Clark County GOP meeting on Passover nixed

A canceled Clark County Republican Party meeting had to be rescheduled twice, after the first alternative date fell on Passover, drawing concerns from Jewish members of the party.

The bi-monthly Clark County Republican Central Committee meeting was first scheduled for March 21 but was canceled after issues with the venue. Clark County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Law sent an email to members Monday night announcing it would take place April 5, which is the first day of Passover. After Jewish Republicans protested that they would not be able to attend, the meeting was rescheduled to take place April 4.

“I heard from some of our Jewish members,” Law told the Review-Journal on Tuesday. “We made a mistake, and we’re just correcting it. I’m glad they brought it to my attention.”

Passover commemorates the delivery of Israelites from slavery in Egypt. In the book of Exodus, God commanded Moses to tell the Israelites to sprinkle the blood of a lamb on their doorframes to avoid the tenth plague, the death of every firstborn child in Egypt, and to commemorate the “passing over” for generations to come.

Passover is similar to Thanksgiving in that it is a time for Jewish families to gather, said Clark County Republican Drew Hirsty. It’s not considered one of the most religious Jewish holidays but is more centered on the family, he said. Hirsty and other Jewish Republicans were concerned they would not be able to go to the meeting and therefore would not be able to vote in the party elections in July, as members must attend two meetings in order to vote.

“It’s pretty lame,” Hirsty said. “You wouldn’t schedule a meeting on Easter Day.”

Las Vegas Republican Barry Herr said that Jewish Republicans have been overlooked when scheduling meetings in the past. When Clark County Republican Party meetings are held in September, for instance, they sometimes take place during Jewish high holidays, he said.

“It’s just very frustrating,” Herr said. “There’s several people who are Jewish who get involved (in the party).”

The Republican Jewish Coalition, a national political group that supports Jewish Republicans, communicated directly with the Clark County Republican Central Committee leadership to reach a resolution, its national political director, Sam Markstein, said in an email.

“We appreciate their rapid response and rescheduling of the CCRCC meeting to a date that is inclusive,” Markstein said. “RJC is proud to work alongside county organizations like the CCRCC.”

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at 3333 Raven Ave. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on Twitter.