Hamas’ propaganda fueling global spike in Jew hatred, rabbi warns

The day before two Israeli Embassy staffers were gunned down in the nation’s capital, a rabbi warned U.S. lawmakers that Hamas’ propaganda about Israel and its military campaign in Gaza has fueled a worldwide spike in antisemitism. 

Eric Fusfield, a rabbi and the director of legislative affairs for B’nai B’rith International, a Jewish human rights and Israel advocacy organization, was among four witnesses who testified at a Tuesday hearing titled “Worldwide Persecution of Jews.” The bipartisan hearing, hosted by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the House of Representatives, comes amid reports of a global surge in antisemitic incidents.

Reps. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Jim McGovern, D-Mass., both led the hearing, during which Fusfield stressed the importance of an educational approach to addressing antisemitism while also emphasizing that governments have a duty to ensure public safety. 

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

“We’re losing the narrative,” the rabbi testified. “We’re losing the PR battle to terrorists, who rape women and decapitate babies. Somehow, in this morality play, Israel is the bad guy. It does take all of us to turn this narrative around.”

While the commission noted that anti-Israel animus has played a part in various antisemitic incidents following the Hamas-led terror attacks against Israel in October 2023, Jewish advocacy groups, such as the Anti-Defamation League, had already been tracking an apparent rise in antisemitism. 

Marina Rosenberg, the vice president for international affairs at the Anti-Defamation League, also testified at the hearing, warning that increasing antisemitism “is a global emergency and it requires a global response.” 

Rosenberg asserted that discussions about deceased Jews are not enough to combat antisemitism and help people to better understand the Jewish community. 

“We need to teach about the living ones,” she said. “People need to recognize the contribution of Jewish communities worldwide, what Jews are all about, that we are human beings.” 

At the start of the hearing, Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., who himself is Jewish, recognized the Hamas-led attacks in 2023 as one of the “bloodiest days since the Holocaust in Jewish history.” On Oct. 7, 2023, the terror group slaughtered at least 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted over 240 others, including 31 Americans. 

Nadler warned that when it comes to hate, “what starts with Jews rarely ends with Jews.” Ted Deutch, the chief executive officer of the American Jewish Committee and a former member of Congress, later made a similar point. 

“Antisemitism does not just threaten Jewish communities, it threatens the values that hold free societies together,” Deutch said. 

The former Florida congressman urged lawmakers at the hearing to call out any form of Jewish hatred. 

“Condemn antisemitism unequivocally and publicly, in all its forms, whenever and wherever it occurs,” Deutch said. “Name it. Call it out. Be strong. When an incident occurs, it matters when elected officials speak out loudly and use their  broad reach, raising awareness that antisemitism is not just a Jewish problem but an assault on our shared values.”

Tuesday’s hearing occurred one day before the murder of two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., where the American Jewish Committee had hosted an event. 

The victims were identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were soon to be engaged. According to police, the 30-year-old suspect from Chicago opened fire on four people and fatally shot two of the attendees. After the shooting, the suspect entered the museum but was later detained by the authorities. 

According to the police, the shooter reportedly chanted “free, free Palestine” while in custody. 

In a statement shared with The Christian Post, Susan Michael of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA, said that she met Yaron at the ICEJ Gala in honor of Israel’s 75th anniversary. Michael described Yaron and his family as “cherished friends of ICEJ President Dr. Juergen Buehler.”

“That his life — and Sarah’s — was so senselessly cut short here in our nation’s capital is beyond heartbreaking,” she stated. “I have worked with the embassy for over 40 years, and never have I witnessed such brazen hatred against the Jewish people. This is not an isolated tragedy — it is part of a dangerous wave of antisemitism that is spreading rapidly and must be confronted with courage and moral clarity. Our prayers are with the families of Yaron and Sarah and with the entire Israeli diplomatic community.”