David Brog

Last updated
David Brog
Personal details
Born1965or1966(age 58–59)
Margate City, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party Republican
Education Princeton University (BA)
Harvard University (JD)

David Brog (born 1965/1966) [1] is the former executive director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), an American pro-Israel Christian organization, and a conservative activist. [2] [3]

Contents

Career

After graduating from Harvard Law School, Brog served as an executive at America Online and practiced corporate law both in Israel and the United States. [4] [5] In the early 1990s, Brog practiced in Israel. [6]

Afterwards he worked in the United States Senate for seven years, where he eventually became the chief of staff to Senator Arlen Specter and staff director of the Senate Judiciary Committee. [4] [5]

According to David Krone, Harry Reid's chief of staff, Brog was key in securing House Republican support for the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which passed in 2016. [1]

In July 2015, Brog was tapped to head a new group called the Maccabee Task Force, an entity formed by American philanthropists Sheldon Adelson and Haim Saban to combat Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions BDS activities on college campuses. Brog's exploits as head of the Maccabee Task Force were featured in an Al Jazeera documentary titled The Lobby . [7] [8] [9] Brog was seen as a surprising choice due to his position far from the mainstream within pro-Israel position, according to a Jewish organizational official speaking to The Forward in 2015. Nonetheless, the official found Brog's past success in organizational development explanatory regarding his appointment. [9]

Brog is often considered a protégé of Adelson's. [10]

He co-founded the Edmund Burke Foundation with Yoram Hazony. [11] As part of that foundation's work, Hazony and Brog organized the National Conservatism Conference. [12] [13] They hoped to develop the frame the development and growth of conservatism through the conference. [14]

Christians United For Israel leadership

Brog helped found Christians United For Israel (CUFI), an American pro-Israel Christian organization. [12] CUFI founder and San Antonio-based Pentecostal preacher John Hagee hired Brog in 2006. Hagee did so as a solution to his organization's lack of pull in political circles; with Brog's political connections and ability, Hagee hoped to extend influence from the familiar broadcast radio to the unfamiliar Washington, D.C. [15]

Brog said in 2015 that his first task upon joining CUFI was to tap into existing bases of Christian Zionist support. Around 2015, the organization was exploring the idea of expanded political engagement, whether through Washington office focused on lobbying or through the development of a political action committee. [16]

According to Sander Gerber, a major player in the passage of the Taylor Force Act, a bill passed in 2018 that halted aid to the Palestinian Authority until it stops paying the families of deceased terrorists, Brog played a role in the bill's passage. Brog brought CUFI into the lobbying effort to pass the bill, bringing evangelical groups on board long before Jewish groups entered the arena, according to Gerber. [17]

2022 Republican Nevada congressional primary

In 2022, Brog ran for Republican Congressional nominee in Nevada's 1st congressional district. He lost in an eight-way race, finishing second with 17% to former Army colonel Mark Robertson's 30%. [10] Brog announced his entry into the race in February and raised $284,000 in the first six weeks, including a $50k loan to himself. [2] By June, Brog had spent $187k. His campaign spent $59k on mail advertisements and $88.5k on "media placements". This left his campaign with $174k in remaining cash at that point. By that point in the campaign, Brog had received endorsements from Genie Energy PAC, the Hindu American PAC, and former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. [3]

Brog described "securing our Southern border and finishing Trump's border wall" as among his top priorities. [12]

Education and early life

Brog was born in Margate City, New Jersey, a community near Atlantic City. His parents were largely secular, his father Eugene attending synagogue only for the high holidays. His Zionism was fostered after reading The Revolt by Menachem Begin while a student at Atlantic City High School. [1]

Brog attended Princeton University for his bachelor's degree. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991. [18] [12]

Personal life

He is a cousin of former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak, whose original surname was also "Brog" until he Hebraized it to Barak in 1972. [18] He is married to an Israeli-American woman. [9]

Brog is Jewish. [7] He occasionally attends his local Orthodox synagogues, Young Israel Aish HaTorah and Chabad. He does not work on Shabbat. [1] Before moving to Nevada, Brog lived in Texas. [17]

Views

Brog says he was a Democrat until law school. [4] : 2 

In 2014, Brog expressed concern in Middle East Quarterly that traditional reflexive American evangelical Christian support for Israel was waning. [19]

Books

Brog's Standing With Israel is an attempt to establish Christian Zionists as both allies to the Jewish people and not motivated by replacement theology. [20] : 158  Brog details in four chapters how Christian Zionists aided in the establishment of the State of Israel. [20] : 165  He poses modern Zionist evangelicals as the heirs to the righteous gentiles of World War II. Nikolas K. Gvosdev says in his review for the Journal of Church and State that the book "suffers from the fact that its author wants to make definitive statements on a variety of issues while ignoring inconvenient details", a byproduct of the book's nature as a political polemic. [21] Brog's primary audience is other members of the Jewish community. [22] : 86 

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Zionism</span> Belief among some Protestant Christians that Jews should return to the Holy Land

Christian Zionism is a political and religious ideology that, in a Christian context, espouses the return of the Jewish people to the Holy Land. Likewise, it holds that the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 was in accordance with biblical prophecies transmitted through the Old Testament: that the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty in the Levant—the eschatological "Gathering of Israel"—is a prerequisite for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The term began to be used in the mid-20th century, in place of Christian restorationism, as proponents of the ideology rallied behind Zionists in support of a Jewish national homeland.

Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, also known as Hillel International, is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, working with thousands of college students globally. Hillel is represented at more than 850 colleges and communities throughout North America and globally, including 30 communities in the former Soviet Union, nine in Israel, and five in South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hagee</span> American televangelist (born 1940)

John Charles Hagee is an American pastor and televangelist. He founded John Hagee Ministries, which telecasts to the United States and Canada. He is also the founder and chairman of the Christian Zionist organization Christians United for Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christians United for Israel</span> Christian Zionist organization

Christians United for Israel (CUFI) is an American Christian organization that supports Israel. Its statement of purpose is; "to provide a national association through which every pro-Israel church, parachurch organization, ministry or individual in America can speak and act with one voice in support of Israel in matters related to Biblical issues." As a Christian Zionist group with over 10 million members, it is the largest Zionist organization in the United States. It operates under the leadership of John Hagee as founder and chairman, along with Diana Hagee and Shari Dollinger as co-executive directors.

StandWithUs (SWU) is a nonprofit right-wing pro-Israel advocacy organization founded in Los Angeles in 2001 by Roz Rothstein, Jerry Rothstein, and Esther Renzer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ameinu</span> American progressive Jewish organization

Ameinu is a left-wing American Jewish Zionist organization. Established in 2004 as the successor to the Labor Zionist Alliance, it is the continuation of Labor Zionist activity in the United States that began with the founding of Poale Zion, which came together in the period 1906.

The Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism is a joint statement issued by a number of Palestinian Christian churches dated 22 August 2006. It rejects Christian Zionism, concluding that it is a "false teaching that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice, and reconciliation."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestine lobby in the United States</span> Pro-Palestine American individuals and groups

The Palestine lobby in the United States is organized by a number of pro-Palestinian advocacy groups seeking to influence the United States government, institutions, and citizens to actively oppose Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, many of them members or cooperating with the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights. These organizations include peace and anti-war, human rights, anti-Zionist, and Arab- and Muslim-American groups. Groups against occupation also include Jewish Voices for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine, among others. Their tactics include education, protest, civil disobedience and lobbying.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoram Hazony</span> Israeli-American philosopher (born 1964)

Yoram Reuben Hazony is an Israeli-American philosopher, Bible scholar, and political theorist. He is president of the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem and serves as the chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation. He has argued for national conservatism in his 2018 book The Virtue of Nationalism and 2022's Conservatism: A Rediscovery.

Frank Dimant was executive vice president and CEO of B'nai Brith Canada, and was also CEO of the organization's Institute for International Affairs and the League for Human Rights, from 1978 to 2014. He also was the publisher of B'nai Brith's newspaper, Jewish Tribune from 1985 until September 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions</span> Palestinian-led movement demanding international sanctions against Israel

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's obligations under international law, defined as withdrawal from the occupied territories, removal of the separation barrier in the West Bank, full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, and "respecting, protecting, and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties". The movement is organized and coordinated by the Palestinian BDS National Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation</span> Educational institution in Israel

The Center for Jewish–Christian Understanding and Cooperation or CJCUC is an educational institution at which Christians who tour Israel can study the Hebrew Bible with Orthodox rabbis and learn about the Hebraic roots of Christianity. The center was established in Efrat in 2008 by Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Riskin, who has been described as "the most prominent rabbinic spokesperson to Christian Zionists". CJCUC partners with major Christian interfaith organizations such as Christians United for Israel and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem. Since Riskin's retirement as president of Ohr Torah Stone in 2018, the overseeing of all CJCUC activities has been turned over to David Nekrutman who has served as the center's chief director since its inception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMCHA Initiative</span> Pro-Israeli foreign lobbying organization

The AMCHA Initiative is a pro-Israel American campus group that seeks to undermine BDS activities on campuses. AMCHA was founded in 2012 by University of California Santa Cruz lecturer Tammi Rossman-Benjamin and University of California Los Angeles Professor Emeritus Leila Beckwith. The term Amcha is Hebrew for "your people" or "your nation."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Students for Justice in Palestine</span> Pro-Palestinian BDS activism organization

Students for Justice in Palestine is a pro-Palestinian college student activism organization in the United States, Canada and New Zealand. It has campaigned for boycott and divestment against corporations that deal with Israel and organized events about Israel's human rights violations. In 2011, The New York Times reported that "S.J.P., founded in 2001 at the University of California, Berkeley, has become the leading pro-Palestinian voice on campus."

The Israel Allies Foundation educates and empowers an international network of pro-Israel legislators. IAF works with politicians around the world to mobilize support for Israel-based Jewish values. One of its main goals is keeping Jerusalem fully under Israeli sovereignty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Stearns</span> American pastor and evangelist

Robert Stearns is an American pastor and Evangelical Christian leader who founded Eagles' Wings Ministries located in Clarence, New York and currently pastors the historic Tabernacle Church in Orchard Park, New York. A "leading voice in the Christian Zionist movement," Stearns is the leader and co-founder of the annual Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem: The single largest international Christian Zionist event and during which thousands of churches worldwide pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Currently, he resides in Clarence, New York with his three sons. They have begun to follow in his musical footsteps by forming a music collective called The Brothers of Mercy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada</span>

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Nevada were held on November 8, 2022, to elect the four U.S. representatives from the state of Nevada, one from each of the state's four congressional districts. The elections coincided with the Nevada gubernatorial election, as well as other elections to the U.S. House of Representatives, elections to the U.S. Senate, and various state and local elections.

The Maccabee Task Force (MTF), also called the Campus Maccabees, is a pro-Israel advocacy group founded in 2015 to combat anti-Israel activism, particularly the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) on college campuses. It is active at approximately 100 campuses in the United States and Canada.

Zionist antisemitism or antisemitic Zionism refers to a phenomenon in which antisemites express support for Zionism and the State of Israel. In some cases, this support may be promoted for explicitly antisemitic reasons. Historically, this type of antisemitism has been most notable among Christian Zionists, who may perpetrate religious antisemitism while being outspoken in their support for Jewish sovereignty in Israel due to their interpretation of Christian eschatology. Similarly, people who identify with the political far-right, particularly in Europe and the United States, may support the Zionist movement because they seek to expel Jews from their country and see Zionism as the least complicated method of achieving this goal and satisfying their racial antisemitism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adela Cojab</span> Mexican-American activist, author, podcaster and law student

Adela Cojab Moadeb is a Mexican-born American activist, author, podcaster, and law student. She is known for advocating against antisemitism and for Zionist causes. Most notably, she is known for her formal complaint against New York University under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for allowing antisemitic activities on campus.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kornbluh, Jacob (May 8, 2022). "He Was the Head of Christians United for Israel. Now He's Running as a Jewish Candidate for Congress". The Forward . Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Golonka, Sean; Solis, Jacob; Rindels, Michelle; Mueller, Tabitha; Calderon, Jannelle; Sanchez, Humberto (April 12, 2022). "Senate race brings in millions, congressional incumbents maintain hefty cash leads". The Nevada Independent. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  3. 1 2 Golonka, Sean; Calderon, Jannelle; Solis, Jacob (June 6, 2022). "Congressional incumbents maintain cash leads, as Republicans escalate primary spending". The Nevada Independent. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Blumenthal, Max (August 8, 2006). "Birth Pangs of a New Christian Zionism". The Nation. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008.
  5. 1 2 Blumenthal, Max (August 11, 2006). "Israel, the US, and the Christian Right: The Menage a Trois From Hell". HuffPost.
  6. ↑ Stone, Peter H.; Kukis, Mark (April 9, 2005). "Tort Reformers Press for More Wins". National Journal. No. 15. Tort reformers press for more wins. ProQuest   200309914.
  7. 1 2 "CUFI's David Brog to lead new anti-BDS campus group". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 10 Jul 2015.
  8. ↑ Berkowitz, Bill (22 Jul 2015). "BDS Opponents Launch "Campus Maccabees" to Fight Divestment Efforts". Truthout.
  9. 1 2 3 Guttman, Nathan (8 Jul 2015). "Leader of Christian Zionists Named Head of Campus Anti-BDS Group". Forward.
  10. 1 2 Lapin, Andrew (June 15, 2022). "Head of campus pro-Israel group loses Republican Congressional primary in Nevada". Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
  11. ↑ Luban, Daniel (July 26, 2019). "The Man Behind National Conservatism". The New Republic. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Brog joins Nevada's GOP primary in 1st District House race". AP NEWS. February 17, 2022.
  13. ↑ Beauchamp, Zack (July 17, 2019). "Trump and the dead end of conservative nationalism". Vox. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  14. ↑ Gray, Rosie (July 19, 2019). "There's A New Movement Trying To Create An Intellectual Strain Of Trumpism. It Just Doesn't Know Exactly What That Means". BuzzFeed News. Washington, DC. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  15. ↑ Chafets, Ze'ev (2015). The bridge builder : the life and continuing legacy of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. New York: Sentinel. pp. 181–182. ISBN   9781591846789.
  16. ↑ Rubin, Jennifer (January 7, 2015). "Right Turn: Christians United for Israel hits 2 million". Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  17. 1 2 Rod, Marc (February 23, 2022). "Maccabee Task Force director David Brog puts his chips on congressional run". Jewish Insider. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  18. 1 2 Rosner, Shmuel (2006-05-07). "David Brog on why Christians support the Jewish state". Haaretz. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  19. ↑ "Is Support For Israel Waning Among American Evangelicals?". HuffPost. Religious News Service. April 9, 2014.
  20. 1 2 Steen, Sheldon (2017). "Strange Bedfellows? David Brog, Josephus, and the Rhetoric of Contested Allegiances". Method & Theory in the Study of Religion. 29 (2): 155–180. doi:10.1163/15700682-12341388. ISSN   0943-3058. JSTOR   44645838.
  21. ↑ Gvosdev, Nikolas K. (2006). "Review of Holy Fire: The Battle for Christ's Tomb; Standing with Israel: Why Christians Support the Jewish State". Journal of Church and State. 48 (3): 691–693. doi:10.1093/jcs/48.3.691. ISSN   0021-969X. JSTOR   23921674.
  22. ↑ Durbin, Sean (2019). Righteous gentiles: religion, identity, and myth in John Hagee's Christians United for Israel. Leiden. ISBN   9789004385009.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.