The Republican Jewish Coalition increased its lobbying expenses by an even greater percentage as it pushed for more aid to Israel, sanctions against Iran and other issues.
Several other major Jewish groups also reported increased spending on lobbying last year compared with 2023, and Israel’s war with Hamas and a spike in antisemitism contributed to the totals, even as the organizations also pursued separate agendas.
“Given Oct. 7 and the war, each of them is not pursuing an identical agenda but they have serious concerns that are well-founded, given the volatile situation in the Middle East and what’s at stake and the importance of the U.S. role here,” Guy Ziv, a professor at American University and associate director of its Center for Israel Studies, told JNS.
There’s also “the worldwide uptick of antisemitism that unfortunately has also hit parts of the United States,” he said.
The ADL spent $1.4 million to lobby in 2024, up 94% over the $723,000 spent during the previous 12 months, according to U.S. Senate records and the research group OpenSecrets.
“ADL has recently lobbied for a vast legislative agenda,” Max Sevillia, the nonprofit’s senior vice president of national affairs, told JNS. “Following the dramatic rise in antisemitism and other extremist hate, from Pittsburgh to Poway to El Paso to Jersey City to Jan. 6 to Colleyville, ADL made a strategic decision to invest in its policy apparatus, which has culminated in more robust government relations capabilities.”
The ADL has championed several pieces of legislation to address the rise in Jew-hatred and has pushed to make sure the provisions of former President Joe Biden’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism are followed, Sevillia said.
Julie Rayman, managing director of policy and political affairs at the American Jewish Committee, told JNS that Jewish Americans wanted groups representing them to increase their activities “recognizing what’s going on in Israel and the state of antisemitism in the United States and globally,”
In the first nine months of 2024, the AJC surpassed its total 2023 lobbying figures, $53,000 to $50,000. Fourth-quarter numbers were not available.
“The Jewish community is wanting it,” Rayman told JNS. “They’re demanding it. They’re recognizing the threat and want to be part of the solution.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition’s lobbying expenses grew 344% from 2023 to 2024, as the GOP group spent $400,000 last year after reporting expenses of $90,000 in 2023.
“In 2024, the RJC’s work fighting for the policy priorities of the American Jewish community grew in scope and scale,” Sam Markstein, the group’s spokesman, told JNS.
“Whether it was supporting the successful effort to deliver critical military aid to Israel, sanctioning the Iranian regime or defunding terrorism-complicit organization UNRWA,” the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, “the RJC was made for a moment like this,” Markstein said.
Other groups reported much smaller boosts. J Street spent $595,000 in 2024, up 14% from $520,000 in the previous year. The Zionist Organization of America’s lobbying spending rose by 13% to $180,000 last year from $160,000 during the previous 12 months.
Lobbying expenses for Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, grew to $240,000, an increase of 9% over the $220,000 spent in 2023. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee increased its lobbying spending by 9% to $3.3 million in 2024 from $3.1 million the year before.
A source familiar with AIPAC’s lobbying activities told JNS that it was linked to pushing for the largest aid package in Israel’s history.
It’s not only lobbyists but individuals who are getting involved, according to Rayman, of the American Jewish Committee.
The AJC sends out “action alerts” and urges supporters to contact their elected officials. Such contacts rose to 1.2 million last year from 830,688 in 2023, the group said. That’s a 40% increase.
“People’s willingness to be involved is another part of this story,” Rayman said.
