At the Republican Jewish Coalition Presidential Forum on Dec. 3, Ted Cruz said he would move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and promised to “rip the Iran nuclear deal to shreds.” | Getty Cruz, Rubio make play for Jewish Republicans The Texas senator slammed Obama and promised to ‘rip the Iran nuclear deal to shreds.’ But he didn’t go as far as Rubio to win over the crowd.

The Republican nomination fight is beginning to look like a contest between Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and on Thursday, the senator from Florida aimed to win a round.

Speaking to the Republican Jewish Coalition’s candidate forum, Cruz seemed content to deliver few applause lines. He called President Barack Obama “an apologist for radical Islamic terrorists,” vowed to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and promised to “rip the Iran nuclear deal to shreds.”


But he didn’t go as far as Rubio to win over this crowd of 700 security-minded Republicans.

Indeed, Rubio, who unlike Cruz wore a tie and delivered a speech, looked like a man on a mission, aiming to turn the warm feelings that RJC board members have expressed about his candidacy into outright support.

He vowed to fight anti-Semitism, which many politically active members of the American Jewish community think is growing worldwide. He outlined a plan to fight ISIL, and he drew sharp contrasts with Cruz. Above all, he spoke with greater depth and conviction on specific issues affecting Israel.

“As President I will challenge the real impediments to peace in the Middle East, and stand up for Israel,” Rubio said. “Instead of pressuring Israel to make unreciprocated concessions, I will work with its prime minister on areas of mutual interest. I will finally move our embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. I will help ensure that Jerusalem remains the Jewish state’s undivided and eternal capital. I will revive the common-sense understandings reached in the 2004 Bush-Sharon letter and build on them to help ensure Israel has defensible borders, including through its continued control of the Golan Heights.

“This is only the beginning of what I will do as president in support of Israel, but it is far from the beginning of my efforts on this issue as a public servant. Throughout my time in the Senate, I have worked to strengthen and deepen our alliance,” Rubio continued, as he ticked off his work to pass sanctions against Hezbollah and his support for tougher sanctions against Iran, among other things.

Certainly, this turf was already considered friendlier to Rubio, who is favored by RJC founder Sheldon Adelson, although the billionaire casino magnate’s wife is reportedly leaning toward with Cruz.

"It's definitely a home-court advantage here for Rubio, a pro-Rubio crowd, especially if you look at the money trail," said Michael Trager, an RJC member from New York.

But Cruz appeared ready to forfeit the ground if greater intervention is what the crowd wants. After his statement Monday that the United States “has no dog in the fight” in Syria drew a strong rebuke Thursday morning from the Wall Street Journal editorial board, Cruz doubled down on his position that “trying to topple government in Syria with no plan for what will replace it,” is a mistake.

“Toppling a government and allowing radical Islamic terrorists to take over a nation is not benefiting our national security,” Cruz said.

His comments led Lindsey Graham, sandwiched in the speaking lineup between Cruz and Rubio, to ditch prepared remarks and rip into Cruz’s proposed approach to national security as well as the Texas senator’s argument that only a hard-right conservative can excite the GOP base enough to win next fall.

“Ted Cruz says he’d keep Assad in power. I sure as hell will not. As long as Assad’s around, Hezbollah has a partner,” Graham said, pivoting to foreign policy after spending 10 minutes mocking Cruz’s electability argument and asserting that Republicans win by making inroads with women voters and Hispanics in the political center.

The stem-winder from Graham, never an easy act to follow on stage, served to set up Rubio perfectly.

“This simplistic notion that—leave Assad there and he’s a brutal killer but he’s not as bad as what’s going to follow him—is a fundamental and simplistic notion and dangerous misunderstanding of the reality of the region,” Rubio said during a short question-and-answer session after his speech. “As long as Assad or someone like Assad remains in power, not only does Iran have a proxy state that they control, but also it will serve as an irritant that will allow the next radical, Sunni Islamic state to rise up and replace what ISIS is today.

“You need a president with a foresight to understand this,” he continued. “A president who doesn’t just understand what’s in front of him, but who understands what it’s going to turn into in three or five years if we don’t do something about it.”

Rubio also pounded Cruz for a 2013 vote to slash defense spending, including aid to Israel that supports the country's Iron Dome missile defense shield.

"I have been a staunch supporter of our military assistance to the Jewish state, especially the Iron Dome system that has saved countless lives. These programs have ended up benefiting America by leading to technological innovations now used by the U.S. military," Rubio said.

"In choosing a president, we need to look at what candidates do, not just what they say. I believe those who speak about their pro-Israel views but carelessly support a gutting of our international affairs budget, including assistance to Israel, or who vote against legislation funding U.S.-Israel defense programs, need to check their priorities. You cannot be pro-Israel while also attempting to eliminate assistance that Israel uses to defend itself."

At the Republican Jewish Coalition Presidential Forum on Dec. 3, Marco Rubio vowed to fight anti-Semitism. | AP Photo

Cruz glossed over that vote and his opposition to the NSA's domestic surveillance program.

"It was notable, the things that Cruz didn't talk about," said Joy Hoffman, an RJC member from Colorado.

Despite Rubio's efforts to score points, some audience members came away from the morning more impressed with Cruz and his more casual but compelling presentation.

Valerie Greenfeld, an RJC member from Rockville, Md., decided to commit to Cruz after hearing his speech Thursday. “He believes what he says, he doesn’t read from a piece of paper,” she said. “He comes across very strongly, and it’s not just words—it’s his analysis, his ideology.”

She likes Rubio, she said, but added that she was “disappointed” in what struck her as an overly scripted performance. “Get rid of his speech, speak from the heart, be himself,” she said, adding that he was much better in the question-and-answer session than while he delivered his prepared remarks.

Bobby Epstein, an RJC member from Rockville, Md., said he was also impressed by Cruz, but that he now favors Rubio, who he views as more electable than Cruz. “He was on point with his message, he doesn’t change his views, he believes what he believes, and we need someone with moral clarity,” he said.

