Original Article By Michael Katz
The Senate has confirmed Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun as the Trump administration’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism.
The ambassador-level State Department role is aimed at coordinating U.S. efforts to confront antisemitism globally.
Kaploun was confirmed Thursday as part of a sweeping Senate vote that also approved 95 other Trump nominees across national security, foreign policy, law enforcement, and defense areas as Republicans moved to clear a backlog of executive branch appointments.
Other confirmations in the vote included Tammy Bruce as deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, as well as several inspectors general and senior labor and defense officials.
Kaploun, a Miami businessman and follower of the Chabad Hasidic movement who worked on President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, will fill a post that had been vacant during a period marked by spikes in antisemitic incidents in the United States and abroad.
“President Trump made a strong choice in nominating Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun to serve,” World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder said Thursday in a statement. “I am deeply grateful to the President for ensuring this critical position is filled by a dedicated fighter against anti-Jewish hatred.
“As we saw this week in Sydney, antisemitism is global, coordinated, and emboldened, and it demands leadership that understands the stakes and the responsibility of this role. The WJC serves Jewish communities in more than one hundred countries, and I look forward to engaging with Rabbi Kaploun as he works to protect them from the grave threats they face today.”
Born in Israel and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, Kaploun is the second Hasidic Jew to be approved by the Senate for a senior administration position, Jewish News Syndicate reported.
Mitchell Silk, a member of the Nadvorna Hasidic sect, was confirmed as assistant Treasury secretary for international markets in 2020 during the first Trump administration.
Kaploun testified in November that education and bipartisan engagement are central to combating antisemitism, a theme he reiterated in interviews and hearings leading up to his confirmation.
“We are confident that Rabbi Kaploun, a proud American Jew, will unflinchingly confront the world’s oldest hatred wherever it appears, and make clear that the United States will not compromise with antisemitism,” the Republican Jewish Coalition wrote on X.
Kaploun was confirmed despite Democrat opposition.
Critics argued that his past statements and political activity reflected an overtly partisan approach and raised concerns about his ability to serve credibly in a role that has traditionally sought bipartisan trust.
“As antisemitism continues to rise and manifest in violent, deadly attacks, this office must remain fully resourced and prioritized,” Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, said in a statement. “Rabbi Kaploun is a lifelong advocate for the Jewish people and I’m confident he will do well in this role.
“We thank the Senate for confirming this nomination and acting to do so swiftly following the Bondi Beach attack. AJC looks forward to working with Rabbi Kaploun as he steps into this critical role.”
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