Jewish Republican lawmaker talks antisemitism in America after deadly DC shooting

The deadly shooting extracurricular Washington, D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum has added to an ongoing speech astir antisemitism aft Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 massacre. Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were killed erstwhile leaving an lawsuit astatine the depository hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC). The suspected shooter, Elias Rodriguez, has since been charged with their murders. 

Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., is 1 of lone 4 Jewish Republicans serving successful Congress, placing him successful a unsocial presumption erstwhile it comes to assessing antisemitism successful America and however it has been politicized. 

People stitchery to airy candles successful a makeshift memorial to grant Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim who were killed arsenic they near an lawsuit astatine the Capital Jewish Museum successful Washington, during a candlelight vigil extracurricular the White House successful Washington, Thursday, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)

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"We cognize that antisemitism has been astir for a precise agelong time, and obviously, aft October 7, 2023, it came to the forefront. It came retired arsenic powerfully arsenic it did, successful portion due to the fact that colleges and universities allowed immoderate pro-Palestinian and frankly immoderate pro-Hamas protesters to preach hatred and antisemitism—and they didn’t bash thing to halt it," Kustoff told Fox News Digital.

The Tennessee congressman condemned the shooting successful D.C., calling it "a horrific enactment of antisemitic terrorism."

"Antisemitic unit has nary spot successful our society. We indispensable stay agreed successful calling retired and confronting this rising tide of hate," Kustoff wrote successful a station connected X.

Kustoff said that successful his district, which helium described arsenic "strongly Republican, powerfully pro-Trump," determination aren’t galore Jewish people. In fact, according to World Population Review, conscionable nether 30,000 Jews unrecorded successful Tennessee, which has much than 7.3 cardinal residents. Despite the tiny Jewish population, Kustoff told Fox News Digital that radical successful his territory are "very supportive of Israel, precise supportive of the U.S.’s narration with Israel, and they emotion the Jewish people."

However, Kustoff besides said that Jewish radical in his district person "real concerns astir going to synagogue." Jewish institutions and assemblage centers person had "to spell supra and beyond" successful presumption of security, according to Kustoff. 

Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., leaves a gathering of the House Republican Conference astatine the Capitol Hill Club connected December 12, 2017.  (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

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The congressman spoke astir an incidental successful 2023 erstwhile a antheral opened occurrence extracurricular the Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South. The fishy was aboriginal identified arsenic Joel Alejandro Bowman, who faces respective charges, including attempted second-degree murder.

Kustoff sees the contented of combating antisemitism arsenic 1 that has received bipartisan enactment successful Congress. He praised Democrats similar Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill. — who are Jewish — for their enactment of Israel and its narration with the U.S., calling them "true leaders." Kustoff besides noted that, portion they are not Jewish, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., person been vocal astir their enactment for Israel.

While Kustoff praised colleagues connected some sides of the aisle, helium besides criticized members of Congress who person made "incendiary" remarks astir Israel, saying specified rhetoric "in effect helps to breed antisemitism."

Kustoff spoke to Fox News Digital soon aft a video of outspoken Israel professional Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., refusing to condemn the murders of Lischinsky and Milgrim went viral. When asked astir the incident, Kustoff said that "We get asked casual questions and hard questions each the clip arsenic members of Congress. That was intelligibly an casual question to answer, and her constituents tin marque their ain decisions."

National Park Service workers effort to region graffiti astatine Union Station connected July 25, 2024, successful Washington, D.C.  (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

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As president of the House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group, Kustoff has had a close-up presumption of U.S.-Israel relations. He recalled his July 2024 travel to Israel, wherever helium toured the tract of the Nova Music Festival and a kibbutz that was attacked connected Oct. 7, and met with Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

"[Netanyahu] told maine that helium knows that the American radical are inactive precise supportive of Israel and the Israeli radical cognize that," Kustoff told Fox News Digital. "We talked astir the instances connected college campuses. In closing, his feeling was that a fig of these students astir apt couldn't look astatine a representation and cognize wherever Israel is located."