Free Republic

The first public appearance of Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) after being indicted and forced to leave his leadership position was at Wednesday night's dinner hosted by "Stand for Israel," a group of Israel-supporting evangelical Christians and Jews led by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. "It's really good to be here among so many old friends and brothers and sisters in the cause for justice and human freedom," DeLay opened, drawing a standing ovation from the crowed. Some shouted, "We love you, Tom." The ousted majority leader of the House of Representatives is known to be a staunch supporter of Israel and has...

Less than 70 years ago, a madman named Adolf Hitler set out to convince the world that people with any amount of Jewish blood posed a threat to the human race and had to be exterminated for the sake of all mankind. His twisted vision set into motion a chain of events that even today leaves us breathless in consideration of its viciousness and scope. On Nov. 9, we commemorated the first of these pre-World War II pogroms, Kristallnacht, which marked the beginning of the end for European Jews. Last week, a survey released by the European Union reported that...

<p>June 2 issue —  It’s a landmark in the history of strange bedfellows: Tom DeLay says kaddish. It happened last February, the day the space shuttle Columbia fell apart. Among the dead astronauts was an Israeli, Ilan Ramon. In Florida, at the Boca Raton Resort, some big machers had gathered to hear a speech by House Republican leader DeLay, an evangelical Christian from Sugar Land, Texas. Mixing Churchill and the Bible, DeLay talked of a destiny shared by America and Israel. He asked for “divine assistance” in protecting both. In closing, to the astonishment of his audience, he recited—in Hebrew—the last lines of the Jewish prayer for the dead. The crowd, many in tears, joined in. (DeLay had been coached by a Jewish former staffer.) “It was quite a moment,” said Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist who was there.</p>

<p>There has been a significant shift of support for President Bush among Jews in the United States as a result of the war against terrorism and Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, pollsters and Jewish leaders say.</p> <p>Jews have long been one of the Democratic Party's most loyal political constituencies. But the growing likelihood that the war in Iraq will eliminate one of Israel's regional enemies, perhaps leading to positive changes in the Middle East, has helped Republicans make inroads into the Jewish vote, a leading Jewish clergyman says.</p>

I especially want to thank my good friend Tom Lantos for being here, and for standing like a rock on behalf of Israel all these years. As we meet tonight, something extraordinary is happening on the other side of the world. Hundreds of thousands of trained and dedicated volunteers – an army of virtue – are liberating a nation. Mile by mile, a blood-thirsty dictator's grip on a noble people slips. Town by town, Iraqi families realize what the smiling men in camouflage uniforms have won for them. And day by day, children awaken, for the first morning of their...

<p>Hundreds of Christian and Jewish leaders gathered here yesterday to strengthen and renew their alliance in support of Israel and the Bush administration's war to dismantle Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq.</p> <p>The purpose of the daylong meeting at the Mayflower Hotel was to show solidarity with the Stand for Israel campaign. The campaign is a project of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, whose co-chairmen are Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein and campaign strategist Ralph Reed, the former Christian Coalition leader who often provides political advice to the Bush administration.</p>

DeLay Defends Bush Against War Plan Critics Also Labels Recent Human Rights Report 'Absurd' WASHINGTON, April 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) blamed the sometimes negative tone of the media's war coverage on the "blow dried Napoleons" from the 24-hour news outlets in a speech tonight to the pro-Israel organization, Stand For Israel. "The president is a man of faith and a man of confidence but it must frustrate him to hear the incessant carping of blow-dried Napoleons, hunkered down in their air conditioned studios night after night on the 24-hour news networks," DeLay said. "We...

<p>Today in Washington, several hundred Christian pastors and activists will gather in support of Israel. They will not be marching in the streets, blocking traffic and assaulting law-enforcement officers at taxpayer expense. Instead, they are gathering to hear from national leaders who understand that faith binds their hearts with the nation of Israel. These people of faith have traveled long distances to be here in our nation's capital for today's Stand for Israel Washington Briefing and Banquet. They share the conviction that, at this crucial moment in history, Israel is our indispensable ally and brother in democracy, religious freedom and human rights. And they have come to Washington to learn how to demonstrate their support for America and for Israel in a peaceful and meaningful way. These are America's true advocates for peace.</p>