WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) held a call with Yair Lapid, Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister of Israel. During the call, Senator Rosen congratulated Minister Lapid on the formation of Israel’s new government and his appointment, and the two discussed efforts to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship and combat the rise of antisemitism worldwide.
“As the third female Jewish Senator in U.S. history and the first former synagogue president to serve in the Senate, the U.S.-Israel relationship is deeply personal to me and always has been,” said Senator Rosen. “Today, I spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Lapid and congratulated him on the formation of the broadest and most diverse coalition in Israel’s history. During our call, we discussed ways to deepen bilateral relations, the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security – including fulfilling the Biden Administration’s request to replenish the Iron Dome missile defense system – and our shared mission to fight back against antisemitism globally, including our strong concern about legislation under consideration in Poland that would prevent Jews from reclaiming Holocaust-era property. We also discussed the future of the Abraham Accords and how we can work together to combat Iranian aggression in the region. I look forward to working with Minister Lapid and the Government of Israel to build upon the unbreakable U.S.-Israel relationship.”
BACKGROUND: Senator Rosen holds the distinction of being the third female Jewish Senator in U.S. history, as well as the first former synagogue president to serve in the United States Senate.
In July, Senators Rosen, Marco Rubio (R-FL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and James Lankford (R-OK) led a bipartisan letter to Polish President Andrzej Duda raising their concerns with legislation that is being considered by Poland’s Senate. The Polish bill would make it impossible for survivors of the Holocaust and their families from pursuing claims for restitution or compensation for property stolen by Nazi Germany or the Communist-era government. The Senators urged the Polish President to “demonstrate its clear opposition to the crimes committed by Nazi Germany and the Soviet-backed Polish government.”
In June, Senator Rosen and Senator Lankford, co-founders and co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, led a group of 56 Senators – representing over half the Senate – in announcing the re-launch of the Task Force. First launched in 2019, the collaboration is the first of its kind in the United States Senate, serving as a corollary to the House of Representative’s Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism.
In April, Senator Rosen and Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Todd Young (R-IN), introduced the U.S.-Israel Cybersecurity Cooperation Enhancement Act. The bipartisan legislation would establish a Department of Homeland Security grant program to support cybersecurity research and development, and the demonstration and commercialization of cybersecurity technology. The grant program would be funded at a level of $6 million annually for five years.
In 2019, Rosen participated in an official visit to Israel, where she engaged in high-level policy briefings and meetings with renowned experts on Israel’s security, US-Israel cybersecurity cooperation, clean energy, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Holocaust education, international law, and Israel’s vibrant democracy, diverse society, and regional challenges.
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