The Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, Don Leonard Scott Jr., spent a rainy afternoon last month with members of Jewish Tidewater at the home of Laura and Fred Gross. His recent trip to Israel with AIPAC was the focus of the conversation.
Jeff Breit, a law partner of Scott’s at Breit Biniazan Trial Lawyers, introduced the Speaker to the group. “He went to Israel in December, and it was a transformative trip,” said Breit. The two men spoke on the phone daily while Scott was in Israel, and Breit said, the trip changed the Speaker.
After his trip, Scott said, he gained “a lot of respect for the people of Israel,” saying that he learned so much and attended his first Shabbat, ribbing Breit for not previously inviting him to one.
Scott’s ‘number one observation’ he said, is that “most Americans don’t know what’s happening over there.” Outraged for a moment watching the news, “we go about our day, but Israelis live it.”
In addition, he said most Americans don’t even understand where Gaza or the West Bank are located.
“We heard sirens going off and people just kept walking,” he said. “I asked, ‘don’t you hear those sirens?’ People said they knew exactly where they were – that they were miles away. I thought, ‘miles?’ That’s close.”
Scott met with people who had had family members killed and others who had family members held hostage. He went to the Nova site, which he declared was like a war zone, sharing what he saw, including cars melted into the road.
Scott’s group went to the Knesset and met the speaker, whom he said was “very right wing, very conservative.” Then, the speaker introduced Scott to his husband. “Oh, I thought, this is different.” Being right-wing, he learned in Israel, has more to do with security than with social issues.
In Tel Aviv, Scott saw protests every day – people wanting the war over and the hostages home.
The AIPAC group met with Israeli thought leaders, writers, IDF members, and people who had been former Palestinian Authority members.
Scott said that they met with IDF soldiers who had literally lost limbs during this war, but “that across the board, the career military – those that had given the most – thought that the best way forward to peace was a two-state solution. Not so much for the political or thought leaders. They had given up on the idea.”
Even surrounded by enemies, Scott said the Israelis still believe that Israel is the safest place for Jews. “Maybe not now, but because of the history of the world,” they believe they must keep this country as a safe haven.
“When I came back here and witness some of the misinformed about Israel and Gaza, I know we have a lot of work to do to educate folks.”
Scott’s favorite site in Israel? The Dead Sea. He really enjoyed floating in it.
Virginia’s Speaker of the House shares insights from Israel trip
