During a Senate hearing on hate crimes on Tuesday, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz was interrupted by an activist who shouted “fucking Jews” during his televised address. As a guard tried to restrain and escort the activist away, Cruz pointed out that “you are now seeing the hate manifesting right here.”
The interruption occurred as Cruz was lamenting the fact that the Senate chose to hold a hearing on hate in general, instead of focusing specifically on antisemitism. The activist could be heard shouting, “The fucking Jews and the Israelis themselves! Talk about the forty thousand! Talk about all these people!” As he was being escorted away, he also yelled, “Why is it about antisemitism? Fuck the law.”
Someone just yelled "Fu*king Jews" in the Senate. Because anti-Zionism. pic.twitter.com/7u9fckjoHw
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) September 17, 2024
Cruz responded by saying, “We now have a demonstration of antisemitism,” and a different perspective of the event can be seen in a video shared by Forbes. In his speech, Cruz also highlighted the rise of antisemitism on college campuses in the United States, following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.
The Texas senator also took to Twitter to express his concerns about the recent increase in antisemitism. “When Republicans take back the Senate – hold real hearings on the attacks on Jewish students and if Trump wins the White House there will be prosecutions from the DOJ,” Cruz tweeted.
The hearing, titled “Stemming the Tide of Hate Crimes in America,” was chaired by Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durban, according to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary’s website.
However, two of the witnesses invited by the Democrats to testify, Kenneth Stern and Maya Berry, have come under scrutiny for their views on combating antisemitism. In an article by Jewish Insider, Stern is accused of holding views that do not align with the mainstream Jewish community.
Although he was involved in developing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, he has expressed concern that its application by governments could lead to censorship.
Berry, the executive director of the Arab American Institute, has made controversial statements in the past, accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing” on its website.
October 7th was one of the darkest days in human history.
Over 1200 Israelis were killed and 251 were taken as hostages.
In the wake of the attacks, antisemitism has exploded across America on college campuses.
When Republicans take back the Senate — we will hold real… pic.twitter.com/QohGiU95Em
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) September 17, 2024
Despite this, the hearing continued with a focus on addressing hate crimes in America. However, the disruption by the activist served as a reminder of the real and ongoing issue of antisemitism, both in the United States and around the world. As Cruz emphasized, it is a problem that must be tackled with real solutions, and not just through talk and hearings.