A group of representatives held a candlelight vigil on the Capitol steps for Israel Thursday night. The bipartisan vigil was held by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).
“For me, as a member of Congress, as a Jew, as a Zionist, as a human being, this moment of us coming together, whether it’s this disorganization and disunity in Israel prior to this point or here in our country when Israel and the United States need one another,” Wasserman Schultz said.
“It’s moments like this where we step up, and it is actions that matter so much … more than words,” Wasserman Schultz added.
House chaplain Margaret Kibben led the group in prayer. She said international crises have a way of touching everyone in different ways and that there is more that unites people than divides them.
Gottheimer asked everyone to join him in a moment of silence to honor the lives lost in Israel and the hostages currently missing.
“Thank you again to all my colleagues for joining us, and you’ll see all of us as a country coming together,” Gottheimer said. “Democrats and Republicans, there is nothing that divides us on this issue as members of Congress who care about our country.”
Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), originally in the crowd of representatives, came down to the podium to address the nation.
“This is a blow to us on a bipartisan basis that is so devastating. The civilians, the civilian slaughter of women, children, families, is beyond belief,” Wagner said. “We will not stand for this in Congress, as mothers, as father, as grandmothers, we are here to say that we stand with Israel and the eradication of the terrorist groups of Hamas.”
Israel is preparing for a long war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The U.S. provides about $3 billion in aid to Israel every year, but an emergency aid package may need to passed by Congress to bolster Israeli military capabilities.
The House has been paralyzed without a Speaker since the historic ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). The House wouldn’t be able to pass any form of assistance for Israel without House Republicans agreeing whom they would nominate as the next Speaker and taking a vote.