WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a report released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) identifying him as the most targeted Member of the House of Representatives for antisemitic abuse, Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32) issued the following statement:
“The findings in the ADL’s report are disturbing but not surprising. Antisemitism is on the rise, and it’s hitting closer to home than ever. When hate is left unchecked online, it doesn’t stay online—it seeps into our communities, our institutions, and even our government. So unfortunately, it’s no surprise that this uptick in online hate coincides with the rise in offline antisemitism – which has reached record-breaking levels since Hamas’s massacre of 1,200 innocent Israelis, Americans, and others on October 7th, 2023.
This wave of hate has continued to impact constituents in and near my district: two Jewish men were shot in an attempted murder while leaving religious services in Pico-Robertson[1]; a Jewish couple was assaulted outside of their synagogue in Beverly Hills[2]; the infamous antisemitic riot outside of the Adas Torah synagogue on Pico Boulevard, wherein an anti-Israel mob tried to prevent worshippers from entering the synagogue and assaulted a number of Jewish community members.[3] And just outside my district in Thousand Oaks, a 69 year old Jewish man, Paul Kessler, was brutally assaulted and killed by an anti-Israel protester.
I will not be intimidated. I will not be silenced. I’ve spent my career standing up to extremism and antisemitism, and defending the right of all marginalized groups – including American Jews – to live in peace. That commitment only deepens in the face of these attacks.”
In a report that was released on May 8, Anti-Defamation League researchers said they collected and analyzed antisemitic comments directed at 30 Jewish members of Congress with Facebook accounts.
The report concluded that among these 30 Jewish members of Congress, the most frequently targeted Senators were Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY), while Congressman Brad Sherman stood as the most frequently targeted in the House of Representatives.
To read the ADL’s full report, click here.
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[1] U.S. DOJ: Former California Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Attempting to Murder Two Jewish Men Leaving Los Angeles Synagogues Last Year
https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/former-california-man-sentenced-35-years-prison-attempting-murder-two-jewish-men-leaving-los
[2] ‘Despicable act of hate’: Suspect arrested after antisemitic assault in Beverly Hills
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-12-10/arrest-made-in-the-antisemitic-assault-of-an-elderly-man-in-beverly-hills
[3] JPost: Lawsuit hits protest groups, funder over Pico-Robertson synagogue riots
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-812203
