The recent tragic shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum near Washington, D.C. has reignited discussions about antisemitism following the brutal attack by Hamas on October 7th. Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim lost their lives as they were leaving an event organized by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) at the museum. Elias Rodriguez, the alleged shooter, has been charged with their murders.
Representative David Kustoff from Tennessee, a Republican and one of the four Jewish members in Congress, finds himself in a unique position to assess how antisemitism is perceived in America and how it has been intertwined with politics.
In a touching display of remembrance, people gathered to light candles at a memorial honoring Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. The memorial was set up outside the White House in Washington, symbolizing the deep impact of the tragic event that took place at the Capital Jewish Museum.
The congressman spoke about an incident in 2023 when a man opened fire outside the Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South. The suspect was later identified as Joel Alejandro Bowman, who faces several charges, including attempted second-degree murder.
Kustoff sees the issue of combating antisemitism as one that has received bipartisan support in Congress. He praised Democrats like Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill. — who are Jewish — for their support of Israel and its relationship with the U.S., calling them “true leaders.” Kustoff also noted that, while they are not Jewish, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., have been vocal about their support for Israel.
While Kustoff praised colleagues on both sides of the aisle, he also criticized members of Congress who have made “incendiary” remarks about Israel, saying such rhetoric “in effect helps to breed antisemitism.”
Kustoff spoke to Fox News Digital shortly after a video of outspoken Israel critic Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., refusing to condemn the murders of Lischinsky and Milgrim went viral. When asked about the incident, Kustoff said that “We get asked easy questions and difficult questions all the time as members of Congress. That was clearly an easy question to answer, and her constituents can make their own decisions.”
National Park Service workers attempt to remove graffiti at Union Station on July 25, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
As chairman of the House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group, Kustoff has had a close-up view of U.S.-Israel relations. He recalled his July 2024 trip to Israel, where he toured the site of the Nova Music Festival and a kibbutz that was attacked on Oct. 7, and met with Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Â
“[Netanyahu] told me that he knows that the American people are still very supportive of Israel and the Israeli people know that,” Kustoff told Fox News Digital. “We talked about the instances on college campuses. In closing, his feeling was that a number of these students probably couldn’t look at a map and know where Israel is located.”
