[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 159 (Tuesday, December 13, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S13497]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        REPUBLICAN JEWISH COALITION AD SUPPORTING WAR ON TERROR

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, Freedom is Worth Fighting For. That is 
the headline of a full page advertisement today in The New York Times. 
I was proud to add my name to this strong statement in support of our 
troops and our President in fighting the war on terror. The ad is 
sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition, a grassroots organization 
based in Washington, DC, with five full-time offices, 41 chapters, and 
over 20,000 members across our Nation.
  The ad takes strong exception to a resolution approved last month by 
about 2,000 members of the Union for Reform Judaism--URJ--at a 
convention in Houston. The URJ resolution said, ``American Jews, and 
all Americans, are profoundly critical of this war and they want this 
administration to tell us how and when it will bring our troops home,'' 
and called the Iraq war ``unjust.'' The resolution reversed a 2002 URJ 
endorsement of the war and, according to news accounts, was adopted 
with very limited debate and only one person speaking against it.
  As the Republican Jewish Coalition ad states, the URJ statement that 
American Jews oppose President Bush on Iraq is misleading and wrong. 
The URJ does not speak for me. Nor does it speak for all reform Jews or 
for the American Jewish community.
  The Republican Jewish Coalition ad carries the signatures of 180 
leaders and prominent figures in the Jewish community. In addition to 
my name, among those signing the newspaper ad are my colleague in the 
other body Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, Hawaii Governor 
Linda Lingle, and two former chairmen of the Conference of Presidents 
of Major American Jewish Organizations, James Tisch and Kenneth 
Bialkin. Other signers include rabbis and cantors; as well as State and 
local elected officials.
  The Republican Jewish Coalition ad contains several other important 
messages. It notes that we support the President and the war on terror. 
We stand behind our troops and their mission of creating a safe, 
democratic Iraq. This mission is vital, says the ad, not only for the 
continuing fight against terrorism and the stability of the Middle 
East, but also for making the world a safer place for our children. I 
believe this message of support is particularly important as the Iraqi 
people prepare to vote for a permanent government later this week.
  We can never surrender to terrorism. Those who attacked us on 
September 11, 2001, will not hesitate to do so again if given the 
opportunity. We dare not encourage them by weakness and vacillation in 
our unrelenting war on terror.
  I commend the Republican Jewish Coalition for its leadership on this 
vital issue. I am proud to stand with them in defense of freedom.

                          ____________________