“At The Right Time” – A Wisconsin Congressman’s Emotional Trip To Israel

By FrumNews.com

After the attacks on Simchas Torah, many issued their sympathy and condemnation of the horrific attacks. One stood out.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL, who serves as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s 3rd congressional district, immediately went on a solidarity trip when the vicious attacks happened, he didn’t take a trip to Eretz Yisroel lightly.

Rep. Van Orden set out on the trip with Rabbi Dovid Katz, Executive Director of the Israel Heritage Foundation, in the dark days after the attack, with a vacancy in the Speaker’s office in Congress, which complicated his trip.

As he said at the time, “After retiring from the military in 2014, I made a solemn promise to the Jewish people that if anything like what took place on October 7, 2023, were to ever happen, I would help them and their nation to the best of my ability. I am keeping that promise,” he wrote.

What made his trip different? He went for the facts, not press coverage. His trip didn’t draw much press coverage at the time because he went to lay witness and show the facts in Congress, when some members would pick at the attacks and said, “It wasn’t that bad.” As we’ve recently since seen a number of Democrats break with Israel.

Rabbi Katz accompanied Rep. Van Orden, who was determined to do something positive for the IDF, to Magen David Adom. Together they toured the facility, saw the many dispatchers at work and learned about the inner workings of the organization. Both Rabbi Katz and Congressman Van Orden were very emotional. The congressman went to every dispatcher, shook his hand and thanked him for his outstanding work.

As the Congressman said at the time, “The intent of my trip to Israel during this time of crisis is multifold. Primarily, I am there to witness what has and is taking place so that I can speak from an informed position to categorically refute members of the Democratic party and others who are actively denying the horrific acts that have been, and continue to be, committed as you read this. I will be inspecting medical facilities to have a holistic understanding of the current and future needs of the Israeli people and speaking to military and other governmental officials to understand the needs of those entities and how to best provide them as I do not trust the Biden administration to do so truthfully.”

“As a retired Navy SEAL and combat medic, I am uniquely qualified to objectively ascertain the ground truth and bring that information back to Congress where I can hopefully increase the sense of urgency for my colleagues of both parties to put aside their petty personal and significant political differences and act in the best interest of America and our beleaguered allies.”

Rabbi Dovid Katz, warmly praised Congressman Van Orden for his compassion and thoughtfulness during their time together in Israel after October 7th. The Congressman demonstrated his commitment to helping others by donating blood to the MDA blood bank and showed great empathy during his visits to various sites. Moreover, Rabbi Katz was deeply moved by the Congressman’s visit to the Western Wall (Kotel) with Rabbi Rabinowitz, the Rabbi of the Wall. This meaningful experience left a lasting impression on Rabbi Katz.

In a statement, shortly after his visit, he unequivocally supported Eretz Yisroel, “Israel is one of our greatest friends and allies, and we must ensure they have the resources they need to defend themselves against the terrorist organization, Hamas. I recently returned from a week-long visit to Israel, where I saw some of the most horrific and brutal things in my life – even more so than what I witnessed during my time in combat.”

In another opinion piece in the Washington Examiner, he wrote about his trip, “I visited sites such as Kibbutz Be’eri, where Hamas slaughtered hundreds of innocent Israelis and took many as hostages into a fortified Gaza Strip. I also visited the location of the Supernova music festival, where more than 200 young adults and children were brutally murdered. I spoke with people whose family members were murdered, many of whom were Holocaust survivors.

“While visiting the site of the Supernova festival, I noticed countless festival cups across the grounds where festivalgoers were peacefully dancing and united before Hamas’s attack. I asked the Israeli minister I was with if I could take some of the cups back with me to Washington, D.C., to serve as a physical and solemn reminder to the world of the atrocities that took place on Oct. 7. Those cups are now in my office in Washington.”

“As a sitting member of Congress, I have a duty to hold those accountable who refuse to condemn Hamas or the genocide of the Jewish people.” He added.

This 70 y/o Grandpa held off the HAMAS terrorist for 16 hours with one other man to protect his grandchildren.

Sara Jane and I are having our 10th grandchild soon and I only hope that I would have the courage that this man has if the time ever comes.

Israel is not alone. pic.twitter.com/8FwC0ZIeDp

— Derrick Van Orden (@derrickvanorden) October 23, 2023