Sen. Ted Cruz will be a featured speaker before an affluent and predominantly Orthodox Jewish audience celebrating Passover on April 8 at a Southern California resort,
Politico reported.
As a voting bloc Jews lean liberal Democratic. Orthodox Jews, however, who tend to be younger, on the demographic upswing, and more committed to tradition, trend Republican, according to a
2013 Pew study.
The Texas Republican and likely 2016 presidential contender is respected by staunchly pro-Israel elements in the Jewish community. They place paramount concern on Israel's security and are ambivalent, at best, about the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The
commercial event at the St. Regis Monarch Beach resort is sponsored by the Prime Hospitality Group, which owns a chain of expensive kosher restaurants around the country.
Besides Cruz, the
other featured speakers at the Monarch Beach event are all Orthodox rabbis: the former chief rabbi of Britain's United Synagogue, Jonathan Sacks, along with Marvin Hier and Abraham Cooper, both of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in California.
Cruz is likely to speak on foreign policy and U.S.-Israel relations under the Obama administration. He is known to be competing with other GOP candidates for backing from major political donors in the Jewish community.
During the holiday, observant Jews take part in Seder ceremonial meals, eat special foods including matzoh, and use dishes and cutlery designated for Passover-only use. The holiday commemorates the exodus of the ancient Israelites from enslavement in Egypt.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.