Question 1: Do you support current levels of U.S. military and diplomatic aid to Israel, and how would you respond to efforts to condition or reduce that aid?

Answer: I strongly support maintaining – and, when necessary, strengthening – U.S. military and diplomatic assistance to Israel. I oppose efforts to condition or reduce that aid.

Unlike most candidates, my position is informed by more than two decades of direct involvement in the Middle East.

For over twenty years, I have worked alongside Iran’s democratic opposition against the Islamic Republic. Seventeen years ago, I co-founded an international movement with His Majesty Reza Pahlavi to support a free and democratic Iran. I was instrumental in bringing into communication the Israeli government and the Iranian opposition, and following the October 7 terrorist attacks, I remained actively engaged in regional developments, including significant involvement in matters related to the Twelve-Day War.

My support for Israel is rooted in America’s national security interests. Israel is our closest democratic ally in the Middle East and serves as America’s most capable strategic partner in a region dominated by terrorism and hostile regimes. Israeli intelligence, military innovation, missile defense, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism capabilities save American lives, strengthen our own national security, and reduce the likelihood that U.S. forces will have to fight future wars in the region.

Conditioning or reducing aid would send exactly the wrong message to Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations. It would weaken deterrence, embolden our adversaries, and undermine the credibility of the United States with allies around the world.

Aid to Israel is not foreign charity – it is a strategic investment in America’s national security. Peace is achieved through strength, and a strong U.S.-Israel alliance makes both nations safer. In Congress, I will always stand with Israel because supporting Israel is not only the right thing to do – it is in America’s vital national interest.

Question 2: Antisemitism has increased significantly in recent years, impacting schools, college campuses, houses of worship, workplaces, and public spaces. What role should the federal government play in combating antisemitism, and what policies or initiatives would you support to protect Jewish communities?

Answer: Antisemitism is not an abstract issue to me – it shaped the course of my life.

Just before my freshman year’s second semester at the University of Maryland, I returned to my dorm room to find that my roommate had greeted me with a swastika. I refused to let that act of hatred define me. Instead, I fought back.

I got my roommate expelled, became a leader in the Jewish Student Union, worked for the United Jewish Appeal, chaired Israel Independence Day on campus, joined a Jewish fraternity, and helped lead a busload of 40 Jewish students to protest the “Zionism Equals Racism” campaign outside the United Nations. That experience launched what has become over three decades of combating antisemitism, extremism, and terrorism.

The federal government has a responsibility to protect the civil rights and physical safety of Jewish Americans. I support vigorous enforcement of Title VI protections so that universities receiving federal funding cannot tolerate discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or violence against Jewish students. Schools that fail to protect their students should face real consequences.

I also support expanding the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to provide greater protection for synagogues, Jewish schools, and community centers. Federal law enforcement must aggressively investigate and prosecute antisemitic hate crimes, disrupt extremist networks, and expose foreign funding that promotes antisemitism or supports terrorist organizations.

We must defend both public safety and the First Amendment. Peaceful expression is protected, but threats, violence, vandalism, material support for terrorism, and conduct that intimidates or targets Jewish Americans must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We should also recognize and confront rhetoric that glorifies or encourages terrorism and violence against Jews. Chanting “Intifada Intifada” or “From the River to the Sea” should never be considered free speech. They are calls to violence, and should be prosecuted as such.

Finally, education is essential. I support expanding Holocaust education and ensuring that students understand both the history of antisemitism and its modern manifestations. The reason I am able to answer this questionnaire is, in part, because America opened its doors to my great-grandparents as they fled Nazi persecution in Europe. Now more than ever, Americans need to be educated about antisemitism and what real genocide is, not just some term that people throw around because of their politics.

I know firsthand what antisemitism looks like. That experience changed my life, and it is why I have dedicated my career to protecting Americans from hatred, extremism, and terrorism. In Congress, I will continue that fight with the urgency it deserves.

Question 3: Jewish organizations continue to invest substantial resources in security measures to protect community institutions. What steps would you take at the federal level to strengthen nonprofit security programs, improve coordination with law enforcement, and enhance the safety of faith-based communities?

Answer: For nearly three decades, I have worked in national security and counterterrorism. I have helped expose and shut down terrorist charities, assisted in efforts that led to the imprisonment of terror-related individuals, and worked alongside law enforcement and government officials to identify extremist networks. Most recently, I led the successful effort to prevent a pro-Hamas conference from taking place in Coral Springs. My experience has taught me that protecting faith-based communities requires prevention, intelligence, and decisive action – not simply responding after an attack has occurred.

I strongly support expanding and streamlining the Nonprofit Security Grant Program so synagogues, Jewish schools, churches, and other faith-based institutions have the resources to strengthen physical security, improve emergency preparedness, and train their personnel. Organizations facing credible threats should have access to funding without unnecessary bureaucratic delays.

At the federal level, we must also improve intelligence sharing and coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement while ensuring timely communication with communities at risk. Congress should strengthen efforts to identify, investigate, and dismantle organizations that finance, facilitate, or provide material support to terrorist groups, and aggressively prosecute those responsible.

I also support expanding partnerships between federal agencies and organizations such as the Secure Community Network to ensure timely threat information reaches local Jewish institutions.

The best security strategy is one that stops attacks before they happen. That requires experienced leadership, strong partnerships between government and local communities, and an unwavering commitment to confronting terrorism and violent extremism wherever they arise. That is the perspective and experience I will bring to Congress.