I had the distinct honor of meeting one of Israel’s staunchest supporters in Lawrence, New York at the home of Stanley and Trudy Stern recently. Senator Ernst is the 4th ranking Republican in the Senate. She was seriously considered to be President Donald Trump’s J. Trump’s running mate in 2016. She sits on the very influential Senate Committee on Armed Services. She is an Iraq War Veteran. She retired from the National Guard after 23 years as a Lieutenant Colonel. She is in her second term as a Senator. She is up for re-election in 2026. She told the story of how she insisted on visiting Israel three days after the October 7th massacre. By sheer determination, she was able to enter Israel via Jordan on October 10th. She happened to be in the Middle East at the time.
She spoke at the Million Man March for Israel in D.C. on November 14th, 2023. I have quoted a few choice remarks from her speech some of which she repeated at the NORPAC event.
“Israel and her people hold a very special place in my heart.”
“What Iran-backed Hamas perpetrated on October 7th was pure evil. And those monsters deserve nothing short of complete and total destruction.”
“In every meeting (with Israeli leaders and families of victims of October 7th)the message was abundantly clear: do not let the United States cower when the world starts to. Stand steadfastly in your solidarity.”
“We will not sit quietly as anti-semitism is being promulgated in classrooms and campuses around the country.
Senator Joni Ernst is a class act. She got an extremely warm welcome. She deserves A+ support from the Jewish community.
