The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featured Harvard students and American-Israeli hostage families on Wednesday night, delivering moving speeches on anti-Semitism and anti-Israel terrorism.
Shavos Kestenbaum, a Jewish student studying religion at Harvard University, said at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that she was shocked by the anti-Semitism she encountered on campus.
He said anti-Israel, anti-American students were openly calling for new Hamas-style attacks against the United States.
And Harvard officials did nothing.
“When Hamas terrorists took 12 U.S. citizens hostage on October 7 and massacred 45 U.S. citizens, Harvard University refused to immediately and unequivocally condemn this atrocity,” he said.
“I once voted for Bernie Sanders, but now realize that the far-left has not only abandoned the Jewish people, but the American people as well.
“The Democratic Party, which I registered to vote with the day I turned 18, is ideologically poisoned,” he said, adding that the poison is spreading among young Americans.
“I am proud to support President Trump’s policy of expelling international students who break our country’s laws, harass their Jewish classmates and violate our freedoms!” he said to cheers.
MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 17: Rev. Shabbos Kestenbaum speaks onstage during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 17, 2024. Delegates, politicians and Republican enthusiasts gathered in Milwaukee for the annual convention, which culminated with former President Donald Trump accepting the party’s presidential nomination. The Republican National Convention runs from July 15-18. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“God bless America, God bless the Land of Israel, God bless the Israeli hostages in Gaza, return them now!”
Next up were Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of 22-year-old American-Israeli Omer Neutra, as chants of “Take them home!” erupted from the crowd.
Omer, a volunteer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), has been held hostage by Hamas for 285 days since he was kidnapped during the October 7 terror attack.
Omer Neutra’s parents, Ronen (left) and Orna Neutra, pose for a photo in New York City on Nov. 6, 2023. The parents of Omer Neutra, a dual U.S.-Israeli soldier who was one of about 240 hostages taken in a Hamas offensive from Gaza, are hopeful that President Biden will bring their son back. For a month, since Oct. 7, when the nightmare for them and other hostage families began, they have not heard anything about their son. President Biden, who has pledged to strongly support Israel in its war against Hamas, spoke with the family for more than an hour and showed sympathy as he said he was determined to secure the hostages’ release, Ronen Neutra said. (Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP) (Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
Orna reflected on how she survived the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks while living in New York and eight months pregnant with her son.
As she yearned for the return of all the hostages, she spoke of her daily prayers, which included the 23rd Psalm.
“This isn’t just an attack on Israel. This was and is an attack on Americans!” her husband added. “Where’s the anger?”
The Convention rejoined them, crying out, “Send them home!”
(L-R) Ronnen Neutra and Orna Neutra, whose sons are being held hostage by Hamas, speak during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 17, 2024. Days after the assassination attempt, Donald Trump was formally nominated as the Republican presidential candidate and chose Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate. (Photo by Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP) (Photo by Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
The next speaker was Lee Zeldin, a former congressman, New York gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Army paratrooper veteran, and prominent Jewish conservative.
He said he wants to see the U.S. military as “the world’s greatest fighting force, not the world’s largest social experiment.”
MILWAUKEE, WI – JULY 17: Former Congressman Lee Zeldin speaks onstage during the third day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 17, 2024. Delegates, politicians and Republican enthusiasts gathered in Milwaukee for the annual convention, which culminated with former President Donald Trump accepting the party’s presidential nomination. The Republican National Convention runs from July 15-18. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
He reviewed President Donald Trump’s achievements in U.S.-Israeli relations, including moving the embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and forging the Abraham Accords, as well as Trump’s broader accomplishments, including defeating ISIS and pressuring the Iranian regime.
In contrast, Biden has “filled Iran’s coffers” and “pandered to anti-Semites who praise Hamas attacks while Americans are still being held hostage in Gaza.”
“He turned 13 Blue Star families into Gold Star families,” Zeldin said, a reference to the service members killed in a terrorist attack in Kabul while Biden was withdrawing from Afghanistan, whose families had spoken onstage moments earlier.
He recalled that Biden lied during last month’s presidential debate when he claimed no American soldiers had been killed during his term.
Only by electing Trump and J.D. Vance can America restore its national security, he said.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
