Jewish groups respond to DC violence with 'disgust,' criticism of Trump

• Date: 07 January 2021
• Author: RON KAMPEAS/JTA
• Published date: 07 January 2021

But the preeminent pro-Israel lobby did both on Wednesday after rioters supporting President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol to stop the count of electoral votes that would formalize Joe Biden's win.

"We share the anger of our fellow Americans over the attack at the Capitol and condemn the assault on our democratic values and process," AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, said in a statement posted to Twitter Wednesday evening. "This violence, and President Trump's incitement of it, is outrageous and must end."

The statement, crafted during an emergency meeting of the lobby's executive committee, was among a host of extraordinary comments on American democracy by Jewish groups, many of which typically steer clear of partisan politics.

AIPAC was not the only mainstream Jewish organization to speak out on an extraordinary day that resulted in what once was unthinkable: police spiriting into safe havens hundreds of lawmakers while marauders roamed and looted the Capitol. Its statement, crafted during an emergency meeting of the lobby's executive committee, also was far from the only one to criticize Trump explicitly.

Trump invited protesters to Washington, D.C., and earlier Wednesday urged them to march on the Capitol. As the situation grew tense, he simultaneously urged his supporters to disband and told them that he "loved them."

The Anti-Defamation League also named Trump. "The violence at the US Capitol is the result of disinformation from our highest office," it said in a tweet. "Extremists are among the rioters in DC supporting President Trump's reckless rhetoric on America's democratic institutions." ADL's CEO Jonathan Greenblatt called on social media to suspend Trump's accounts; a number of platforms eventually heeded those calls.

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the umbrella body for Jewish public policy bodies, also named Trump. "This was a direct assault on our democratic process, and nothing less than an attempt to disrupt the peaceful transition of power in a presidential election and an act of sedition," it said in a statement. "We urge in the strongest possible terms that President Trump and others immediately cease incendiary rhetoric and restore order."

Two legacy groups were cautious and condemned the violence while not directly blaming Trump. The American Jewish Committee called on Trump "to call for an immediate end to the riots and respect the certification process currently underway," without noting that Trump...