Jewish politician leads prayer for Israeli hostages to end Republican convention’s first day

“Beautiful prayer!” the woman shouted out from the floor of the massive Fiserv Forum.

The delegate to Donald Trump’s coronation was responding to a benediction led by Leora Levy, a Jewish Republican from Connecticut, to close out the first day of this year’s Republican Party convention.

Levy’s comments included one of the rare mentions of Israel on the convention’s first day, as she led a hushed and somber crowd in praying for the release of hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7.

“O Lord our God, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, your eternal city, and for all the children of Abraham, we remember and pray for freedom for the hostages kidnapped and held so cruelly against their will,” Levy said. “Lord, please keep them in your sight and hasten the day of their freedom.”

Levy, who is on the national leadership of the Republican Jewish Coalition and is a former candidate for Senate, also used a traditional Jewish phrase to mourn a retired fireman who was killed during an assassination attempt against Trump on Saturday.

“We pray for Corey Comperatore and his family,” she said. “May his memory always be a blessing.”

Apart from Trump campaign signs in Hebrew, distributed by the RJC, Israel and Jews otherwise did not make many appearances on Monday. The day was instead dedicated to the economy, the revelation of Trump’s vice presidential pick in J. D. Vance and the triumphant arrival of Trump, who appeared to thunderous applause with the ear grazed by a bullet during the assassination attempt bandaged.

'Administration’s policy toward Gaza has been so incoherent'

The single major Jewish speaker was David Sacks, a tech billionaire, who pivoted to foreign policy after paying lip service to Trump’s economic policies. Much of Sacks’ energy and anger was directed at President Joe Biden’s backing for Ukraine in its war against Russia, saying Biden’s policies were “demented” and would lead to World War III.

Sacks is an outlier among Jewish Republicans who generally favor a robust foreign policy. His one line on israel was a throwaway joke: “The administration’s policy toward Gaza has been so incoherent that the only thing pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protesters agree on is the chant ‘Eff Joe Biden.’”

Largely absent was inflammatory rhetoric that has in the past unsettled Jewish attendees and observers. Two candidates who have drawn criticism for their comments about Jews in the past - Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is running for governor - stuck mostly to bread-and-butter economic issues.

But Greene skated close, saying that she hoped for “an America that serves the interests of not only the wealthy, the globalist or the powerful few.” Trump’s indulgence of conspiracy theories about “globalist” control in his 2016 campaign set off antisemitism alarm bells for many Jewish watchdogs.

Other than Levy’s prayer, Israel’s strongest presence on Monday came during a leftist protest march outside the convention arena that featured pro-Palestinian speakers. That is expected to change on Tuesday, when Jewish students - including Harvard’s Shabbos Kestenbaum - will speak about enduring pro-Palestinian protests on campuses, and on Wednesday, when foreign policy is set to feature prominently.