After a Nashville hotel got cold feet and sought to cancel a pro-Israel event, Christian finance expert and syndicated radio host Dave Ramsey stepped in to be sure the event went on.
The Sonesta Nashville Airport hotel was scheduled to host the pro-Israel event until an anti-Israel group made noise. The group Palestine Hurra Collective Nashville claimed on Instagram that the purpose of the event was to “celebrate the death of civilians and recruit new Zionists!”
“Call relentlessly until this event is shut down!” the post urged.
The pressure worked. The hotel canceled the event.
“I think that the hotel jumped the gun and decided that they were going to just sort of dump this Israel event a week before it was going to happen, which is very unfortunate for the hotel because that’s in violation of Title II of the Civil Rights Act as well as Tennessee state law,” Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel at First Liberty Institute, said, according to Fox News.
But Ramsey, who runs Ramsey Solutions in nearby Franklin, is not among those giving in to fear.
“Dave Ramsey reached out and said, ‘You’re going to have it at my place and we’re going to take this event to a whole new level and make it 10x what it was before. All of the details have come together and the event is skyrocketing in numbers.” Joshua Waller, a host of the Israel Guys podcast said, according to The Daily Wire.
The podcast and HaYovel, a ministry that connects Christians who want to volunteer with farmers in Judea and Samaria, are among the sponsors of the event.
Are you a fan of Dave Ramsey?
“Ramsey Solutions is proud to stand beside our friends from Israel by providing them a safe place to hold their event as our gift to them,” Ramsey Solutions said in a statement.
“We will move forward with this event at a different venue and show these thugs that they will not be rewarded for their unconstitutional, hateful actions,” HaYovel announced, according to the Daily Wire.
NEW: Dave Ramsey Steps In To Rescue Pro-Israel Conference After Nashville Hotel Cancels
“You’re going to have it at my place and we’re going to take this event to a whole new level”https://t.co/4vD967l8zX
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) May 16, 2024
“Now, more than ever, it is important that America stands unconditionally with Israel and that we publicly show that we cannot be intimidated by pro-Hamas thugs.”
A news release on the First Liberty website said the hotel told HaYovel, “We have received credible threats regarding the safety of your group, our guests and employees, our hotel and sister property, and to businesses in our neighborhood. Those threats were confirmed by law enforcement officials in the last 24 hours.”
The release said hotel officials said police told them the cancel the event.
Nashville police said that is not true, according to WZTV-TV.
“The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department did not advocate, in any shape or form, for the cancellation of the conference at the Sonesta Hotel. Any inference to the contrary is false. Equally false is the assertion in an on-line article that this police department voiced concerns about persons being in physical danger,” the statement said.
“In fact, members of the police department did, indeed, meet with hotel management at its request to talk about the conference. We let it be known that we were absolutely prepared to help the hotel create a safety and security plan, as we would with any of our city’s hotels, and offer additional support if needed.
“At the same time, I am aware that the Sonesta was receiving a number of external messages urging that it not host the event. In the end, the Sonesta Hotel made a corporate decision to cancel. This police department was in no way a party to that decision,” the statement said.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville sent a statement saying “Harassment and intimidation are unacceptable and have no place in our community. We have registered our concerns and are in close contact with our law enforcement partners and continue to focus with determination and vigilance on keeping our community safe.”
