israel the resources it needs, pushing for security funding to keep Arizona’s synagogues and places of worship safe, or preventing other malign actors like Iran from causing more harm, I communicated to Arizona’s Jewish leaders that they can always count on me to fight for them.”
The discussion reflects Rep. Gallego’s ongoing efforts to stand with our ally Israel and support Arizona’s Jewish community.
Last week, Rep. Gallego led a letter with Republican Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17) to including additional funding for FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) to help protect the American Jewish community from targeted hate crimes and domestic terrorism. He also called for the freezing of Iranian assets, including the $6 billion that was recently unfrozen in a prisoner swap.
Also last week, Rep. Gallego joined a letter led by Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher (WI-08) calling for the Biden Administration to take specific actions on Iranian assets.
In the days after the Hamas terrorist attacks, Rep. Gallego held a one-on-one call with the Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, to discuss the Hamas terrorist attacks and how Congress intends to support Israel.
Gallego also introduced a bipartisan resolution underscoring the United States’ support for Israel, condemning Hamas’ brutal war on Israel, and mourning those who were killed.
Rep. Gallego initially released a statementcondemning the attack, calling the unprovoked terrorist attacks by Hamas “alarming and horrifying.”