As part of a series of three “Meet the Candidates” forums in October, the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest brought together the candidates for the District 11 congressional seat—Joe Belnome (Republican) and current member of Congress Mikie Sherrill (Democrat)—for sequential Q&A sessions on October 9 via Zoom.
While other issues received some attention, the one issue that dominated much of the discussions was the candidates’ views on U.S. policy towards Israel.
Joe Belnome, the Republican party candidate, is a former union bricklayer and currently a code enforcement officer in Belleville. He started his introductory remarks by noting that “I’m not a professional politician,” and asserting that, under the current administration, prices are very high, there is no border, and “the world is on fire.”
He continued, “I can’t claim to be an expert on Israel but I do know right from wrong.” He asserted that “one group wants to kill people and the other group doesn’t want to be killed,” and discussed how, to appreciate Israel’s perspective, he downloaded the Red Alert app and has been startled by all the notifications.
Belnome said: “Mikie Sherrill claims to be a friend of Israel but she has voted against aid for Israel. … She says that Israel has a right to defend itself, but that is a bare minimum. … I don’t want a ceasefire; I want a total defeat of Israel’s enemies.”
When asked by Jewish Federation moderator Jordan Horn Gordon what his background is and what qualifies him to be a member of Congress, Belnome said: “I have moral clarity.” He asserted that Sherrill issued a press release on October 17 last year, urging Israel to ensure that food and medical aid deliveries get into Gaza, and on November 2 voted against aid to Israel and for a ceasefire. He said that she has issued 15 press releases about Israel since the conflict began and never called for the unconditional release of the hostages. He criticized her for calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “reprehensible,” and for placing no limits on aid to Ukraine but placing limits on aid to Israel.
When asked by Jewish Federation moderator Ben Hoffer, “How should America support Israel?” Belnome said, “The best way to support Israel is to allow Israel to win.” He said that Sherrill fought against Israel getting the “bunker-busting” munitions that they used to eliminate Hassan Nasrallah and that the Biden/Harris administration, with Sherrill’s support, is trying to force Israel into a “two-state solution.”
When asked by Jewish Federation moderator Liz Liss, “Should the federal government deny funds to universities that violate Title VI by not adequately protecting Jewish students?” Belnome asserted that students are being taught to hate Israel in diversity, equity and inclusion training and that he would support denying funds to universities that violate Title VI. He added that he would vote to deport visiting foreign students who harass Jewish students and vote to revoke tenure for extremist professors.
When asked by Liss if he would condemn antisemitism on the right, he said he would, then added, “MAGA Republicans aren’t rallying against Israel and voting in Congress to defund Israel … the largest institutional threat is from the left.”
Hoffer asked, “You were at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Why were you there?” Belnome said he was inspired by Donal Trump and concerned with the integrity of voting, pointing out that Sherrill voted against a voter integrity bill. He said that at the end of the rally, he walked to the Capitol building but didn’t enter it and didn’t have any altercations. He said he was interviewed by the FBI but was not charged with any crime. He added, “I regret what happened that day,” and then reiterated that Sherrill is fighting against voter integrity legislation.
In response to subsequent questions, Belnome shared that he is against “sending lots of money to Ukraine without a plan to end the conflict” and that he doesn’t support a federal ban on abortion, but does support recent Supreme Court decisions on this issue. In his closing remarks, he asserted that if Sherrill and the Democrats retake control of Congress, investigations into antisemitism on campus will end and aid to Israel may be curtailed.
After a brief break, Jewish Federation moderator introduced Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, noting that she worked as a lawyer in the United States Attorney’s office in New Jersey and before that she served in the U.S. Navy for 10 years. Sherrill spoke of attending an October 7 commemoration event at a local synagogue earlier that week and noted, “All Jews are like an extended family.” She remarked that after the attacks of October 7, Jews have faced a changed environment in the U.S. and have seen a sharp rise in antisemitism. She said that she has always fought antisemitism and added: “Despite my qualms with the views of Netanyahu, please keep in mind that I stand with you in supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism.”
Asked by Goldberg how the U.S. should support Israel in this existential fight, Sherrill commented that she serves on the Armed Forces Subcommittee and that “support for Israel in Congress is largely, but not completely, noncontroversial.” She said that she supported funding the Iron Dome and the replenishment of Iron Dome. She pointed to the role of the United Kingdom and France in assisting Israel by shooting down Iranian missiles and asserted that building strong alliances is one of the best ways the U.S. can support Israel.
When asked how she navigates different opinions of Israel in her district, Sherrill said that she and her staff have met with pro-Palestinian protesters “to hear their concerns,” and they held “difficult conversations.” She said, “I am always willing to hear from people with different views,” yet her position is consistent, that there is no justification for the attacks on October 7 and the key issue is that the hostages must be returned. She added: “For me, the defense of Israel is sacrosanct.”
When asked if it was a mistake for the Biden administration to relax sanctions on Iran, Sherrill said that many people were concerned with the U.S. withdrawal (during Trump’s presidency) from the JCPOA agreement with Iran and that as a result, “We lost the ability to monitor or inspect the Iranian nuclear program.”
When asked if the federal government should deny funds to universities that violate Title VI by not adequately protecting Jewish students, Sherrill said that there must be consequences for a failure to protect Jewish students on campus. She said she was horrified to watch university presidents testify before Congress and argue the fine points of legal definitions, while missing the big issues. After these hearings, she sent letters to the presidents of universities in New Jersey, asking what they were doing to protect their Jewish students. This has led to dialogues with a few university leaders and Sherrill gave an example of a situation at Montclair State University when the administration worked proactively to defuse a potentially volatile situation. She has also been in touch with the board at Rutgers and met with Rutgers Jewish students to hear their experiences.
Asked by Gordon why she called for a ceasefire in the Israel/Gaza war and not for the unconditional release of the hostages, Sherrill asserted that the Biden administration felt that a ceasefire agreement offered the best possibility for the safe release of the most hostages. Asked if she would vote to deport foreign students who are harassing Jewish students, Sherrill stated that while protest is a fundamental right in the United States, threatening violence is illegal, and “if you’re not a U.S. citizen, strong action should be taken, including deportation.”
Harry Glazer is the Middlesex County editor of The Jewish Link. He can be reached at [email protected] and he welcomes reader feedback.
