U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R) addressed an urgent issue at the Republican Jewish Coalition leadership, stating that he has "seen more antisemitism on the right" in the past six months than "I have in my entire life."
Speaking at the Venetian Expo as the Republican Party grappled with a string of recent events, Cruz urged the Party to confront and root out extremist rhetoric whenever it appears.
He warned that silence in the face of those who praise Adolf Hitler or advocate violence makes bystanders complicit.
"If you sit there with someone who says Adolf Hitler was very, very cool, and that their mission is to combat and defeat global Jewry, and you say nothing, then you are a coward and are complicit in that evil," Cruz said.
The summit came amid high-profile controversies, including a Young Republicans chat praising Hitler and a Nazi symbol found in a Republican office. These moments have put antisemitism and fringe extremism under scrutiny within the conservative movement.
Cruz emphasized that Republicans must do more than condemn these incidents and act to prevent them from spreading. He also reiterated his support for Israel.
"It's a handful of voices that are spreading this garbage, and it is giving one of us a time for choosing, and as for me, I choose to stand with you," Cruz vowed. "I choose to stand with Israel, and I choose to stand with America."
Many speakers at the summit insisted that antisemitism remains a "fringe" problem and attempted to contrast it with left-wing extremism. However, Cruz emphasized that this was an integral issue that needed to be addressed within the Republican Party.
