Jeb Bush announced his Jewish leadership team Friday, a national group that includes people who have worked with previous Bush presidents, board members of the Republican Jewish Coalition, and a smattering of Floridians.
“Gov. Jeb Bush led Florida to great prosperity, cutting taxes while facilitating better private job sectors. I’m looking forward to his proven fiscal record, strong support for our nation’s safety, and optimism for a brighter tomorrow in the White House,” Scott M. Singer, one of the 75 members of the “Jeb! 2016 National Jewish Leadership Committee.”
Singer is a member of the Boca Raton City Council.
The team is headed by Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the only Jewish Republican in the U.S. House until he was defeated in the 2014 Republican primary by a tea party challenger.
Noticeably absent from the list: Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, the nation’s top Jewish political donor and bankroller of the Republican Jewish Coalition. The efforts by Republican presidential candidates, including Bush, to court Adelson are known in the political world as competing in the “Adelson primary.”
Still, said Sid Dinerstein, former chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party, the list is “kind of a Who’s Who.”
The rollout of the list isn’t surprising. “Jeb has a long history of being very friendly to the Jewish community,” Dinerstein said.
Jewish voters have a generations-long allegiance to the Democratic Party, but people like Dinerstein on the local level and Adelson’s Republican Jewish Coalition on the national stage, push the notion in every presidential election cycle that a shift to Republicans is about to occur. Despite a concerted effort by Republicans to argue that President Barack Obama wasn’t friendly to Israel, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s tacit support for Mitt Romney, exit polls showed Obama won 69 percent of Jewish voters in 2012.
In a statement on his website, Bush said, “We will confront anti-Semitism wherever it exists. We will restore our alliances around the world, especially with the brave and democratic state of Israel.”
With the possible exception of presidential candidate Rand Paul, Dinerstein said “every Republican is good on Israel and every Democrat is really bad on Israel.”
He said Bush could be even more outspoken on Israel. “It’s a real opportunity for Jeb to get more conservative support. And I don’t hear him as much as we might hear others, like a [presidential candidate] Ted Cruz or even a Donald Trump, who are way out front in their support of Israel, and their recognition of the awfulness of this Iran agreement.”
Dinerstein said he isn’t yet supporting any presidential candidate. “I’m enjoying the show and looking forward to having them all visit.”
Floridians in the group include:
*Ronald Krongold and his wife Glenda. He’s a Miami-Dade County real estate developer, developer of Jungle Island, and long-time Bush supporter, and board member of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
*Fred Karlinsky and his wife Autumn. He’s a prominent Fort Lauderdale and Tallahassee-based lobbyist for the insurance industry, and board member of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
*Mel Sembler his wife Betty and son Brett. Mel Sembler is a real estate developer and board member of the Republican Jewish Coalition. He was U.S. ambassador to Australia under former President George H.W. Bush and ambassador to Italy under former President George W. Bush. The Semblers have been heavily involved in the Drug Free America Foundation and helped fund the successful effort to block the 2014 ballot initiative that would have legalized medical marijuana in Florida.
*Ned Siegel and his wife Stephanie. He is a Boca Raton real estate developer, was ambassador to the Bahamas under former President George W. Bush, and in the past was heavily involved in the Republican Jewish Coalition.
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Jeb Bush Jewish Leadership Committee
Yitz Applbaum, Scott Arogeti, Harold Beznos, Joshua Bolten, Eric Cantor, David Carmen, Adam J. Chill, Renee Evans, Steve Friedman, David Gemunder, Sander Gerber, Ron Gidwitz, Doniel Ginsberg, Ken Goldberg, Sherry Goldberg, Adam Goldman, Al Goldstein, Michael J. Granoff, Yudi Gross, Reuven Hahn, Cheryl Halpern, William H. Heyman, David A. Javdan, Mark Kaplan, Autumn Karlinsky, Fred Karlinsky, Jeremy Katz, Joia Kazam, Joshua Kazam, Jay Kislak, Jonathan Kislak, Fara Klein, George Klein, Glenda Krongold, Ronald Krongold, S. Randy Lampert, Michael Lebovitz, Jay Lefkowitz, Leora Levy, Steven M. Levy, Ken Lipper, Jason Lyons, Ethan A. Marcovici, Bernie Marcus, Larry Medvinsky, David A. Metzner, Michael Mukasey, Sam Olens, Morgan Ortagus, Jeffrey Rosch, Thane Rosenbaum, Jason J. Rosenberg, David Schulman, Brian Schwartz, Betty Sembler, Brett Sembler, Mel Sembler, Michael Sevi, Florence Shapiro, Ned L. Siegel, Stephanie M. Siegel, Barry Silverman, Jeffrey Silverman, Scott Singer, Keith Sonderling, Gordon D. Sondland, Marc I. Stern, Jay Stieber, Eric Tanenblatt, Barry Volpert, Jonathan R. Weinberger, Alex Weiss, Anat Zeidman, Fred Zeidman, Jay Zeidman.
Full Jeb Bush statement
“When I launched my campaign, I was proud to count some long-time friends as my supporters. They have been with me since my earliest days in Florida, and we have shared great memories together. Among them include members of the Jewish community who have welcomed me into their homes for Passover Seder, taken me as a travel companion to Israel and worked with me on issues of shared concern, such as religious freedom, school choice and economic opportunity. Having their support has meant so much, and we are looking to build that team.
“My hope is to campaign in every state and in every community, because I believe my message and conservative ideas will resonate everywhere. We will rebuild our economy so everyone can have a chance to rise. We will defend the institutions of faith and civic engagement, which are this nation’s glory. We will confront anti-Semitism wherever it exists. We will restore our alliances around the world, especially with the brave and democratic State of Israel.
“Getting involved in my campaign will make a difference as we work to accomplish these goals. Everyone can do their part, and I’m asking our volunteers to pitch in, gather signatures to get on the ballot, help raise funds, talk to their friends and build the kind of campaign we need to win the nomination and then the election. The work ahead will be challenging, but I hope it will be joyful.”
