US antisemitism envoy tells 'Post' people should understand Zionism, ‘not be ignorant about it’

US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that Zionism must be understood through Jewish history rather than equated with racism.

In a wide-ranging State Department briefing, he said more than 250,000 visas had been revoked under the administration, described US efforts to change antisemitic educational material abroad, criticized the use of the term “genocide” against Israel, and said a two-state solution could not advance while one side called for the eradication of the other.

Kaploun said Monday that people using the term Zionism should understand its historical meaning and “not be ignorant about it.”

Kaploun made the comments during an on-the-record briefing at the State Department’s Washington Foreign Press Center after the Post asked whether his office was addressing what appeared to be a growing international misconception about the meaning of Zionism.

“I think people have to have an understanding of history to know what Zionism is,” Kaploun said. “For the last 3,000 years, we say we lift up our eyes, and we pray to Zion. That is something that people have said for 3,000 years. That is not anything new.”

Kaploun said modern Zionism also meant that “the Jewish community has a state now,” pointing to the diversity of Israeli society.

“In Israel, you will see it’s one of the few countries you will see black Jews, white Jews, Middle Eastern Jews from all walks of life,” he said, referring also to Jewish communities expelled from other countries who found a home in Israel.

He cited Israeli universities and hospitals, where Jews, Arabs and Druze study and work alongside one another.

“I don’t think that it’s racism,” Kaploun said. “I think people should understand the term and understand and know about it and not be ignorant about it.”

US to raise UK Zionism controversy

Earlier in the briefing, Kaploun was asked about a motion adopted at the Green Party of England and Wales conference equating Zionism with racism.

He said the United States would make representations on the issue.

“I think a lot of countries are being hypocritical in the sense of they will only focus on Israel. They will not focus on other countries,” Kaploun said.

He argued that countries criticizing Israel should apply the same standards they use for other states.

Asked separately about debate in Italy over formally adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism, Kaploun rejected concerns that doing so would prevent legitimate criticism of Israel.

“The IHRA definition doesn’t say that you can’t criticize Israel,” he said. “The IHRA definition says that if you’re criticizing Israel, you have to hold that same standard across the board.”

“It does not restrict you from criticizing Israel,” he added. “What it does is hold you accountable so that you can’t only criticize Israel.”

More than 250,000 visas revoked

In his opening remarks, Kaploun outlined several measures undertaken by the Trump administration as part of its campaign against antisemitism.

He said the administration implemented “a rigorous visa vetting process” and revoked more than 250,000 visas.

Kaploun also cited renewed hate-crime prosecutions, cooperation with counterterrorism agencies, and work with foreign governments to address antisemitism in educational systems.

“We have been involved with the Saudi government to have their curriculum changed to remove unprecedented levels of antisemitic questions, and that is a priority of this office,” he said.

Later, Kaploun gave an example of a question he said had appeared in a textbook in one country: “If someone killed 127 Israelis in one day, how many Israelis would be killed if they did that for nine days?”

He said such questions were now being removed from textbooks as a result of efforts involving US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US President Donald Trump, State Department officials and US ambassadors.

“This office believes that most people who hate are ignorant,” Kaploun said, arguing that education grounded in respect and human dignity could reduce antisemitism as well as hatred directed at other religious groups.

‘Genocide’ term being used by ‘uneducated people’

Asked about South Africa’s accusations against Israel, Kaploun sharply criticized what he described as misuse of the term genocide.

“The term genocide is being thrown around here by a lot of uneducated people, or left-wing or right-wing radicals, or people who are literally antisemitic, trying to tar and feather the Jewish community and Israel with the level of genocide,” he said.

Kaploun questioned why a six-year-old Jewish child attending school in the United States should be called a “baby killer” or told that he or she was responsible for genocide.

“I think people have to take a very strong look at how that term is being used,” he said.

Two states: ‘Don’t put the cart in front of the horse’

Kaploun was also asked about the Trump administration’s policy toward a two-state solution.

“I think for a second, the one thing that separates this administration from other administrations is that we have a very good dose of realism, a very good dose of reality,” he said.

“If you want to talk about a two-state solution, you can’t be talking with one of those states calling for the eradication of another state first and foremost.”

Kaploun said the administration’s immediate focus was on economic opportunity in Gaza, education, Hamas disarmament, and implementation of benchmarks contained in existing agreements.

“Nothing is off the table with this administration,” he said. “But we expect people to live up to their agreements.”

“Let’s not put the cart in front of the horse right now,” he added.

Kaploun also described what he said was an Iranian-backed plot targeting a synagogue in Belgium.

He recalled visiting a firebombed synagogue during his first diplomatic visit to Belgium and meeting about 100 members of the Jewish community who, he said, were frightened.

Following discussions with Belgian officials, Kaploun said the military protected Jewish communities in Brussels, Antwerp and Liège.

“Three days later, they caught three teenagers who were being hired by the Iranian government to firebomb a synagogue,” Kaploun said.

He added that the IRGC was subsequently designated as a terrorist organization, presenting the episode as an example of how diplomatic intervention could lead to concrete protection for Jewish communities.

Kaploun also expressed concern about conditions facing Jewish communities in Canada and Mexico.

“The Jewish community in Canada is under siege,” he said, adding that members of Mexico’s Jewish community also felt under siege.

Kaploun argued that governments should be judged by how well they protect their own citizens and whether people can freely worship, attend school and participate in public life without fear.

He said current levels of antisemitism were at levels he had not seen since the period before World War II and called for political leaders to confront hatred directly.

Kaploun also addressed antisemitism on social media, saying he believed X/Twitter had seen a significant reduction in antisemitic posts after introducing greater visibility into account locations.

“We believe very strongly in freedom of speech,” he said. “You have the right to say what you want to say, but by the same token, we also have the right to say that it’s not true, and it can be disproven that it’s not true.”

Kaploun concluded by arguing that combating antisemitism required changing attitudes before they turned into violence.

“If I can teach a seven-year-old child to not hate, so when he’s 18 or 19, he’s not influenced to go take a gun and go shoot up something, because he’s now informed, he’s not an ignorant person - that’s our success,” he said.