Vance Plans Private Shabbos Dinner With Jewish Republicans Amid Tensions Over Israel Policy
Vice President JD Vance is planning to host a private Shabbos dinner as part of an expanding outreach effort to Jewish Republicans, following months of tensions with some pro-Israel conservatives over his approach to Israel, Iran and the future of American involvement in the Middle East.
The dinner, first reported by i24NEWS, was originally expected to include approximately 40 guests. That number has since been sharply reduced, with a source familiar with the plans saying the smaller gathering was designed in large part to prevent details of the private conversations from leaking publicly. Vance’s office did not respond to i24NEWS’s request for comment.
The gathering is the latest in a series of moves by Vance to engage directly with Jewish Republicans at a time when his views on the U.S.-Israel relationship have generated debate within conservative circles.
Those tensions were renewed this past week when Vance addressed the All-In Summit in Los Angeles and emphasized that while Israel remains an important American partner, Washington’s Middle East policy must ultimately be determined by U.S. interests.
Vance said the United States “cannot let our Middle East foreign policy be subservient to the State of Israel.”
At the same time, the vice president stressed that his position should not be interpreted as opposition to the alliance. He pointed specifically to cooperation between the two countries on military technology and intelligence sharing, while arguing that allies will inevitably have disagreements.
“We’re going to work with people when we work with them. We’re going to disagree when we disagree. And we’re going to pursue America’s interests,” Vance said.
Vance also said President Donald Trump has demonstrated a willingness to disagree with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when the administration believes Israeli and American interests diverge. He compared the relationship to other U.S. alliances, arguing that close cooperation does not mean Washington must automatically adopt another government’s position.
The vice president has repeatedly raised another concern: the erosion of American public support for Israel, particularly among younger voters. Vance has argued that supporters of the alliance can no longer assume that younger Americans will instinctively view Israel as an important U.S. partner.
That issue was a major subject when Vance appeared at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership gathering in Las Vegas at the beginning of September. The vice president participated in a closed-door fireside discussion with RJC national chairman and former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman.
During the discussion, Vance acknowledged “a growing suspicion among, I would call it, under-40s” toward the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Rather than dismissing that skepticism, Vance argued that Republicans and other supporters of Israel need to explain the alliance in terms of tangible American interests.
“I think my view is what we have to do is articulate why this is in the best interest of the United States of America, and actually get out there and talk about the ways in which it is in the best interest of the United States of America,” Vance said.
Vance described Israel during the Las Vegas gathering as “certainly one of our most important alliances in the world,” according to an audio recording obtained by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. He pointed to intelligence gathering and technology sharing as examples of areas where the relationship benefits the United States.
Axios separately reported that Vance called Israel “extremely important to America’s national security” during the private meeting.
But the Las Vegas appearance also exposed areas of friction between Vance and portions of the Jewish Republican community.
One source of controversy has been Vance’s continued friendship with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, whose commentary on Israel and platforming of guests accused of antisemitism have drawn sharp criticism from Republican Jewish leaders. At the RJC gathering, Coleman publicly condemned Carlson’s platforming of Holocaust deniers and attacks on Jews who support Israel.
Vance has declined calls to sever his relationship with Carlson.
“Tucker is a friend despite the fact that we disagree on a number of things,” Vance recently said. “I’m not gonna play the game where I throw friends under the bus because I have political disagreements.”
During his RJC appearance, Vance did explicitly condemn Nick Fuentes, saying the far-right commentator “really does hate Jews.” But when Coleman raised Carlson, Joe Rogan and other influential podcasters who have hosted controversial guests, Vance largely avoided addressing Carlson directly.
Despite those disagreements, Vance received standing ovations when he entered and left the closed-door RJC session, according to people who attended. Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, an RJC board member, subsequently described the appearance as a constructive development.
“Today is not primary day. But I think today was progress day for JD Vance and the Jewish community,” Fleischer said.
Vance’s outreach continued this past Thursday with a private White House meeting with New York Jewish radio personality Sid Rosenberg, who had previously been outspoken in criticizing the vice president over Israel and his friendship with Carlson.
Rosenberg said he entered the meeting with “very low expectations,” but emerged with a significantly more positive impression of Vance.
“The talk was that I was going to grill JD Vance on Tucker Carlson and the Israel comments he’s been making as of late,” Rosenberg said. “This was more of a get-to-know-each-other session.”
Rosenberg said most of the substance of the approximately half-hour discussion would remain private, but said “it went well” and that the two “hit it off.” He indicated that additional meetings dealing with substantive issues were likely.
“He is willing to listen,” Rosenberg said. “I don’t think by any stretch that JD Vance hates Israel, hates the Jewish people.”
Shabbos Kestenbaum, the Jewish campus activist who spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention, also pointed to the planned dinner as evidence that Vance is actively seeking dialogue with American Jews.
“Vice President Vance is making considerable outreach efforts to the American Jewish community, particularly with this Shabbat dinner,” Kestenbaum told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Kestenbaum added that he looks “forward to working together on our common interests while also expressing our concerns.”
The outreach comes as Vance continues to argue that the traditional political assumptions surrounding Israel are changing, especially among younger Americans. His stated approach has been to defend the alliance primarily by emphasizing the benefits it provides to American security and strategic interests, while maintaining that Washington must remain willing to disagree with Jerusalem.
The planned Shabbos dinner appears designed to continue that conversation in a much smaller and more private setting. Who will attend has not been publicly disclosed, nor have details been released about precisely where the dinner will take place.
What is clear is that Vance is devoting increasing attention to his relationship with Jewish Republicans. Between his closed-door appearance before the RJC, his private meeting with Rosenberg and now the planned Shabbos gathering, the vice president has increasingly chosen face-to-face discussions with Jewish conservatives as questions persist within parts of that constituency over his views on Israel and the direction of American Middle East policy.
{Matzav.com}
