Florida Congressman Randy Fine is the first member of the House of Representatives to wear a kipah on the floor of the House. This distinction alone, however, would not give him the adoration and respect of the Jewish community, who have seen many pretenders come and go. Rather, his strong defense of that community — from ensuring education success to securing Jewish day schools and synagogues — has earned the freshman Congressman an important place in the hearts and minds of the philo-Semitic, and scorn from the anti-Semitic. This is also why pro-Israel activists, donors, and community leaders gathered in the home of Trudy and Stanley Stern in Lawrence for a NORPAC event co-sponsored by Ronit and Brian Gurtman and Iris and Shalom Maidenbaum to hear from Representative Fine.

In attendance were more than admirers: Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, former Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, and President Trump’s brand-new pick for U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, Benjamin Landa, were all in attendance.

Fine wasted no time on small talk. He launched straight into the origin story that has already become legend in pro-Israel circles.

“I got into politics because I couldn’t understand my kid’s Common Core math homework,” he began, drawing laughs. After speaking with the principal of the public school his then–six-year-old son was attending, he realized that the only way to effect change was as a lawmaker, not as a parent. When he filled out the qualifying papers for the Florida House, however, he had second thoughts and threw them in the trash. It wasn’t until later when he found out that his wife secretly mailed them in. “There’s a real freedom when you never wanted the job,” Fine said with a grin. “You can say whatever the hell you want.”

Elected in 2016 as the lone Jewish Republican in Tallahassee, Fine never intended to become the community’s point man. That changed fast. Within a few years he pushed through a budget line that took security funding for Jewish day schools from a mere $600,000 statewide to $40 million annually. “I’m going to make Florida the safest place to be Jewish,” he vowed — and by most accounts, he has.

He was also the very first Florida legislator to endorse Donald Trump’s 2024 comeback when nearly everyone else backed Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis. The loyalty paid off in ways that the Congressman never expected. When Trump picked Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor, a safe Republican congressional seat suddenly opened, and his first call was to Randy Fine, who had just been elected to the State Senate. After initially balking at the President’s offer, Trump, in pure Trumpian fashion, said, “Randy, I got shot in the head — the least you can do is come and see me.”

After a brief discussion at Mar-a-Lago with no commitment, Randy Fine found out he was running for Congress after countless friends and supporters contacted him to congratulate him. Turns out President Trump posted that he was running on Truth Social. When the soon-to-be Congressman contacted the President-elect, Trump said, “Randy, you said you would do anything for me, and now you can’t say no.”

Fine ran — and won — against an opponent who self-described as “a Muslim bisexual drug addict.” His opponent raised more money in the shortest period of time than anyone in the history of Congress. Democrats were desperate to show that Trump could be beaten, but they chose the wrong battleground. Randy Fine won the seat handily.

On Capitol Hill, Fine landed on the Education and Workforce Committee — a fitting perch for the guy whose political career started over homework. He takes particular pride in helping deliver universal school choice to Florida families, a reform he believes is now a lifeline for Jewish parents facing skyrocketing day-school tuition and security costs.

Perhaps the most moving moment of the morning came when Fine recalled May 6, when he was scheduled to have a hearing with several college presidents testifying. His teenage son pulled him aside before he left for Washington: “Dad, can you wear your kipah on the floor today? I have friends in college who are too afraid to wear one.” Fine did. No member of Congress had ever worn a kipah during proceedings on the House floor. He hasn’t taken it off since. A few days later, he wore one again as the Speaker pro tempore.

Fine was blunt about the current state of the political landscape. “I think the left is lost,” he said, but quickly added, “Now the risk is on my side, the Republican Party.” Fine expressed open disgust that he has to serve alongside Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. “I’m willing to do what I wish Democrats were willing to do 20 years ago,” he declared — meaning call out antisemitism and anti-Israel extremism inside his own tent, no matter the cost.

The Q&A session crackled with urgency. Jeffrey Sax, founder of Safe Campus, pointed out that CUNY’s new chief diversity officer is a former CAIR-Minnesota director and asked what Congress could do about CAIR itself.

Fine didn’t flinch: “I have a bill to name CAIR as a terrorist organization.” He acknowledged the political hurdle — “They market themselves as the NAACP of Islam” — but said the evidence of Hamas ties is overwhelming. Fine also said he’s working on a disclosure bill that would force every nonprofit to publicly list every dollar it receives, foreign or domestic — a measure aimed squarely at the networks funding paid campus agitators.

Congressman Randy Fine serves not only as an example of principled conservative values that every Republican should strive for, but also the unflinching pride in his Judaism that every fellow Jew should strive for. His outspokenness isn’t unnoticed. He has received more death threats than many of his colleagues, and three people are currently sitting in jail for such threats. Yet he is not deterred. Randy Fine will continue to fight the fight, so he deserves our support.

By Moshe Hill