Kaploun said his office’s remit had been expanded under the Trump administration; ‘Every agency in Washington was told to work with me to combat the scourge of antisemitism,’ he said
Marc Rod
Ambassador Yehuda Kaploun, the Trump administration’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, speaks at an Orthodox Union conference, June 22, 2026
Add JewishInsider on GoogleAmbassador Yehuda Kaploun, the Trump administration’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, said on Monday that his office, under President Donald Trump, had been given a broader remit across the federal government, including assisting in the recent arrest and indictment of an alleged mastermind of attacks on Jewish communities in Europe and the U.S.
Kaploun said at an Orthodox Union conference that his office had worked with the Department of Justice, FBI, intelligence community and the White House to help bring to justice Mohammed Al-Saadi, an Iranian Iraqi Kata-ib Hizballah operative allegedly involved in more than two dozen attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the U.S.
“That is not the role of the previous ambassadors that had this role, but the president made certain that when I took the job, that every agency in Washington was told to work with me to combat the scourge of antisemitism,” Kaploun said. “Antisemitism has to have consequences.”
Kaploun emphasized that the threat of antisemitism is global — describing an attack in a Jewish neighborhood in Montreal on Monday as an antisemitic terrorist incident — and comes from international organizations, foreign terrorist organizations, “unchecked mass migration,” online radicalization and “hateful rhetoric from all sides.”
Montreal police said on Monday they were still investigating the shooting suspect’s motive and had not yet deemed it a terrorist attack.
Kaploun said that a new approach to antisemitism is needed, because the old “script” — more conferences, more groups, more “empty commitments from different governments around the world” — has clearly failed.
“America’s response to antisemitism has to be a collective response and a united response. Let’s face this moment and realize that it’s not slogans that are going to make a difference,” Kaploun said. “It’s real action, it’s real education, and we have to go back to Jewish unity, about teaching our children to be proud of being Jewish, to understand our Jewish history, to understand what makes our Jewish nation unique and to restore the pride that people have in being Jewish.”
He said the Trump administration is “leading by example and taking very decisive actions to protect Jewish communities worldwide.” He pointed to the administration’s moves against universities, hate crimes prosecutions by the Department of Justice, an “extremely tight visa vetting program,” the U.S. withdrawal from various international bodies that have demonstrated antisemitism and its push for other countries to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism.
“These are benchmarks that every country should really be doing the exact same thing,” Kaploun said.
He also touted his work on a trip to Belgium after a synagogue had been firebombed. He said that he began the visit by meeting with members of the Jewish community, who expressed their fear, only to go next to a meeting with Belgium’s foreign minister, who insisted that the country did not have an antisemitism problem.
He said he left the meeting having secured a commitment for Belgium’s military to protect the Jewish community — an effort that just two days later caught a group of Iranians trying to set fire to a Jewish grocery story in Antwerp.
“Because that happened, the Belgian government had to designate the Iranian terrorist group as a terrorist group. Little things matter,” Kaploun said.
The dinner was hosted by Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the U.S. antisemitism special envoy
Alex Kent/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The US Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.
Several dozen diplomats, senior Trump administration officials and Jewish communal leaders gathered at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace on Friday night for a Shabbat dinner hosted by Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the U.S. antisemitism special envoy, according to a source who attended the dinner.
A day earlier, that same space had hosted the inaugural Board of Peace meeting.
The gathering brought together a coterie of Washington officials, including Princess Reema, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.S., and United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba, even though ties between the two Gulf nations have been strained in recent months. Other diplomats in the room came from France, Germany, Poland, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Lebanon and Jordan, according to the source.
Kaploun, who started at the State Department in December after being confirmed by the Senate, spoke at the event. He had recently returned from his first overseas trip, with stops in London, Switzerland and the Munich Security Forum. Reed Rubinstein, the State Department legal advisor, also spoke, as did Princess Reema. The Saudi diplomat talked about how close Israel and Saudi Arabia were to normalization before the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel and that she hoped to get back to that point, although normalization efforts have stalled.
“Kaploun hosting Arab and European diplomats for a traditional, family-style Shabbat and watching them love every minute of it is one the most clever displays of soft diplomacy I’ve ever seen,” the attendee, who requested anonymity to discuss an off-the-record event, told Jewish Insider. “The Saudis called for normalization. Who saw that coming?”
Most attendees were either diplomats or Trump administration officials, but Republican donor Miriam Adelson was also in the room. Combat Antisemitism Movement founder Adam Beren and board member Arie Lipnick, Conference of Presidents Chair Betsy Berns Korn and Jewish Federations of North America Chair Gary Torgow were also in attendance.
“Diplomats and leaders from across our country and across the world gathered together in a comfortable setting in our nation’s capital and shared a meaningful meal,” Korn told JI. “Ambassador Kaploun explained the importance of Shabbat as well as a heartfelt speech about the dangers of hatred. His powerful message of peace and community resonated throughout the room. We need more of this diplomacy.”
Guests noshed on Shabbat fish, potato kugel, matzah ball soup and more, along with Mediterranean desserts in honor of iftar for the Muslim diplomats in the room, according to the source.
Jeremy Lewin, the acting under secretary of state for foreign assistance, humanitarian affairs and religious freedom, attended the dinner, as did Sarah Rogers, under secretary of state for public diplomacy, and Pierre Gentin, general counsel at the Commerce Department.
Kaploun said at the event that he plans to host more Shabbat dinners in the future.
Speaking at the Hudson Institute, Kaploun gave his view of the state of the international and domestic fights to combat antisemitism
C-SPAN
Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun speaks at the Hudson Institute on Feb. 5, 2026.
Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the newly confirmed U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, was interrupted three times during a Thursday afternoon think tank event about his new role.
The first was a phone call from Harmeet Dhillon, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, which he sent to voicemail. The next two were protesters who had somehow made it through security at the conservative Hudson Institute to loudly chant “free Palestine” in the midst of Kaploun’s remarks before being escorted out.
Those unexpected interruptions framed Kaploun’s pitch as he settles into his new role at the State Department: First, that he will be successful because he is working on behalf of an administration that is committed to fighting antisemitism (“If you want to know how the administration works together, that was Harmeet Dhillon,” he said as he silenced his phone). And second, that education — and pushing back on false narratives about Israel and the Holocaust — is the most important way to combat antisemitism.
“The hardest job that I have is how you effect a change in education across the board, by teaching people not to hate, and that’s the battle,” Kaploun said in a conversation moderated by Hudson senior fellow Michael Doran.
Kaploun, a businessman and Chabad-trained rabbi, was confirmed by the Senate in December, must now build out a staff at the State Department and figure out how to make an impact diplomatically.
“The task is a daunting task, but we are blessed that this administration has really made antisemitism a priority, and how to combat and deal with antisemitism is something that the president and the secretary of state have made it perfectly clear that this is one of the priorities of the administration, is holding people accountable,” said Kaploun.
He said most countries in the world have a problem with antisemitism, and his message to leaders in those countries comes back to President Donald Trump: “You start with the concrete policy that antisemitism isn’t tolerated by this administration, period,” said Kaploun. Then, he said you turn to “quiet diplomacy to get results.”
For instance, he said Armenia has indicated to his office that its leaders are willing to join the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, an international organization that drafted a working definition of antisemitism that has been adopted by dozens of nations, including the U.S.. Kaploun also said he worked with U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White to pressure Brussels to reverse its decision to end a federal police security presence in Antwerp’s Jewish quarter.
Kaploun identified Hungary, Romania, Albania and Armenia as countries that are “making sincere efforts in dealing with antisemitism.” He said Turkey and Pakistan both leave “a lot to be desired currently,” and that “England is a particular concern” because of “the rise of mass migration.”
The ambassador-level position has a global remit, but Kaploun was not afraid to weigh in on domestic antisemitism, too.
“I think the best argument right now in this country to combat antisemitism and combat Holocaust denial is, you’re treading on the memories of every American soldier who fought tyranny, fought to liberate Europe from the Nazis and liberated the death camps,” said Kaploun, who also argued that ignorance about American Jewish history contributes to antisemitism — and called for people to argue that anti-Jewish hate is anti-American.
“It really is a lack of knowledge about the contributions of Jewish Americans to America, that people fled here for religious freedom,” Kaploun said. “That’s something that this country stands for. So when you are going against the same groups that have the same values, Judeo-Christian values, you are anti-American, because you’re going against what our founding fathers wanted for us.”
Kaploun has not yet announced any international trips. But his goal for all countries, he said, is a “basic human morality.”
“We’re far from getting every country on board,” said Kaploun.
Plus, an interview with Yehuda Kaploun
Salah Malkawi/Getty Images
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrives at Marka airport on Feb. 26, 2025 in Amman, Jordan.
👋 Good Thursday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we interview Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the Trump administration’s nominee to be antisemitism envoy, about how he hopes to shape the role once confirmed, and look at Israeli concerns over the U.S. push for a Syria-Israel security agreement. We talk to Merrill Eisenhower about carrying on his great-grandfather’s legacy, and spotlight new bipartisan legislation seeking to address Chinese circumvention of Iran sanctions. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Rep. James Walkinshaw, Sen. David McCormick and Daniel Freedman.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by Jewish Insider Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel editor Tamara Zieve with assists from Danielle Cohen-Kanik and Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.
What We’re Watching
- Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee this morning during a hearing on “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland.”
- The House Foreign Affairs Committee’s subcommittee on Africa is holding a hearing this afternoon on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
- Elsewhere in Washington, historians Pamela Nadell and James Loeffler will speak about modern-day antisemitism at an event at the Capital Jewish Museum.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S Lahav harkov
Tensions escalated between Washington and Jerusalem this week over Israel’s handling of Syria and negotiations for a possible agreement to renew the 1974 ceasefire between the two neighboring countries, with adjustments.
Speaking at The Jerusalem Post conference in Washington on Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who also serves as the Trump administration’s Syria envoy, said the time is ripe for Israel and Syria to reach an agreement: “It’s the easiest place to show the world a soft hand and bridge grievances.”
In Barrack’s telling, an agreement between Syria and Israel will only be possible with an immediate, complete Israeli withdrawal from the buffer zone between the countries. The IDF has held the 155-square-mile area since the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad a year ago, and Israel has sought to withdraw incrementally and remain at the peak of Mount Hermon.
Instead, Barrack said, “Let’s not fight over geography. What we’re concerned about is we’re not going to let Oct. 7 happen ever again,” so the focus should be on demilitarizing the area south of Damascus. “Syria knows its future depends on a security and border agreement with Israel. Their incentive is non-aggressive toward Israel,” Barrack said. However, he added, “After Oct. 7, Israel doesn’t trust anybody. … The Syrians have been unbelievably cooperative.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, however, was skeptical in his remarks at the same event: “The gaps between us and Syria have widened. They have new demands. Of course, we want an agreement, but we are further from one now than we were a few weeks ago.”
“In [Israel’s] perspective, the problem is mistrust as well as hard security indicators,” Ahmad Sharawi, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea. “Southern Syria is awash with weapons, weapon trafficking routes and Iran-backed networks. At the same time, Israel is being asked to make concessions to a government led by a former Al-Qaida emir whose coalition still includes figures that praised the Oct.7 attacks and openly endorse armed resistance against Israel.” Read more here.
Since Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa toppled and replaced Assad, Israel has been extremely skeptical about the former leader of Syria’s branch of Al-Qaida, whom Sa’ar and others have branded a “terrorist in a suit.” The concerns have not dissipated over the course of the last year, even as President Donald Trump embraced al-Sharaa as a “young, attractive guy” with a “tough past” and dropped sanctions, Europe moved towards lifting sanctions, as well, and Abraham Accords countries have accepted him.
“The train has left the station; the whole world accepts al-Sharaa as the legitimate leader of Syria and is ignoring his jihadi background as well as that of the people heading his military – but we can’t ignore it,” Sarit Zehavi, founder and president of the Alma Research and Education Center, which focuses on Israel’s north, told JI.
Shira Efron, distinguished Israel policy chair and senior fellow at RAND, told JI that “the hilltops Israel is holding now in Syria, especially the Hermon, are really strategic, security-wise, and it doesn’t make sense to withdraw when you have a neighbor who is still unstable.”
THE FACTS FIGHT
Antisemitism envoy nominee Yehuda Kaploun backs labeling misinformation on social media
Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as U.S. antisemitism special envoy, warned in an interview with Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch that inaccurate, inflammatory content is being allowed to spread on social media, and pledged to work with social networks to curb the spread of antisemitic falsehoods online. Kaploun spoke to JI on Wednesday, with his Senate confirmation vote for the State Department role expected this month before the holiday recess.
What he said: “The ideal outcome is, I want to continue America’s tradition of free speech and allowing free speech anywhere and everywhere, freedom of expression,” Kaploun said. “But I would like the platforms — because of the advent of AI and those technologies, you have the ability to recognize when something is not factually correct and it should be labeled as such. I think that’s something that we’d like to target.” His comments about working with social media platforms to label misinformation contradict the approach of the Trump administration, which has urged the major platforms not to “censor” information.
TERRITORY TALK
Lawmakers, witnesses spar over meaning of Trump’s veto of West Bank annexation
Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and expert witnesses on Wednesday debated the meaning and significance of President Donald Trump’s edict in September that he “will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank,” which came amid a reported effort earlier this year by the Israeli government to assert sovereignty over all or part of the territory, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Lay of the land: The at-times contentious hearing focused on “Understanding Judea and Samaria: historical, strategic and political dynamics in U.S.-Israel Relations,” referring to the biblical term for the West Bank preferred by members of the Israeli government and also used by Republicans on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East, which hosted the hearing, asserted that Trump was only expressing his opposition to the annexation of territory not currently controlled by Israel. “When the president is talking about annexing, again, I think it’s important to actually look at the map,” Lawler said. “Sixty percent of the West Bank is under Israeli control.”
ON THE HILL
Bipartisan, bicameral bill pushes for assessment of whether China is violating Iran sanctions
A new bipartisan and bicameral bill is pushing for greater accountability and transparency on China’s violations of the U.S.’ oil sanctions on Iran, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Recent reports by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies have found that Iran oil exports, primarily to China, have remained near their peak level in spite of U.S. sanctions, which FDD has attributed to a “failure of U.S. sanctions enforcement.”
What it does: The new bill, led by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Ben Cline (R-VA), requires the administration, within a year of the bill’s passage, to determine whether the People’s Republic of China is conducting sanctionable activities with regard to Iran. In advance of that determination, the bill requires the administration to report to Congress within 180 days on China’s purchases of Iranian oil as well as on Chinese efforts to sell or transfer chemical precursors to Iran to support its ballistic missile program.
virginia vows
Rep. James Walkinshaw wins warm reception from Jewish community after first few months on job
Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) touted his history with local Jewish organizations and vowed to make combating antisemitism a priority in Congress while speaking to members of Northern Virginia’s Jewish community on Wednesday, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. Walkinshaw appeared at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington’s “Lox and Legislators” breakfast in Falls Church, Va., where he lauded attendees for helping to “build communities in ways that make our communities better and stronger for all of us,” recounted his visits to the Fairfax community’s eruv and highlighted his relationships with Congregation Olam Tikvah and the JCRC.
Fighting antisemitism: Walkinshaw expressed concern about the rise in antisemitism nationally and in Virginia, vowing to fight for an increase in Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding for the next fiscal year and to urge the House Education and Workforce Committee to “take a holistic look at antisemitic incidents in school districts across the country,” something he penned a letter to Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) about last month. “We have to be united. We have to be firm in our opposition to hatred in any form or opposition to antisemitism,” Walkinshaw said. “We can’t allow antisemitism to be a partisan issue. We have to stand against it, Democrats and Republicans, no matter where it takes place.”
LEGACY IN ACTION
Eisenhower’s great-grandson carries the torch for Holocaust remembrance
When he arrived at a Buchenwald subcamp in April 1945, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was appalled by what he saw. The first to be liberated by U.S. troops, the camp was strewn with the decomposing remains of hundreds of prisoners murdered by the SS. Three days later, Eisenhower, the supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, wrote to U.S. Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall saying, “I made the visit deliberately in order to be in a position to give first hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to ‘propaganda.’” Eighty years later, Eisenhower’s great-grandson, Merrill Eisenhower, the CEO of People to People International, is carrying the torch for Holocaust remembrance, as he seeks to ensure the world never forgets, Lianne Kolirin reports from London for Jewish Insider.
Predicting the future: “When my great-grandfather arrived at his first camp, he said directly to my grandfather: ‘Make sure you document this, take photos. Bring Congress, bring the press. One day there’s going to be some bastard that says this never happened.’” Sadly those words proved prophetic. Holocaust denial and distortion are surging around the world, including in the U.S. The haunting images are part of what motivates Eisenhower. “Those photos that he [his grandfather] was taking, some of those still sit in my house and some are in the National Archives and some are in the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Kansas,” he said.
Worthy Reads
🕎 The Billings Beacon: In The Wall Street Journal, Daniel Freedman ties the upcoming Hanukkah holiday to the lessons learned from an antisemitic incident in Billings, Mont., more than three decades ago in which the community showed solidarity with a Jewish family whose home, which displayed a menorah, was attacked. “This solidarity cuts to the heart of Hanukkah. … The Maccabee warriors fought to worship God freely — a right that underpins the American experiment. When the non-Jews of Billings put up their menorahs, they were standing for religious liberty for all. The Talmud records a debate among rabbis after the Romans destroyed the holy Temple in the year 70: Should Hanukkah still be celebrated even though its physical center was gone? Their answer was yes. Hanukkah’s celebration of faith’s victory against even the mightiest adversary was central to its message and would inspire generations. It inspired the people of Billings more than 30 years ago, and it has inspired the Jewish people through some of their most trying times in history — from the Spanish Inquisition to the Holocaust.” [WSJ]
📢 Lessons in Leadership: In his Substack “Vahaviyotim,” Daniel Swartz reflects on the state of modern leadership and public service. “I often hear suggestions about how we might improve the quality of public sector leadership: Pay people more — like they do in Singapore. These well-intentioned ideas aren’t bad ones. But they won’t really do anything because they simply don’t change the incentive structure for a would-be leader. Currently, the value proposition for a well-intentioned public servant is this: Your kids’ lives will be a living hell. You’ll be hounded by self-righteous mobs — they’ll camp outside your home and house of worship and shout slogans at you at all hours. You’ll get credible death threats and actual attempts on your life. … The only way that we’ll be able to crowd out the masochists and the grifters is if we make it such that leadership doesn’t entail martyrdom — if we make it possible for critical masses of good people to go into public service, live their lives while in office, and then ride off peacefully into the sunset.” [Vahaviyotim]
Word on the Street
President Donald Trump is planning to appoint a two-star U.S. general to lead the International Stabilization Force in Gaza; the president said on Wednesday that he will announce the members of the newly created Gaza Board of Peace early next year…
Sen. David McCormick (R-PA) said at yesterday’s Aspen Security Forum event in Washington that he’s “hopeful” that the next phase of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas will proceed, arguing that Trump has “unique credibility” with both Israel and the Gulf states…
Following outgoing New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s launch of a primary challenge to Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), J Street, which had previously endorsed Goldman, indicated it was unlikely to get involved in the primary, saying the organization “deeply value[s Goldman’s] pro-Israel, pro-peace and pro-democracy leadership in Congress,” while calling Lander “a vocal leader for our values”…
A group of Democrats from Colorado’s congressional delegation wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem questioning the implementation and execution of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
Pomona College settled a Title VI complaint filed by a range of Jewish groups, including Hillel International, the Anti-Defamation League and the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, in which the school will adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, appoint a coordinator to ensure implementation of Title VI and update school policies related to speech and demonstrations…
The father of deceased Israeli hostage Noa Marciano said that the family received a video of Marciano allegedly being killed by a Palestinian doctor in Gaza’s Shifa hospital who injected air into her veins…
The Times of Israel reports that Palestinian American teenager Mohammed Ibrahim, who had been detained since February by Israeli authorities who alleged that he was throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers, was freed due to the intervention of Jared Kushner, who reached out to senior Israeli officials…
Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu reportedly quietly visited Israel, where the territory has an economic and cultural office, in recent months, as Taiwanese leaders concerned about a potential invasion by Beijing look to deepen defense partnerships…
Iceland became the fifth country to boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, citing the decision to allow Israel to participate in the annual competition…
The leader of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council separatist group, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, said amid a deepening rift with Yemen’s Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council that the STC’s next goal should be the capital of Sana’a…
Pic of the Day
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) hosted a pre-Hanukkah menorah lighting ceremony yesterday on Capitol Hill alongside Chabad Rabbi Levi Shemtov, the executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. Pictured with the congressional leaders are Reps. Randy Fine (R-FL) and Craig Goldman (R-TX).
Birthdays
Hasidic rapper from Boston, known as Nosson, Nathan Isaac Zand turns 44…
U.S. secretary of state in the Obama administration and former U.S. senator, John Kerry turns 82… Lumber and wood products executive in Bethany, Conn., Stuart Paley… University professor of Jewish history and Jewish thought at Yeshiva University, Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter turns 75… Digital media expert and entrepreneur, he serves as chair emeritus of the UJA-New York of New York’s marketing communications committee, Michael E. Kassan turns 75… Professor of international economics at Princeton University, Gene Grossman turns 70… Former senior attorney in the environmental and natural resources division of the U.S. Department of Justice, Perry Rosen turns 70… Best-selling author, she has published 11 novels including seven books in The Mommy-Track Mysteries series, Ayelet Waldman turns 61… Beverly Hills-based cosmetic surgeon for many celebrities, Dr. Simon Ourian turns 59… Partner in Pomerantz LLP where he leads the corporate governance litigation practice, he serves as a trustee of Manhattan’s Beit Rabban Day School, Gustavo F. Bruckner… Senior director of Middle East programs at the Atlantic Council, William F. Wechsler… Former member of the Knesset for the Labor party and then the Independence party, she just launched the Oz party, Einat Wilf… Distinguished Israel policy chair and senior fellow at RAND, Shira Efron… Israeli poet and founder of the cultural group Ars Poetica, Adi Keissar turns 45… Israeli actor, director, playwright, rapper and singer, known by his stage name Pedro Grass, Amit Ulman turns 40… Head of people and communications at Constellation, Michael Chananie… CEO at D.C.-based Brown Strategy, Josh Brown… Sports editor for Apple News until 2024, now a freelance content strategist for FanDuel, Kelly Cohen… National political reporter at The Washington Post, Marianne LeVine… Managing director of alternative investments at CAIS, Judah Schulman… Senior editor at Apple News, Gideon Resnick… Actress and singer, Hailee Steinfeld turns 29… Associate at Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, Segev David Kanik…
Yehuda Kaploun’s strategy differs from the Trump administration’s stance against censorship
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Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the Trump administration's nominee to be special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism
Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as U.S. antisemitism special envoy, warned in an interview with Jewish Insider that inaccurate, inflammatory content is being allowed to spread on social media, and pledged to work with social networks to curb the spread of antisemitic falsehoods online.
“The ideal outcome is, I want to continue America’s tradition of free speech and allowing free speech anywhere and everywhere, freedom of expression,” Kaploun said. “But I would like the platforms — because of the advent of AI and those technologies, you have the ability to recognize when something is not factually correct and it should be labeled as such. I think that’s something that we’d like to target.”
Kaploun spoke to JI on Wednesday, with his Senate confirmation vote for the State Department role expected this month before the holiday recess. His comments about working with social media platforms to label misinformation contradict the approach of the Trump administration, which has urged the major platforms not to “censor” information. Earlier this year, after Trump took office, Meta announced the end of its fact-checking program, and YouTube eased many of its content moderation policies.
“There’s many other areas of working with the companies — the algorithms and things that have been now proven, that bots are busy promoting antisemitic rhetoric on the internet, how we get to some of that and preventing some of that. These are very tall tasks. These are not things that occur overnight,” said Kaploun, a Chabad-trained rabbi and businessman from Miami. “But I truly believe there is a true willingness of many people within the administration to tackle these problems and confront them head on, globally.”
As an example of the kind of content he would seek to flag as false, Kaploun referred to a July New York Times article about the hunger that many civilians in Gaza were experiencing during Israel’s war against Hamas. The Times published a correction regarding the article several days after it was published, once it was revealed that a child who was featured prominently in the article as an example of malnutrition had preexisting health conditions.
The misrepresentation in the photo could contribute to antisemitism, according to Kaploun, who suggested that the article had been viewed hundreds of times more than the correction.
“I’m not exactly 100% sure of the actual number, but in that realm, a total disbalance and disproportionate view of people saw something that could be creating antisemitic behavior,” said Kaploun. “All those people that saw it have incorrect information.”
He declined to say whether he believes social networks should have removed posts that included that article.
“I’m not going to get into the specifics or the semantics of what that’s going to look like. We are going to work collectively and together with these companies and try and come up with productive solutions that will lower the disinformation and lower the hatred,” Kaploun said. “That’s what I’d like to work with these social media platforms to do a better job with, recognizing that and making sure that we can do a better job of getting accurate facts out.”
Discussing strategy, Kaploun laid out a vision for his tenure as special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, stating that his first priority would be to fight antisemitism with “pro-Semitism” — teaching about Jewish history and culture, and convincing countries and groups that are experiencing antisemitism that Jews are productive members of society and contribute a great deal to the countries in which they live.
“What I mean by pro-Semitism is to explain to countries the benefits of what it is the Jewish nation provides, and our historical perspective of what the Jewish communities have always done for communities, in terms of growth in countries,” said Kaploun. “The countries that have literally attacked the Jews and expelled the Jews don’t always have success, and there’s a reason for that. And when countries are welcoming and when Jews are in countries, usually the benefits far exceed any type of whatever detriments [there] are. There really aren’t detriments.”
“It’s not all about Israel,” Kaploun added. “It’s about the Jewish culture, the Jewish religion, the Jewish sciences.”
Still, he recognizes that separating Israel from discussions of antisemitism is not possible — like if he encounters people who insist that they have no problem with Jews, and that their only issue is with the Jewish state.
“Understand the battle that Israel has to fight here,” said Kaploun. “You’re fighting a culture that was teaching children to kill themselves, that the benefit to get to heaven is to kill a Jewish person. So we have to get to the root causes. You want to condemn Israel, ‘Oh, I love the Jews, but I hate Israel.’ Why is Israel in existence? Because there was a period of time when Jews were being slaughtered throughout Europe and the world was silent and there wasn’t a country for the Jews to go to.”
Here, too, he said it all comes down to education.
“The importance of Israel may need to be explained, but at the same time, people’s facts are incorrect,” Kaploun said. “If they’re factually accurate, then you’re able to have a conversation with someone. They will see the folly of what they’re saying.”
Kaploun has a plan, he told JI, for where to kick off his work once he is confirmed by the Senate and moves into Foggy Bottom.
“The president and the secretary [of state] are firmly behind the efforts that I am doing,” Kaploun said. “They’ve made it very, very clear that the administration is fully behind the efforts that we’re going to do to combat antisemitism.”
Kaploun’s nomination was advanced out of committee on Wednesday, with bipartisan backing
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
President Donald Trump and Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun light a candle during an Oct. 7th remembrance event at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on Oct. 7, 2024 in Doral, Florida.
Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the Trump administration’s nominee to be the State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, is expected to come before the full Senate for a confirmation vote before the end of the year, two sources familiar with the situation confirmed.
Kaploun’s nomination was advanced out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday with the support of all committee Republicans and two Democrats, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV). Shaheen is the committee’s ranking member.
Kaploun’s nomination is included in a package of nearly 100 mid-level nominees for a variety of different federal agencies and posts.
Senators will not have the opportunity to vote on Kaploun’s nomination individually, but the nomination package as a whole is likely to be approved. Only a simple majority vote of the Senate will be required to approve the nominations.
The exact timing of the vote will depend on various procedural factors, but Kaploun is likely to be confirmed before the Senate leaves for its winter recess in two weeks, a source familiar with the situation said.
Kaploun wasn’t included in a previous version of this nomination package, which was filed before he cleared the Foreign Relations Committee. That version of the package was defeated on the Senate floor earlier Thursday because a nominee who did not meet the qualifications for inclusion had been part of the package. As they refiled a new version, Republicans added several additional nominees, including Kaploun.
Facing procedural obstacles from Democrats that were slowing confirmation proceedings on the Senate floor to a crawl, Republicans changed the chamber’s rules earlier this year to allow themselves to approve some lower-level nominees in such groups by a simple majority vote, rather than the previous 60-vote threshold.
Jewish Insider’s senior national correspondent Gabby Deutch and congressional correspondent Emily Jacobs contributed reporting.
All the committee’s Republicans and two Democrats — Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Jacky Rosen — voted in favor
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Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the Trump administration's nominee to be special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on Wednesday to advance Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun’s nomination to be the Trump administration’s antisemitism envoy, clearing the way for a full Senate vote on his confirmation.
All 12 Republicans on the committee voted in favor, while eight of the 10 Democrats on the panel were opposed. The two Democrats who voted to support Kaploun were the committee’s ranking Democrat, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a close ally of the Jewish community.
Kaploun, an Orthodox Jewish businessman and Chabad rabbi, was a campaign surrogate for President Donald Trump’s 2024 bid and has, since he was first nominated for the post in April, become a fixture at D.C.-area events focused on combating antisemitism.
The leaders of various mainstream Jewish organizations — including the Jewish Federations of North America, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee — have urged Senate leaders to move ahead with the confirmation process and act swiftly to fill the post.
The 14-8 vote, which came two weeks after Kaploun’s confirmation hearing, offers a preview of how senators on both sides of the aisle could land on his nomination when it comes before the full Senate. Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) decision to vote to advance Kaploun’s nomination, given his record of bucking the president’s choice of Cabinet nominees and legislative matters, suggests Republicans are likely to be unified in supporting Kaploun on the floor.
Shaheen and Rosen’s support for Kaploun’s nomination indicates that he could secure a handful of Democratic votes as well. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who has not said where he stands on Kaploun’s nomination, has crossed party lines to support several of Trump’s Cabinet picks, including U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
Shaheen said during Wednesday’s vote that she had reservations about prior comments Kaploun had made about lawmakers, including statements she described as “very partisan.” Still, she planned to support his confirmation and said she hoped Kaploun would approach the role in a nonpartisan way.
“I’m going to vote for Mr. Kaploun, but I continue to be concerned about his past statements that he’s made, particularly about members of Congress. They have been very partisan. I think partisanship weakens the collective effort to combat antisemitism,” Shaheen said. “I agree with the past special envoy [Deborah Lipstadt], who has been supporting Mr. Kaploun, that this position should be above partisanship.”
“I hope that he will recognize that once he assumes this position, that he should be above partisanship and focus on combating antisemitism,” she added.
Plus, Kaploun passes first test at confirmation hearing
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This P.M. briefing is reserved for our premium subscribers like you — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
I’m Gabby Deutch, senior national correspondent at Jewish Insider and curator for today, along with assists from my colleagues, of the Daily Overtime briefing. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, had his confirmation hearing today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Kaploun leaned into the importance of education as a tool to counter antisemitism. “We must, educate, educate, educate about the history of the Jewish community in America and the Judeo-Christian values our country was founded on,” Kaploun told senators. The Chabad-trained rabbi and businessman largely sidestepped a question about Trump’s recent praise for Tucker Carlson after the conservative podcaster hosted neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes for a friendly interview…
After a Muslim speaker led a walkout during an interfaith event at City College of New York, saying he refused to sit next to the executive director of Baruch College Hillel, whom he described as a “Zionist,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday described the incident as “antisemitism, plain and simple.” Hochul, a Democrat, said she expects university administrators to “act swiftly to ensure accountability.”
Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, called the incident “deeply concerning” and said the Justice Department “will look into” it…
Also in New York, Jessica Tisch said she would stay on as police commissioner in New York City when Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor. The decision builds a bridge between Mamdani, who has a history of sharp criticism of the police, and a law enforcement leader with a record of reducing crime in the city.
“Now, do the Mayor-elect and I agree on everything? No, we don’t,” Tisch wrote in a letter to the NYPD’s more than 45,000 employees. “But in speaking with him, it’s clear that we share broad and crucial priorities: the importance of public safety, the need to continue driving down crime, and the need to maintain stability and order across the department. We also agree that you deserve the city’s respect and support”…
Iranian nuclear scientists traveled to Russia last year as part of an attempt to access technology that could potentially be used for nuclear weapons — their second covert visit, according to U.S. documents obtained by the Financial Times. The documents offer the first evidence of Russia and Iran engaging in concrete information-sharing that could relate to nuclear weapons…
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Washington continued on Wednesday with meetings with lawmakers and a high-profile appearance at an investment summit with Trump at the Kennedy Center.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) sat down with MBS, who also attended a breakfast reception with a dozen members. Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who lead the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, are meeting with the Saudi leader at his hotel this afternoon after a larger bipartisan Senate meeting was canceled.
Trump said at the investment forum that $270 billion in deals were being signed with “dozens of companies.” The list of deals has not yet been made public. The CEOs of Chevron, Qualcomm, Cisco, General Dynamics and Pfizer attended the event, according to an event program, along with senior executives from IBM, Google, Salesforce, Andreessen Horowitz, Boeing, Halliburton, Adobe, Aramco, State Street and Parsons Corp.
At the Kennedy Center, Trump also said that he expects MBS to serve as a “distinguished member” of the Trump-led “Board of Peace,” which was part of the president’s 20-point peace plan approved by the United Nations Security Council this week…
Democratic Majority for Israel’s president and CEO, Brian Romick, criticized the outcome of Trump’s meetings with MBS, saying in a Wednesday statement that “any substantial upgrade in the U.S.-Saudi relationship,” including closer defense ties and the acquisition of U.S. weapons, “must be tied to meaningful, measurable progress toward Saudi-Israel normalization.” Romick said Congress must play a role in ensuring “Israel’s qualitative military edge is preserved”…
In a Truth Social post after the investment forum, Trump said MBS asked him “to use the power and influence of the Presidency to bring an immediate halt to what is taking place in Sudan,” which he described as “the most violent place on Earth.”
“We will work with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and other Middle Eastern partners to get these atrocities to end, while at the same time stabilizing Sudan,” Trump wrote…
The Senate Armed Services Committee postponed expected votes on Alex Velez-Green and Austin Dahmer, both nominated to be deputies to Elbridge Colby, the under secretary of defense for policy, viewed as one of the leading isolationist policymakers in the Trump administration. The confirmation hearings for both men exposed deep dissatisfaction among Republicans with Colby and his office.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) told JI’s Marc Rod he believes there was a “broad consensus” on the committee that more time was needed to process Velez-Green and Dahmer’s nominations. “I don’t think it was one or two people holding it up, or anything like that. … My impression was the committee felt the support there was not ready yet, but … we didn’t want to hold up anybody else”…
Iran freed an oil tanker that its forces had seized near the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, the first time Iran had seized a ship in its waters since April 2024. Iranian state media said the ship, which was freed without its cargo, had committed “violations,” but did not say what they were…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye on Jewish Insider tomorrow morning for a look at two Republican political figures in Texas who have faced censure by national Jewish groups over allegations of antisemitism, but who may be making comeback bids in this year’s Texas congressional primaries.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told President Donald Trump on Tuesday that he wants to join the Abraham Accords, but that a path to a two-state solution is needed. We’ll have a story tomorrow on what the two leaders’ meeting means for the future of Israel-Saudi normalization.
Tomorrow, nearly all of the 20 hostages released by Hamas last month will be in Washington for a meeting with Trump at the White House. Three of them spoke publicly for the first time earlier this week at the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly, including Avinatan Or, who shared a harrowing account of his attempt to escape from Hamas’ tunnels. In an interview that aired today on Israel’s Channel 12 News, freed hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal described enduring a sexual assault at gunpoint while in captivity.
Vice President JD Vance is slated to join Breitbart’s Matthew Boyle for a fireside chat at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington. We’ll be watching to see whether he discusses ongoing GOP tensions over Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes and right-wing antisemitism.
Washington notables will remember former Vice President Dick Cheney at his funeral at the Washington National Cathedral. Former President Joe Biden will be in attendance, and former President George W. Bush will deliver remarks, along with Cheney’s daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY).
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Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, at hearing: ‘We must learn from the past to protect and educate the living’
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Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the Trump administration's nominee to be special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism
Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the Trump administration’s nominee to be the State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, emphasized the importance of education as the critical tool to combat antisemitism during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday.
“Together with bipartisan support, we must educate the world to respect one another. Lofty goals, perhaps, but a lesson that I learned from the Grand Rabbi of Lubavitch, as well as from my grandparents and my parents, is to do my best to impact and make the world a better place,” Kaploun said. “We do this by building bridges through education and friendships and dialogue. We must learn from the past to protect and educate the living.”
“We must, educate, educate, educate about the history of the Jewish community in America and the Judeo-Christian values our country was founded on,” he continued. “I pledge to all of you here, I will not waver and I will not rest. I will commit to you to do my very best, if confirmed, to fight antisemitism everywhere and to make this world a better arena for God to dwell and spread his blessings upon us all.”
Kaploun also emphasized the importance of understanding the history of the Holocaust, describing the U.S. veterans who liberated Nazi death camps as men who “saw the worst of humanity” and became “the best advocates in the world” against antisemitism. He also said he urges people to visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
“People don’t know the history, people don’t understand that we have to respect one another,” Kaploun said. “The problem is that people don’t want to listen to [WWII veterans] and hear their stories. … In America, we believe in freedom of expression and freedom of speech, but at the same time, we have to educate people as to what the facts truly are. … We’re missing that boat.”
Asked by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) about President Donald Trump’s response to Tucker Carlson hosting neo-Nazi influencer Nick Fuentes on his podcast — Trump said that Carlson has “said good things about me over the years” and that “people have to decide” how they feel about Fuentes — Kaploun emphasized freedom of speech, as well as the administration’s work to combat antisemitism.
“I think the president and the secretary of state have made it perfectly clear that any type of antisemitism [does not have] a place in America. … That’s something that guides the administration’s policy,” Kaploun said, adding that the administration’s policy is that “antisemitism is to be condemned everywhere.”
He said that antisemitism is a “global problem” that stems from “ignorance” and a lack of education.
“But freedom of speech is something that’s a right, and freedom of expression globally is an important part of what the administration’s policy is,” he continued.“You have a right to hate, but we have a right to explain and stand up and abhor everything that you say. I believe very strongly that we can condemn remarks whenever they need to be condemned and educate people.”
The friendly interview between Carlson and Fuentes has touched off a reckoning in conservative circles about antisemitism on the right, though the administration has largely stayed out of the fray on the issue.
Pressed on the line between criticism of Israel and antisemitism, Kaploun pointed to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, which has been used by the State Department for years.
He said that anyone has a right to criticize Israel, but that when individuals single out Israel without offering criticisms of any other countries, that can cross the line into antisemitism.
In his opening statement, Kaploun detailed the ways that antisemitism has impacted him throughout his life: he heard shouts of “dirty Jew” while walking to synagogue as a child; he grew up during the Crown Heights riots, hearing cries of “kill the Jews” in the streets; and his sister died of 9/11 related cancer and his cousin was killed on Oct. 7 protecting her children who are now orphans.
He said he also had the opportunity to sit with former hostage Yarden Bibas, whose family was killed by terrorists in Gaza after being taken captive, the night before the funeral of Bibas’ wife and children.
“Yes, I have seen the worst that humanity can do. When asked to serve my country by our president in a role that I truly wished did not need to exist there was no hesitation,” Kaploun said. “I sit before you humbled by the opportunity to serve my country. It is a daunting task.”
Kaploun also emphasized that antisemitism is a “symbol of a larger hatred” and that “when a country starts allowing antisemitism, the results are not kind to that country.”
“That is why President Trump and Secretary Rubio have stated there can be no compromise with antisemitism,” he said. “Antisemitism is anti-American. Those who chant ‘death to the Jews’ all too often chant ‘death to America.’ We cannot allow anyone to teach children from infancy to kill and to be a martyr.”
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), co-chair of the Senate antisemitism task force and a member of the committee, told Jewish Insider in a statement, “I’ve worked closely with Special Envoys under both Republican and Democratic Administrations. Maintaining this bipartisan tradition will be critical to the success of this role. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Rabbi Kaploun to achieve our shared priorities.”
In a letter to the committee, the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center’s Nathan Diament and Isaac Pretter — while not directly endorsing Kaploun — emphasized the importance of filling the role quickly and noted Kaploun’s qualifications.
“As an easily identifiable member of the Jewish community, and longtime activist, Rabbi Kaploun is familiar with the issues facing Jews around the world,” the OU Advocacy leaders wrote. “As a member of the Orthodox community, we are familiar with Rabbi Kaploun and his commitment to combatting antisemitism.”
The also noted that he had “shown a willingness to cross the partisan divide” to issue a joint op-ed with predecessors Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt and Elan Carr in response to the Capital Jewish Museum shooting.
“In short, Rabbi Kaploun has proven an eager and capable ally in the fight against antisemitism,” Diament and Pretter said.
Ted Deutch, the CEO of the American Jewish Committee, urged the “swift confirmation of Rabbi Kaploun to help the United States continue to lead the fight against antisemitism across the globe,” in a post on X.
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), a co-chair of the House Jewish Caucus, and 17 other House Democrats wrote to committee leaders in opposition to Kaploun’s nomination, calling it “partisan and controversial.”
They criticized him for past comments accusing Democrats of failing to condemn the Oct. 7 attackers as terrorists or call out antisemitism, saying that the comments raise concerns about his “judgement, temperament” and capacity to work with Democrats, and that a vote to support him would be an endorsement of those sentiments and an insult to committee Democrats.
They also condemned him for failing to condemn antisemitic comments by Trump and members of his administration, and highlighted past reporting on a lawsuit relating to an alleged extramarital affair.
“Ultimately, Mr. Kaploun, when confronted by antisemitic rhetoric, did not speak out against it and himself engaged in speech that was deeply damaging to the Jewish community at a time of peak antisemitism,” the letter reads. “We must demand better.”
Other signatories to the letter included Jewish Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Becca Balint (D-VT) and Steve Cohen (D-TN), as well as Reps. Adam Smith (D-WA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Andre Carson (D-IN), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Cleo Fields (D-LA), Mark Takano (D-CA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Troy Carter (D-LA), Emily Randall (D-WA) and Joe Courtney (D-CT).
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, nominated to be deputy U.S. representative to the United Nations, testified alongside Kaploun. She affirmed that the administration is committed to preventing the U.N. Relief and Works Agency from having any role in the future of Gaza.
“Other nations, other entities, NGOs know that this is something now, it is a new way forward, it is something they can work forward with,” she said, praising the Trump administration’s Gaza peace plan, recently approved by the U.N. Security Council. “The World Food Program, other entities associated with the U.N. and other nations and their assistance will make the difference. We will pick up the difference of whatever UNRWA claimed that they were doing.”
She also highlighted concerns about UNRWA’s educational programs radicalizing young generations of Palestinians through antisemitic and anti-Israel school curricula and said these issues must end.
Bruce also committed to pursuing “bold reform” at the U.N. and pursuing an end to its anti-Israel bias.
Kaploun, who was nominated in April for the role, will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
President Donald Trump and Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun light a candle during an Oct. 7th remembrance event at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on Oct. 7, 2024 in Doral, Florida.
Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun is scheduled for a confirmation hearing to be the Trump administration’s antisemitism envoy on Wednesday, a last-minute addition to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee schedule.
Kaploun, an Orthodox Jewish businessman and Chabad rabbi, was a Trump campaign surrogate during the 2024 campaign and, though he has not yet been confirmed, has been a frequent fixture at D.C.-area events focused on combating antisemitism since he was first nominated for the post in April and has met with other Trump administration officials.
The previous special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, told Jewish Insider on Tuesday, “I wish him great good luck, for his sake and for ours. He has a challenging task in front of him as we witness antisemitism emanating from all ends of the political spectrum. Irrespective of one’s politics, we should all hope for his success.”
Kaploun co-authored an op-ed in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in May with his two predecessors, Lipstadt and Elan Carr, following the killing of two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington — a show of bipartisan alignment on the issue of combating antisemitism.
“Above all, irrespective of where you stand on the political spectrum — left, right, center — do not use antisemitism as a political weapon to achieve other goals. That will only serve to debase and weaken our fight against this terrible scourge. This fight must be bipartisan and non-political,” the piece reads. “Now is the time for all to rise to the occasion in the face of a grave threat to us all. Our collective future depends on our success.”
The op-ed endorses the Global Guidelines to Counter Antisemitism, an international compact promulgated under Lipstadt’s leadership, and indicates that the current administration plans to continue that effort.
It goes on to describe antisemitism as a threat to the rule of law, security and society, and raises concerns about the “normalization of antisemitic rhetoric” on both sides of the aisle, and in anti-Israel activism.
The leaders of various mainstream Jewish organizations including the Jewish Federations of North America, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee have urged Senate leaders to move ahead with the confirmation process and move quickly to fill the post.
But Kaploun’s nomination is likely to encounter at least some resistance among Democrats: Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), a co-chair of the Congressional Jewish Caucus, urged Senate Democrats not to support Kaploun earlier this year, describing him as “divisive.”
State Department civil servants have continued to operate the office during the time that the ambassador role has been vacant, since the end of the Biden administration.
Several other nominees are also scheduled to appear at the hearing, including State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, nominated to be the deputy U.S. representative to the United Nations.
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