Amid hostage trauma, Las Vegas man leads pro-Israel campaign for Democrats - exclusive
One Israeli born and raised in Israel, but residing in Nevada, mobilized to get Jewish voters on the move.
LAS VEGAS – Oded Cohen was getting ready for bed in his southern Nevada home when he found out his Chicago-based relatives, Judith and Natalie Raanan, were taken hostage by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, while visiting family members at Kibbutz Nahal Oz.They were released nearly two weeks later, on October 20, together with the first group of hostages to be freed, including Americans.Nearly 13 months later, Cohen stood with pride in support for Vice President Kamala Harris at a campaign kickoff event, dressed from head to toe in pro-Israel attire: an Israel Police baseball cap, three dog tags, and several yellow-ribbon pins. His blazer was decorated with a bright blue, circular Harris-Walz pin and another pin depicting a colorful sketch of Harris’s face.Cohen, who was born in Beersheba and served in the IDF, spent the weekend before the election volunteering to mobilize Nevada voters to support Democratic candidates on the ballot.He said he was driven primarily by a mission to combat antisemitism and ensure the safe return of the remaining hostages, while also caring about education, infrastructure, women’s rights, and minority rights.
Battleground states
With approximately 80,000 Jewish residents, this diverse battleground state could see election outcomes determined by a narrow margin. In 2020, Joe Biden won Nevada by 33,000 votes, highlighting the potential impact of the divided Jewish vote in a tightly contested race.Just as competitive is the US Senate race between the Republican, Capt. Sam Brown, and the Democrat, Sen. Jacky Rosen, who was endorsed by AIPAC. Both candidates have vocally supported Israel since the October 7 massacre. Rosen was leading in the polls by a slim margin.“I was blown up by a roadside bomb that was made by the Iranian regime,” Brown said while campaigning at Taco Fest in North Las Vegas on Saturday. “[It was] the mistake of this administration and all of the Democrat senators.”Brown served in Kandahar, Afghanistan, as a member of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, where he survived a bomb explosion that left his vehicle in flames.Mark Robertson, a Republican candidate for Congress, said his party’s candidates were the stronger supporters of Israel.“We have got to support our strongest ally in the Middle East,” he said “We need to help Israel eliminate that terrorist threat.”Robertson served 30 years in the Army, with deployments in 10 foreign countries, including Afghanistan and Iraq.Rosen, who is a former synagogue president in Nevada, said she felt “very confident” that she would win the Jewish vote.“My family’s been here for 50 years,” Rosen said in an interview as her supporters prepared to knock on doors. “People know me in this community.”Cohen remains a strong supporter of Rosen, who co-founded and co-chaired the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism. She also authored and passed legislation to fund Holocaust education in public schools, urged her colleagues to support Israel following the October 7 massacre, and co-founded the bipartisan Abraham Accords Caucus.Cohen said Rosen had spoken with him a few days after his relatives were taken hostage. Rosen was helpful when fear kept him from eating, drinking, or sleeping, he said, adding that he also spoke with Biden.
Who is doing enough?
Nevertheless, Republicans believe the Democratic Party has not done enough to help Israel.The Biden-Harris administration is “not stepping up to make sure that Israel is protected,” Nevada Republican Party chairman Michael J. McDonald said, adding that Trump and JD Vance “will protect Israel.”Cohen, however, criticized Trump’s claim earlier this year that “the Jewish people would have a lot to do with” it if he lost. It would not be the fault of the Jewish people if either candidate loses the election, he said.Nevada voters will cast their vote by Tuesday evening after a jam-packed weekend of political action, with the candidates fighting for the last votes from all demographic communities.Laya Albert is a journalism student at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School.
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