Some Jewish leaders object to Trump’s connecting his travel ban to the Boulder attack, saying it dilutes concerns about increasing antisemitism.
When President Donald Trump announced a plan to bar citizens from 12 countries late Wednesday, he started by noting a recent attack on the Jewish community that was allegedly committed by an Egyptian man who had overstayed his tourist visa.
The attack in Boulder, Colorado, which left 15 injured, “underscores the danger posed to our country by foreign nationals not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their welcome,” Trump said in a video released by the White House on Wednesday evening. “We don’t want ’em.”
While some Jewish leaders have praised Trump’s recent efforts to address rising antisemitism, others say attempting to connect immigration policy with an attack on their community dilutes their deep concerns about the hostility they face from some quarters.
“Jews are not asking for this. This is not what Jews need or what keeps us safe,” Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the largest denomination of Judaism in North America, said of the travel ban.
