A Long Island golf course became an unlikely venue for American-Israeli political outreach last week, as roughly 200 business leaders, lawmakers, and pro-Israel activists gathered for what organizers are calling the first golf tournament dedicated to supporting the communities of Judea and Samaria.
Watch our exclusive reporting from this event
The event, organized by AFJS (American Friends of Judea and Samaria), drew several sitting legislators, including Arkansas Senator Jim Dotson and Arkansas State Representative Mindy McAlindon, alongside Florida State Representative Chase Tramont. All three have been involved in state-level legislative efforts to formalize use of the name “Judea and Samaria” in place of “West Bank,” emphasizing that the latter is a politically charged substitute for the region’s historical (pre-1950 and post 1967) and biblical designation.
Arkansas State Representative Mindy McAlindon said during the event, “The mission of the Jewish people in Judea and Samaria began thousands of years ago, and you are continuing it today. Judea and Samaria are important to all of us, Christians and Jews alike. Our goal is to turn Arkansas’s state legislation supporting Judea and Samaria into federal legislation.”
So far, three U.S. states, Arkansas, Arizona, and Tennessee, have adopted laws that ban the use of the Jordanian occupation name of ‘The West Bank’ in official state documents, and in so doing, recognizing Israel’s historic claim to its heartland, with the movement gaining momentum and support in dozens of others.
2+The format was a deliberate departure from the standard conference-hall circuit. Signs across the fairways described biblical and historical sites connected to the region. Golfers symbolically dedicated their shots to individual communities. The goal, organizers said, was to reach Americans who come in through the sport and leave with a more substantive understanding of the region.
“Jews, non-Jews, and people who have never been to Israel are all here,” said Yigal Dilmoni, AFJS CEO. “There are people for whom this is the first time they are hearing what it is.” Dilmoni told us that over the last two years, AFJS members have supported Israel’s heartland by donating six new tractors which work on farms in strategic areas in Samaria, Binyamin, Gush Etzion, the Jordan Valley, and Mount Hebron. This is in addition to plows, cows, drones, and holy books that were donated to agricultural farms, helping strengthen the pioneers who protect the lands of the Bible.
2+The evening dinner closed with tributes to the attending lawmakers and an unexpected birthday celebration for Elisha Medan, a reservist wounded in Gaza, whose appearance drew an emotional response from the crowd.
AFJS organizers say they plan to make the tournament an annual event. For an organization that has largely operated through delegation trips and legislative briefings, the golf format represents a calculated effort to expand its audience in the United States at a moment when support for Israel in American public discourse is increasingly under pressure by left-wing lobbying and foreign agents pushing an anti-Israel and pro-Islamist agenda.
2+Yigal Dilmoni, CEO of AFJS, said, “We broke new ground and made history with an experiential event that brought the story of Judea and Samaria to the most influential fairways in America. We succeeded in creating a deep connection and an unforgettable experience between business leaders, opinion makers, and decision makers in the United States and the heart of the biblical homeland. Participants were exposed to the tremendous development taking place on the ground and to the strategic and historical importance of the region. We created a true alliance here and an unprecedented opportunity to further strengthen support in the United States for Israel’s pioneering enterprise. This is a first-of-its-kind event, and with G-d’s help, we will continue it as a tradition.”