WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with members of the Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs (JACPAC). JACPAC is a national organization dedicated to supporting issues reflective of Jewish values, including promoting strong U.S.-Israel relations, combating antisemitism, and supporting reproductive rights, gun violence prevention, and separation of religion and state.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
On the meeting, Durbin released the following statement:
“After yesterday’s committee hearing on antisemitism, I’m grateful to meet with Jewish leaders in my office today. The surge in threats and violence against Jewish Americans after Hamas’s horrific October 2023 attack in Israel is deeply disturbing. Hateful rhetoric and threats have no place in our country, no matter the ideology or person it stems from—even if from the powerful people in our nation.
“I will continue to condemn hate in all its forms, and I encourage the Trump Administration to reverse course on its attacks against the rule of law and democratic norms intrinsically linked with the rights and safety of Jewish people, including their shameful downsizing of offices responsible for litigating cases of discrimination.”
Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on combatting antisemitism on college campuses, where Durbin underscored his repeated condemnation of hate-fueled violence and the resurgence of antisemitism since the horrific Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Durbin also stressed the inability of the Office for Civil Rights to adequately address cases of discrimination due to the Trump Administration’s recent actions.
