Congressman Jared Moskowitz (Behind the Bima #179)

from Boca Raton, Florida. This is Behind the Beimma. On this episode, the rabbis are joined by special guest Congressman Jared Moscowitz, US Representative for Florida's 23rd Congressional District. Congressman Moscowitz opens up about his unwavering support for Israel, even when it means breaking party lines. He reflects on his family's Holocaust legacy, his Jewish identity, and the deep moral clarity that drives his advocacy for the Jewish people. With a combination of honesty, humor, and urgency, he shares what it's like to be a pro-Israel voice in Congress at a time when anti-semitism is on the rise across college campuses and within political discourse. Plus, an inside look at the complexities of navigating bipartisanship in Washington. Why social media is a double-edged sword and what it means to be Jewish in public life today. All this and more behind the Beimma. Welcome back behind the beimma joined by my dear friends and colleagues at least one will continue to be a colleague Rabbi Philip Mosqu and Rabbi Joshua Brody also continue we will continue forever a friend forever lifetime lifetime contract the countdown begun Brody till the alias the packing started no because oh you know what this is breaking news I wasn't allowed to start on May 10th which would have been a 100 days because it was Aigal's birthday, but now it's May 13th, so I guess that's 97 days. It's official. Well, you'reowed. I don't I don't even understand what you just said, but okay. But you're allowed to start packing now. Yeah, because I I wasn't allowed to steal her thunder. It's her birthday, and I can't start a 100 day countdown on her birthday. So, Got it. That sounds good. But we have, for those who don't know, Bookeron Synagogue, the most pro-Israel shul in the diaspora is three of our senior staff members are making aliyah this summer. the Brodies, the Barnes, and the Gold Grabs are fulfilling the Jewish dream and bringing their talents to Israel and represents a huge transition and turnover for us, but one that we're happy to have if it means that our senior staff are contributing to the Jewish future by moving to Israel. So, uh it's exciting exciting little stressful time here, but exciting there. And uh we are in only admiration and awe of our beloved. But we know you're going to be back, Rabbi Brody, a lot seeing you. Yeah, you won't. You're going to tell me stay go back. We're going to stay in Israel a little longer. Yeah. Tell us about your future. Well, I'll tell you, it's a little un unsure right now because we don't have a place to move into yet. And we also don't I don't know that we have a a confirmation on the flight yet. And what I just heard last night from some others, there is basically one, they're all exciting flights. Like everyone that wants to go to Israel, even if you fly by yourself, but if you're on like one of the ma major neffesh flights, you want to be on the best one, which is like the biggest one. And supposedly there are a lot of people trying to get on that flight right now. So you're not you had any connections to nephesh benefish that you No. That's obviously very clear, but like I just, you know, maybe this gets into a whole another discussion of do you use connections and gifts, gifts? That's a great qu it's a great question because you're not allowed to bribe and you're not supposed to, you know, Israel, you better start to get used to it because Israel runs with protects you and um I once gave a series of shirum here of classes on that topic and there is hakic literature on that question. If you have access to somebody, let's say you have a loved one who needs an organ transplant and you have access to the person running the registry, can you get your person more towards the top of the list? Or getting your child to enter school. There was a scandal in America a couple years ago of very prominent, very wealthy people who were essentially buying their children's way into Ivy League universities, if you remember that scandal. But but it's really no different. You know, we had Ben Brothman recently speak at our shul. It was a great weekend. We're grateful to him for it. and and his sons in Ramadan skull inim is harder to get into probably than all the Ivy Leagues combined and you know a lot of yeshivas and seminaries if a person makes a meaningful cont I'm not saying his if a person makes a meaningful contribution you know that also changes some equations because people also need to keep the lights on so it is a great question of of what's the appropriateness or or morality or ethics of using connections cutting lines through those connections protects you to get ahead or have special treatment or favors is a sort of if you have it, use it or even if you have it, don't use it because it's wrong. It's a good question. You know, it's interesting. I remember reading JD Vance's autobiography, Hillbilly Elegy. And one of the things he points out was until he went to Yale, he never understood the concept of using connections to get further in life. Like where he grew up, you just, you know, you didn't know anybody, so you had no access and you had no connections. And all of a sudden he goes to Yale and he starts getting invited to these fancy things and this guy is introducing him to this friend and this guy knows someone on Wall Street and all of a sudden like a whole world opens up to him and he said I never knew that so much of where you can go in life is dependent on who you know and I laughed a little bit because as I was reading that I was like it's called kittish. In other words, like we grew up with that mindset like it was understood that you go to kesh on a shabas morning and you know people you know doctors you know lawyers you know people in finance and and no matter what industry or no matter what you needed access to you were always one two degrees of separation from that person or from having access to that and I don't I wonder if it's just like a culture that we take for granted because of the insularity of our communities. For sure it is. And and that's why Jews are never satisfied with their local doctor or hospital. They look up who we have whole organizations that help refer who's the best and then how we can get you in there even though they won't see anyone for six months. Right. Right. Yeah. I get now is that so different than some of the news taking place because there's a major news issue right now where our president is being gifted a plane from the Qatari government and there's a lot of discussion about the ethics and the morality of that. Um where do you draw the line with that? Also that's obviously occurring favors. They're gifting something to the president. one would assume that there always going to be strings attached with a gift like that. Um, is that different? Do do you view the ethics of that differently than Rabbi Brody using his, you know, position and his access to be able to get onto a better Neffish benefic? What do you think, Brody? Well, first of all, I'm not, let's just be clear. There's no money changing hands between me and Neph. That's number one. There's no millions of dollars and there's no new name. But they are getting the probably the number one advocate for Aliyah in the world. That's uh the most exciting Jew in the world is going to be taking that flight. So that's an very exciting moment for for Nefish Benevich, but we'll see if that works out. But uh I would and I would say that's not a bribe. Meaning let's say Neesh Benefish, let's say our dear friends who who run it determine to themselves, Rabbi Josh Broy's got a big social media presence and he likes to publicize and share whatever he's doing. So giving him a spot on that plane will help nephe elevate its brand, advance it. Let's just be clear, most of that following is in his head. But it's not doesn't have to be reality. Rabbi Brody, you could call a press conference for when you land. I will. Yeah. All three. So, we were talking about this. My mom will be there. Why don't you tell people what that references to because that was really one of the all-time great Rabbi Brody moments. It was my first That was an historic event. Yeah, but that's the whole point. He said, "You guys are missing the point. It has nothing to do with who was in the room." And I'll tell you something. Not only is it not about who's in the room, but it did get a few hundred video looks. I mean, again, today that's not so exciting, I guess, but 400 views, a few hundred views. But there was actually one person that saw it. I'll tell you offline. I don't want to tell you who it was, but there was one person that saw it that actually got me a job because of that. They were so impressed. They did not know that no one was in the audience. Just for our listeners, Rabbi Brody when he started an outreach organization, threw himself a press conference, taped microphones to the Beimma, to the Stender and the Beimma with nobody in the room and pretended like there was question, right? Answer questions from the fictitious audience. Answering questions. Correct. He was a gift from ABC News. Fake news. Not only that, but I still have the sign that I put in front. I have I still have it in It's actually behind the Beimma. It's in my Beimma. It's in my Anyway, so the point is that a guy a guy like you who's willing to do that is well worth giving a spot. But that's not right. I don't think that's using protect you or a favor. You'd basically be making the argument for this is why it's worth it's worthwhile. It's worthwhile. It's that's why this is a very very very gray area receiving gifts. Not all gifts are the same. Sometimes someone's giving a gift out of genuine appreciation and for you to reject it is to is to be ungracious to not accept the gift of somebody who's appreciative. Other times, sometimes people get disappointed when they're not getting gifts. Every week that I don't bring flowers on them, I hear about it. Some people expect a gift. Other people, you know, sometimes gifts are coming with very big strings or chains or whips that the that the gift is has certain expectations of what's going to be coming on the other side. So, not all gifts are equal and not all protect is equal. You know, when we when we see there's a long line, let's say to get into the Shai Robbo concert at BRS, meaning to get through security, to get through the door, and then you see somebody who's made a significant contribution to our capital campaign, you say, "Come here, come here come through my office. Don't wait on this line. Let me take you to your seat." So, you know, is that right, wrong, is it is it fair? Is it Yeah, don't worry. You could just sit in you could sit in Rabbi Brody's seat. Hold on. I want I want to just clarify that also because And let's say there's somebody else on that long line who hasn't given one penny but gives endless amount of their time. There's a Gabby who's here. Let's say you see our friend Stuart all morning, all night. Gabby balor volunteers to give bavly daff shami daf. You say, "Come here. Come here. All that you do for the show. Don't wait on this line. Come here. Come through my office." I don't I don't want to make it about money because not everybody could give money. But let's say there's someone else who does selflessly an enormous amount and so you pull them in. So there's a lot of gray and protect the ethics of protectia, the ethics of gift giving, the ethics of gift receiving. No, for sure. And as you said, not all gifts are created equal. you know a lot of times and I'm very appreciative when you come back from Australia you'll find a safer in a store you'll inscribe a beautiful inscription and those farm are very meaningful to me so I don't think there are strings attached I don't think that you know you're doing it for all I think it's just a nice gesture and um you know sometimes that's like that's just an act of friendship I think in other cases where as you said they're not just strings but they are chains and whips attach attached that's when it becomes uh extremely problematic I know a r in New York who um got so frustrated because every time he went into a restaurant um when he went to pay someone always covered his bill and it bothered him so much. He said, you know, the gar is explicit that you're supposed to not you're supposed to run away from gifts. And he said, I just I was very uncomfortable that I couldn't take my family out like that. And so he only started going to restaurants. He made the matra promise that they would not take a credit card from anyone else and that they would only let him pay. And that was just something that he was comfortable with. It was a frustration of his. He wanted his kids to see a different value system and um you know so there there's a world out there also of those types of experiences. Yeah, I don't see it like that. I see it a very different in a diff different way. I think that again let's just talk about rabbis and we talk about good rabbis, rabbis that really are sincere and work hard and if people want to take care of them and those rabbis want to then in turn return the favor. I think that's that's the way the world operates. I think that there are people that care and then you care back. We take I I will take care of people that take care of me. That's that's I I don't take care of everybody. But I will give special attention to I take care of people even if they don't take care of me. In other words, but I do that also. But I will take extra extra care. I give you a little extra because you know what? You went out of your way for me. I'm going to go out of my way for you. Listen, I think as you were saying, there's a different there are gifts and there are gifts, right? So you could be at a restaurant and there's someone there you did a lot for whether there's sim or their sad time or counseling or help or a little extra love or attention and you know and they notice your family and they send over an appetizer, a dessert, a bottle of wine and it's their way of saying thank you which is very lovely and it makes you feel validated. It makes you feel good. I don't there's anything wrong with that. You know if there's somebody there who wants something from you right? there's someone there who's been chewing off your ear about why you need to do X Y and Z or give them the business or make a connection for them and all of a sudden you know your your bill is paid or there's you know three huge stakes that are served and you understand that they're simply prepaying for something that they want in return. So everything's different. Now I I mentioned to you before that as as one of the chairs of the RB of our cash I don't take free things in restaurants you know from the restaurant. Um I was recently in a place and they said you know oh take that you know it was a counter service. Oh take this one for free it's on us. I said I I I can't do that because my name is on the certificate and it can't be it wouldn't be questionable. The truth is there's so many layers between the actual supervision of the kashras and and where we are. But I don't want it ever ever ever ever an accusation or suspicion that oh the rabbis let that slide because they got freebies or the rabbis gave a warning and didn't withdraw it because they get something out of it. So circumstances are different and and that's true and this is a good segue to our guest Congressman Jared Moscow. our congressmen is the reason that there are very strict ethical rules for elected officials. They're not allowed to take gifts over like I don't know it's $10 like a very very very small amount unless it's an airplane unless it's going to go to your library before the end of your term which is somehow some legal loophole which whether it's legal or not is a bad look and and probably more than just bad luck. You know I'm I'm building a library also so if anyone wants to give me anything it's going in my library. Your library. You don't even know where you're living yet, but you know you have a library. That's good. I have a library. That's good. Congressman Jared Moscowitz had big shoes to fill. Our previous congressman, Ted Deutsch, was enormously pro-Israel and a dear friend of our community. When when he met with me when he was running for office, he actually said, I hope it's okay to say this. He said to me, "I'm a much less nice Ted Deutsch. I'm Ted Deutsch, but less nice." Which he said with pride. Um, and what he meant by that is, uh, because Ted's an extraordinarily nice guy and Jared Moscow is also a nice guy, but he meant you're not going to lose anything on the pro-Israel, what you're looking for and and the loyalty to the community and the Jewish community and what you want. He's like, you know, I'm I'm less softer. I have a little edge, which he does, and he's and he's great. The truth is, he's been he's we've needed that. You know, he's gone on talk shows, he's gone on uh media, and he's been, you know, he's been harsh when he needed to be, and he's pushed back when he needed to be and blunt when he needed to be. And that's what the Jewish community needed right now. Yeah. And we're grateful and we're super proud. And and I'll tell you this also, you know, it happens to not be true with him or Ted, but in other cases, relevant to our our previous conversation, you know, we host elected officials, we help elected officials because, you know, if we believe in their in their agenda, then we want to see them in office and be able to execute on it. But those relationships are really also important. Like the same person might be critical of of one of us. Why' they have to fly to Washington or why' they participate in that thing or why' they go to that thing? And then their child needs a passport or someone they know can't get a visa or they need an immigration issue or they need something. They're like, "Do can you call the congressman's office?" Well, do you have a relationship with the congressman? when you call the congressman's office, does he remember the platform you gave him, the fundraiser that was hosted, the audience he had among constituents and and voters, you know, and will will he put you towards the top of that line to help get things done for your congregant? Or has he never heard of you? You never met him, you never done anything for him, and so he's just one of the many many many constituents and you'll wait your turn. So all these things are complicated and gray when they're to our advantage and we need them. all of a sudden they feel ethical when when they're not, you know, then then we're we're skeptical and a person should tread lightly because they are very very Here's one thing that's not great is that he has a wonderful last name. He has a decent last name and he is a very good person and a great advocate for Israel. You just figured that out, Rabbi Broady. And a great advocate for Israel. A great advocate for I had a look at the uh banner. What was it? And this was a great conversation which we're excited to bring you. So without any further ado, our congressman whom to whom we're so grateful and about whom we are so proud, Congressman Jared Moscowitz. We are honored to go behind the beimma with our very own congressman, one of if not the most pro-Israel congressman member of Congress, Jared Moscowitz. Congressman, thank you for being with us. It's great to see you again. Good to be with you guys. So let's let's just jump right in. Rabbi and Rabbi, that's it. That works. Rabbi squared. Perfect. But only one of us has the right last name here. True. Fair enough. Although Goldberg is like right there, right? We got We got the generic Goldberg and then we got the two Moscowitzes. So, we've got the Jewish thing covered. So, Congressman, let's let's jump right in with um with I think what's on people's minds when they see you and your activism and the voice that we're so incredibly grateful for. And I want to say we are amazingly proud that you are our congressman. uh proud and also grateful. I remember when you were first running and we met and um you know, you talked about your your pro-Israel background and support and where you're coming from and I knew it and I believed it and I'd heard about it from from other people, but you've far surpassed it in terms of your your voice and it's not always easy. I think what makes it even unusual and and it's not an exaggeration, heroic is your willingness sometimes to go against party lines, to be nonpartisan, to take on certain risks, to continue to express your pro-Israel voice. Where does that come from? What are those calculations? Do you feel you've you've lost anything or in any way you've been compromised um by by needing to do that sometimes? Well, I mean, look, obviously my you know, my grandmother was part of the Kinder Transport out of Germany. Her and her sister were, you know, put on a train and and shipped out of Berlin. Her parents were killed in Awitz. Her husband, my grandfather, was the sole survivor from the Pgrams in Poland. He lost everybody, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews. He only told me the story one time uh growing up. Uh I mean, on my dad's side, uh everyone got out of Czechoslovakia thankfully in time. Um, so obviously there's a rich history there of what happens when, you know, Jews become the pariah, the scapegoat of of society and and when when systems of government fail. Uh, and so, you know, I didn't think uh that I would come to Congress and this would be a seminal issue for me. I mean, Ted Deutsch and I always discussed this, how, you know, when he eventually was done, someone pro- Israel should fill the seat. has a rich history from from Ted from before him to Robert Wexer. Uh Ron Klein had this district uh you know before redistricting pieces of it. Uh and so I understood that that history but you know look I have a background in emergency management. Uh and so when October 7th happened you know for me that was it's an emergency. This is emergency time and it's time to go out and respond. Um, and so, you know, even though I was doing pro-Israel stuff and working on anti-semitism before October 7th, I mean, you're talking that was the first 10 months of me in my first term, right? And so, it was obvious that uh we needed a voice, not just someone who would vote for the issues. There's plenty of people in Congress that vote our way, but there's not many people that are willing to go to the camera and communicate uh and not equivocate, right? Um, you know, look, Israel doesn't do 100% everything correct. Neither does the United States. Neither does any country. But the double, triple, quadruple standard that Israel has to deal with, that the Jewish people have to deal with, uh where is where I was going to draw uh the red line. And so, look, yeah, I have to take on my own party from time to time. There are elements in my party that are growing clearly that are uh anti-Israel and anti-semitic. This idea that you can be anti-ionist without being anti-semitic. I would say you could. They're just not. Um and and you know then after October 7th we saw the anti-semitism in this country on college campuses. We saw you know college after college failed to enforce their code of conduct. Jewish parents around this country knew that if it was a black student, a Latino student or or an LGBT uh uh Q student, you know, then at the end of the day, this wouldn't have gotten past lunchtime on the first day. But for Jewish students, you know, we were confused. Do we enforce the code of conduct? Um, and yeah, I worked across the aisle. Uh, whether that was with Mike Lawler uh on Iran with the ships act, whether that was Elise Stefonic uh after we saw those college presidents fail, Alisa Stefanic and I did the resolution putting Congress on the board on whether those those college presidents should be fired and more than twothirds of Congress said that they should. Um, and so, look, I'll work with anybody uh on this issue. Uh, I went to, you know, Israel with Ronda Santis when I worked with him. You know, I went to Israel with, uh, Speaker McCarthy, uh, while he was speaker. Uh, and I've gone several times obviously with my Democratic colleagues. And so, look, right now, uh, you know, the Jewish people, not just the situation in Israel in the Middle East, the Jewish people, uh, are are, you know, facing really the worst times we've seen since the Holocaust. And I'm not comparing the two. They're not comparable, but the the the leadup to it, and quite frankly, the only thing the right and the left agree on in this country is they don't like Jews. They get there different ways, right? The right has a white nationalist isolationist uh you know, issue uh and the left has an anti-Israel uh uh issue. And so, you know, both of them right now, you're seeing growing sentiments on the right and the left. So, look, it's easy for me to go yell at Marjgery Taylor Green and the isolationists that want to cut off foreign aid Israel, and I will do that, but it's also it's much harder obviously to yell at the elements in my party. Um, I'd like to see some more of my colleagues on the right call out their own colleagues. I'm doing it on the left, as are Josh Godheimer, Richard Torres, and others. I'd like to see some of my colleagues on the right call out Marjorie Taylor Green and Thomas Massie. That's fair. That's a very fair thing. That's But I just want to follow up. Are the are the concerns for your party exaggerated? They're seeing the drop of support for Israel among the Democrats. Is that a genuine concern? Is there something we should be doing about it? Is it exaggerated? Is it political that there are these concerns? Why do you think it's happening? And what could or should we be doing about it? Well, here's what I would say. I'm going to give you two answers because they're both true. And you know, people who care about this should know both. Okay. The situation on the left is much bigger than than we think it is. It's big. Okay. It and it and it is rooted in being anti-ionist, anti-Israel. Okay. There's no doubt about it. You know, we've lost a lot of young kids because of Tik Tok and what the Chinese and the Russians and the Iranians have fed the propaganda online. They've been fed this lie that there's a genocide going on, right? That Israel is an apartheite state. All of these racial, you know, all this racial language that they've been taught about what other countries have done, you know, and and and they're teaching kids through through that vein. So, the next crop of candidates you're going to see on the left are are mostly going to be anti-Israel. Um, and so as these more senior members are retiring or not running for re-election, I'm concerned about uh who's going to come behind that. So, there is a major problem on the left. No question about it. I will not downplay it. Okay? We have to try to control its spread. Um, at the same time, I will tell you the problem on the right is being downplayed. Okay? People think, "Oh, no, there isn't this." No, no. The right is is very pro-Israel. I will tell you that the JD Vance wing of the party wants to cut off all aid to Israel. They're against all foreign aid and they don't exempt Israel uh from that. Uh they are also softer on Iran. You're seeing that now with, you know, Witoff and Vance with trying to figure out how to appease Iran. This is the time to put maximum pressure on Iran. Look, I didn't vote for Trump, okay? I'm not a Trump supporter, but I had thought that when he had come in, we were going to see Trump be Trump be tougher on Iran than he would be on Greenland, tougher on Iran than he would be on Canada. Okay? And and yet we're negotiating. Well, what's the negotiate? They they either dismantle their nuclear program or we should do it for them. Those are the choices. And that's how Trump talks. Uh and yet we're not seeing that. we're seeing, you know, maybe there's a deal and that is this wing of the MAGA movement, uh, that, you know, wants to be an isolationist, wants to withdraw from the world. Uh, and every time we withdraw from the world, China comes in with their friend Russia. Uh, and so, look, this is not just about Israel. A nuclear Iran would destabilize the Middle East. It would be a threat to the United States. We can't just withdraw and say, "Oh, there's a big beautiful ocean uh, be between us." Okay? Okay. It was a mistake to allow a nuclear North Korea, let alone a nuclear Iran in the most dangerous neighborhood uh in the world. It would be existential for Israel. Um and once it happens, it can't go back. Then the Saudis are going to want nuclear weapons, right? And then we're going to have this this this rush to to to nuclear weapons in the area. And so, look, I'm right now, it seems like I'm to the right of the Trump administration on what to do with Iran. If I could just follow up with with what you were saying, you we spoke about the fringe on the left and the fringe on the right and you spoke about a lot of what you're doing in terms of reaching across the party lines. What about the middle? Right. I'm a student of Apac and I fundamentally believe that the more bipartisan support Israel has in America, the stronger Israel is. And just reading the news, it's so bombastic now. It's so divisive now that you get like a very depressing sense that Israel has become a wedge issue. that that bipart that overwhelming bipartisan support that we used to enjoy is now withering away. Is that the case or is the center holding strong and Israel does still have that strong bipartisan support that we hope that they have? Listen, I would say twothirds of Congress uh is in that group you're talking about, strong supporters of Israel. But yeah, look, there's, you know, there's, you know, 40 me 50 members on my side of the aisle at any time and there's probably 10 or 12 on their side, uh, at any time. And and those numbers are growing, right? What I said the other day, I was at an APAC and I said what I said is the the growing anti-Israel sentiment that exists in both parties, the Democrats are just ahead, right? it started earlier, so they're ahead where the Republicans are just starting now because of this isolationist wing uh of of the party. And so, yeah, the the numbers are bigger on the Democratic side. You see that also in the Senate, by the way. I think you had 17 uh senators, Democratic senators vote to cut aid off uh to to Israel. And and and so, you know, like this is a problem. This is a growing problem. It used to be a bipartisan issue, and what Apac is doing is trying to keep it a bipartisan issue. Israel cannot become a partisan issue. Uh but everything is becoming partisan. Even FEMA and disaster aid, right, is now now partisan. So everything is going there. You know, if Trump touches something, Democrats have to be against it. Um and so all of that is being caught up uh caught up in this. And so look, I think what Apac is doing is dramatically important, which is trying to slow the spread of all of this. Yes, it's great to take out members in the House, but also you got to stop if you take out two and 10 more come, what did you really accomplish? So, you got to stop people from getting there. Uh, you got to win elections. Uh, and look, I think the dramatic part of the country and Congress is in the middle. They're just quiet. They're just quiet. And that's why people going to the microphone and communicating on this is more important now than even voting uh our direction because politics is all about comms. It's all about communications, especially in Congress, which doesn't do much anymore. Congressman, tell us um a little bit more about you and and why you went into this. You know, when you said that that last comment, Congress doesn't do much anymore. Not that long ago, it was exciting to meet a congressman. I can only imagine to be a congressman. Today, the politics has so much, you know, whe what whether you call Washington the swamp or whatever language you use, it's not as I don't know if it's prestigious, prominent, and yet here you are a public servant. You've dedicated your life and in a refreshing way, one of the things I admire about you and you alluded to it earlier is in our great state of Florida, you were dealing with disaster relief. You worked handinand with Governor Dantis across an aisle, maybe disagreeing with enormous amount politically, but finding the common ground and getting things done. And you're just common sense on a lot of these things from Israel and and everything else. So, you know, we get to know you a little bit. You're definitely active on social media. I enjoy your sense of humor on Twitter. You've been some cutting edge. Couple times you had to walk it back a little bit. I guess that's part of the learning curve and the learning process of of politics and being a a public figure. But tell us a little bit about you and what drives you to be doing this at this time and at this point you could be continuing a career in something else much more lucrative maybe with even more satisfaction. Why are you dedicating your life to Congress? Well, look, as you know, rabbis, right, sometimes you tell jokes, they don't always land right. Uh but but yeah, I'm trying to to bring sarcasm and humor to the process because I think yelling and screaming just doesn't work. I don't think it breaks through. There's so much anger uh in in Washington. And I don't I don't want to bring it through anger. I want to bring it through, you know, pointing out something that is, you know, that I disagree with, but doing it in in in a more upbeat, humorous way rather than just doom and gloom and pounding the table and screaming you're you're this, you're that, you know, and furthering the divide. Um, you know, even when I attack Republicans and I do it in a more upbeat way, they come over to me and they're like, "You're that was really good. That was very funny." Right? even even when it's at their own expense, you know, but when I see other people scream and yell at them, they don't ever speak, right? That that that that shuts down the debate. And so that's really the tact. Uh and look, Twitter is Twitter, right? I mean, X is X. It's not real life. It's it's it's it's meant it's meant for that. Everyone's playing that game there. You communicate differently there than you you do uh in Congress or in real life. Wh why am I doing this? Look, I've been doing this since I was 25 years old. that got elected when I was a law student to my local uh you know city commission. It's just something I grew up grew up with. My dad instilled these things in me, you know. I believe in in in government. That doesn't mean government is always great or right or government can't be smaller or spend less money, you know, but but I believe in government. I believe in institutions. It's what separates us from the rest of the world. And and you know, I would just rather be at the table than on the menu. Uh and so, you know, I'd rather be, you know, in the arena than watching from the sidelines. And so, look, I don't know, maybe at some point in my life. I will go back to the private sector, uh, which I was doing when I did this, you know, part-time. But, yeah, look, I I I think, you know, only politics, politics is the only business where working together is a bad thing. Everywhere else, business, life, dealing with your kids, you got to compromise. You got to figure out how to coexist. But in politics, no. No, coexistence is the you it's the opposite, right? You you you actually um you're incentivized to divide, to hate, you know, getting people foaming out of the mouth. That's where the money is. That's where the excitement is, right? There's no be like, "Let's make a deal." Where does that exist? Um I I try to do it because I I think that's where the majority of America is. Again, they're just quiet while both sides are, you know, are are arguing with each other. And I I just think it's important. Um So, how do you shield and protect yourself? Right. I hear from a lot of people doom scrolling. They're on X all the time. They're scrolling through whatever their media source is. And the news is always bad because good news doesn't sell. So, it's always going to be bad and it's always at the stock market. That started with the local news, right? The local news was always bad and this person was shot. There was a car accident local and then it went national and now it's in social media. And so, yeah, all right. So, it's around us all the time, especially for you also. You're surrounded by it. And I'm sure on X, you know, 99% of the people love you, but maybe 1% don't. And let you know that was a joke. I wish those were the statistic, you know. How do you protect yourself? How do you protect your sense of optimism? You say you like to keep it light, but it's so easy to to lose faith when everything around you is doom and gloom. So, how do you protect yourself from that negative news coverage all around? Well, a couple things. What one is I take breaks from it. You you got to take breaks from watching the news or being on online. You got to take breaks. Okay? I can tell you the times I take breaks, I feel so much better, okay? Me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me mentally. Uh that that's number one. Number two is I try not to let people get under my skin. I I try to let it roll. So like people come after me, they're like, "You're you're Jewish or you know, you're short." And I'm just like, "What? You figured both of those out? You're a genius." Right? like I I try not to get into like arguments and like fighting back. That's what they want, right? So I try not to give that to them. Um you know, and so I think having a thick skin is important. Um you know, I think some of my colleagues who say they have a thick skin, they dish it out, then as soon as something comes back their way, they you know, and it's like fun to watch. Um you know, and so you know, so not taking this too serious, right? Uh I think is important to let you get through the day. Now the third part is not not fun, right? And that is that, you know, because of what we do, like my life's been in jeopardy, uh, at some points, right? There's been, you know, an assassination plot with a guy that lived in Margate. You know, he had, you know, a rifle, a scope, a suppressor, a vest, hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Um, he was googling wind resistance and distance. Uh, he had a anti-semitic racist manifesto. His he had a target list with my name on it. He was a former felon, by the way, and he was target practicing in his backyard, which is how we found him. Um, and I get online threats all the time, you know, against me, against my kids. We have to investigate those. So, that piece, that piece is not fun. And I will tell you, it's mostly linked when I go on TV and talk about Israel. No question about it. There's a direct correlation whenever I talk about Israel and the death threats going up. Um, so that piece I take seriously. The rest I just try to, you know, let it let it roll off your shoulder. Talk to us a little bit about your Judaism, how how your Jewish background and your Jewish practice, your Jewish identity informs the work that you do. Are there particular um values or lessons that you're drawing from that's informing and inspiring the work that you do? What does your Judaism mean to you? Well, look, I I grew up in a fairly Jewish household. Uh, you know, I grew up in a kosher household. I went to Hebrew school. I was bar mitzv. Um, my you know, my dad uh went to yeshiva. My dad grew up Orthodox. Um, and so, you know, that was instilled in me as just a a young a young person again with the the story of my grandparents. Um, you know, they spoke Yiddish. That that didn't translate that didn't translate down. Um, but for me, it was making sure that I continued the Jewish culture and identity. Like with my kids, they go to Hebrew school, they'll be bar mitzvah. I have two boys. Um, but you know, we don't we don't keep a kosher home. Um, but I I just think right now the the two most important things to keep, not the not that the religious piece isn't important, but I think the two most important things to keep is the Jewish culture and the Jewish identity, right? I mean, you know, right? Right now, I think, you know, pe Jewish people are losing their culture a little bit and Jews want to be quiet and not necessarily publicly identify because of what's happening, right? I mean, th this is all being done intentional, right? I mean, they want to silence us uh by what you see on college campuses or throwing red paint or protesting outside people's homes. They want to silence us. Uh they want us to be quiet. They want us to go away. Um and so, you know, I'm I'm I'm Jewish. I'm proud of being Jewish. Uh and you know, I want to make sure my kids understand that also, but understand the reality that they're growing up in now. It's not the reality I grew up in in the 90s. Uh it's dramatically changed. Uh and they're going to run into people that are going to say stuff and they're going to read stuff on social media and they need to understand or or they're going to see Kanye, you know, coming out with a song called Hal Hitler, you know, and and and so I think right now the two most important things, the Jewish culture, Jewish identity, and making sure we pass that down and and and and continue that because, you know, obviously, you know, there's less and less of us. Um, and you know, we're we're the where we're we're the problems with everything, right? We barely exist in the in the global population, but somehow we're the bane of everyone's existence. It's just it's just a joke. So So what would you tell a child on college campus or a teenager on college campus? You know, we're we've been largely immune to it here in South Florida, but you know, you pick your college campus around the country, your Ivy League College, and they're getting bombarded with anti-semitism and anti-Israel and anti-Zionism, and they're getting threatened and walking to class isn't as safe as it used to be. And you just spoke beautifully about, you know, someone has to identify as Jewish and be Jewishly pride proud. What would you tell someone who said, 'You know, Congressman, that's really nice and sweet, but I'm on campus X where every time I walk to class, I'm getting hurled, you know, slurs at and yelled at and threatened and, you know, this is just not like I I just want to go to class. I just want to live my life. Like, why should I why do I have to wear my Judaism on my sleeve? Yeah. I mean, look, right, so obviously I'm not a 20-year-old, right? and I'm double their age and I'm in Congress and so I've had to develop a thick skin, right? I mean, you know, look, I've gotten into it, my colleagues, I've gotten into it with AOC over this issue. I, you know, centured Rashida Talib, uh, over, you know, uh, o over, you know, River to the Sea. And so, I've gotten into my colleagues. It's made it uncomfortable at times. There are still people in the house that don't talk to me, give me death stares when when when I walk by. Um, and so, look, it's nice to be liked. you want to be liked by everyone. Uh but I I I prefer being respected. Uh now that's harder for a 20-year-old, right, who, you know, just wants to, you know, live their life and be happy and go to school without having slurs yelled at them. Uh look, I I would tell those college kids, and that's why I went to Colombia on Passover to show those college kids not to be afraid. Walk to the class. If they're assaulted, report it. Obviously, that's a crime. It should be investigated. But otherwise, you know, do not uh in my opinion, do not give them an inch, not an inch uh of solitude that they've silenced you, right? Don't if you used to wear a Jewish star and now you're hiding it. Don't don't do that. Don't let them see that. That lets them know that this is they're winning. They're going to continue to do this. They're making progress. That's what they want. They want us to go back into hiding. Um they want you to take off your yarmaka if you wear one. Um, and so I know that's hard to tell a 20-year-old is, you know, these idiots are are yelling at them. Look, these folks are sheep. They're lemmings. They've been brainwashed, okay? You know, just go do your thing. Get to your class, focus on your studies. Forget them, okay? They won't be working on Wall Street or in or at a Fortune 500 company with the way they'll be going. They'll be the next, you know, Occupy Wall Street group living in tents. Um, you know, and so, um, you know, that's what I would tell a Jewish kid. Let them know that that there are people behind them. Um, you know, don't get yourself into trouble. Don't you don't have to instigate, right? Don't get yourself in a situation that can cause you harm, but but you don't have to be afraid. You have a lot of allies who are coming to help you. What has your experience in Congress been like? Uh, is it your first term? Has it surpassed what you expected? Is it different than what you expected? What what is the average person who only sees Congress by the news clips and the interviews and like you said the fighting that happens publicly? You know, you mentioned that their their colleagues even on the other side who will who will come over to you and acknowledge the funny thing that you said on Twitter even if it's about them. You know, do people posture online where they're fighting, but then offline are you able to sit and play cards, go to dinner, hang out? What is the experience of Congress that the average person doesn't know? Yeah, I'm still below the age of the card uh the card playing group. back. Um, yeah, there there might be a Marjon uh group in Congress. I'm not I haven't been invited if there is. Uh, but here's what I would say. What I would say is there are aspects of Congress that have been amazing, right? I mean, I work in the capital. I go onto the floor like that's not lost on me. this grandeur uh of this job. This is where you know Abraham Lincoln and John Adams and these amazing people uh you know John Lewis I mean I serve with unbelievable sort of giants you know that you know were in this building um you know so it's you know that aspect I think has been great as far as but no Congress is not what I expected right I mean we we we not legislating the 118th Congress was the least productive Congress in modern history and the 119th Congress was like hold my beer let me show you how to do that. And we're even least we're even less productive now. So I we're not helping the American people. We're too busy arguing uh with with each other. And so that aspect has been a letown. Uh Congress is more about comms than legislating. I didn't realize I would turn into a you know a little comm shop. You know I tell college students that are like I want to go into elected office. I would say you better be studying comms. Get out of political science. Go study communications. Those who can communicate are the ones that rise. You know, you can you can absolutely see that on the right and on the left. Uh I would say there's a lot of relationships across the aisle that you don't see like the cameras turn on and it's like a Broadway show and the cameras go off and then there's some chatting. Some people stay in character. Marjorie Taylor Green stays in character or she's just that miserable all the time. I I don't know. Okay. But she know she doesn't change. There's no talking to her. But there are others um even in the Freedom Caucus that you know have personalities that talk um and we have conversations. And so there's a lot more talking in Congress than you see on television or on social media. A lot more. Not as much as it used to be, but a lot more. Are there things that we could do to improve that situation? Should would you be telling the average voter that we should demand of the people that we elect a willingness to work across the aisle? It all feeds itself because the people most engaged in politics are the most outraged and the people most outraged don't want their person talking to the other side. How how do we change this before? I mean, there's only I mean, under the current dynamic, right? I mean, obviously, we could talk about fixing gerrymandering and independent commissions and and having open primaries. We could talk about all of that. Um, but if we wanted to change who we're sending to Washington right away, immediately so that they're more moderate on the left and the right, then every independent, every registered independent needs to pick a party, right? Every independent needs to pick a party. Go register as a Democrat. go register as a Republican and you need to vote in the primary, right? If you want more moderate people, then we got to moderate the pool of people who are voting in these primaries. And the only way to do that is for independents to go pick a party uh without changing the system. Uh but so long as the left and the left primary voter and the right primary voter gets more pure, people are leaving and registering as independent, making that more pure, and the gerrymandering that's continued to go on. No, Congress will continue not to function. There's no incentive to be partisan. There's no incentive because you're worried about being primary to the left and the right. It's a big problem. Boca Raton celebrating its centennial year. 100 years, which is really feels like a long time or sounds like a long time, but relative to cities around the world is very short. Certainly from a Jewish perspective on our relationship with the land of Israel, a hundred years is is nothing. Any reflections on Bokeh? You serve, you represent us, you represent Bokeh as you're looking back a hundred years. anything about Bokeh that you're particular it's changed even in my lifetime I mean it's amazing what's gone on uh in Boca Raton I mean it's a still a growing city it's a big city all the redevelopment that's going there it's a amazing 100redy year uh anniversary I spend most of my money in Bokeh that's a plus I I I guess it's right there next to Parkland we don't have we don't have much uh commercial in in Parkland so Bokeh is a great town it's a great town to raise a family it's a great town to be Jewish uh in um you know and So, um I'm I'm very uh very happy that Bokeh is celebrating its uh 100y year centennial uh and anniversary. Congressman, you spoke about keeping it light. I guess one more question. I noticed as you were lifting your arm, you have a few bracelets on I guess your right arm. Any of them have particular significance that would interest our audience? Yeah. You know, it's funny. Some people come up to me all the time and they're like, "Oh, what's up with your colorful bracelets?" and they like they try to like get under my skin and then I tell them actually there are names on these bracelets and the names that are on these bracelets are the kids that went to to Marjorie Stoman Douglas on February 14th and didn't walk out of the building uh seven years ago. So the parents, you know, have given me these bracelets over the years. I've replaced them as they've uh as they've worn. But it's a reminder to me that just down the block from my my home because we turned the page in the media cycle so quickly is that, you know, parents sent their kids and loved ones, husbands to school one day and they didn't come home. And that was just a total failure of government, of institutions. Um, it was a failure of the school board. It was a failure of the Broward Sheriff's Office didn't go into into the building that day. It was a failure of Tallahassee to do more to protect our schools on school safety. It was a failure in our gun policy. It was a failure in mental health. It was ma dramatic failure. The FBI had hits on the kid. They failed. Failure of the federal government. And so this reminds me, going back to why do I do what I do. This reminds me every day why I'm doing what I do because, you know, government failure has major repercussions. You know, these families have moved on uh move forward, I should say. These families have moved forward, but they're never going to move on. Uh and so, you know, losing my dad was a big deal to me three years ago. Uh, but I would tell you, watching parents put their kids in a box, that'll shake you to your core. No question about it. Congressman, we'll end the way we began with tremendous pride that you're our congressman and gratitude for all that you do, first of all, with common sense, bipartisanship, and unity, and uh, standing up for the USIsrael relationship. It means the world and in a world in which it's increasingly uncomfortable and there are repercussions. You spelled them out, threats on your life and your family. That's a very heavy price to pay and one that is not lost on us. We're incredibly grateful and thankful for our special relationship with you and wish you a lot of and blessing and success as you continue to go forward for these things that we we share together. We value together. So, thank you for making some time for us. Well, thank you Rabbi and Rabbi. Thank you. We appreciate it.