In a one-on-one interview at The Jerusalem Post Washington Conference on Wednesday, Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the US nominee for Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, told moderator Gabe Groisman that his first priorities are lowering global rhetoric, building education initiatives, and holding governments and platforms accountable.
Kaploun described a long relationship with President Donald Trump and the president’s commitment to Jewish security, saying Trump quietly helped families obtain lifesaving care and “cares deeply about his staff and their families.”
Mandate and urgency
He recalled being asked to take the role, quoting Trump as saying, “Rabbi Yehuda, I would like you to serve my country. I want you to be responsible for every Jew.” Kaploun called the task “daunting,” adding, “The responsibility to protect every Jew in the world belongs to all of us. We are going to do this together.”
Kaploun said his immediate goal is to “lower the rhetoric around the globe,” warning that antisemitism is not theoretical. “Two nights ago I was accosted in a hotel lobby by people screaming baby killer and free Gaza. Antisemitism is alive and well.”
Education will be central to the agenda, he said. “I want to shift the conversation to pro-Semitism. We need to be pro-Semitic, and we need to educate, educate, educate.”
Revamping the US antisemitism office
Kaploun said the office would be “completely revamped” and elevated in public profile, with a new division focused on combating online antisemitism alongside partnerships with leading technology figures.
He pledged to scrutinize incitement in educational materials and to demand accountability from international bodies receiving US funds.