Somerset Times

(July 24, 2024) WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07) hosted Dylan Redfield as his guest to Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu’s Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday, July 24, 2024.

A Scotch Plains native, Dylan Redfield is a member of the Israeli Defense Forces and has served two years with the IDF after graduating from the University of Maryland. He is currently an IDF reservist.

"I am honored to have Dylan as my guest at the Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address in front of a Joint Session of Congress,” said Congressman Kean. “I first met Dylan in February when he was visiting Washington, DC. He told me of his experiences serving in the IDF, and his story of a call to duty is inspiring. When our meeting ended, he reached out his hand and gave me his IDF dog tags worn in service. He wanted me to keep them as a reminder of the fight that brave Israelis are taking on every day to defend their nation. I carried those dog tags with me into the chamber today with pride. I thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for addressing Congress. I will continue to support a strong US-Israel relationship for a safer and more prosperous future for both of our nations.”

“When the Congressman called me last week to invite me as his guest to attend the Prime Minister’s Joint Session of Congress, I was truly honored and humbled," said Dylan Redfield. "There were times while I was serving in the IDF in Israel when I looked back at the news from New Jersey and saw my Congressman showing his unwavering support for Israel. It gave me hope to continue serving in the IDF. It is an absolute honor to be here in Washington, DC, where there is so much interconnected significance, and watching the Prime Minister address a Joint Session of Congress truly meant a lot to me.”

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