The Political Cycle: The Jewish Museum Murders

Last week, two Israeli Embassy staff were shot and killed after leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC, Washington. Once arrested, the shooter reportedly said “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”

The murders have raised questions about how far-reaching antisemitism is in the USA. Was this, for example, an act against Israel’s war or an attack on innocent Jewish people living and working in America? And does White House messaging have a part to play in this tragedy?

Rohan Venkat and Emily Tamkin discuss.

Here are the Cycle Recommendations from this episode:

• Certainty and Strange Thoughts - The Ideas Letter

• Even if the Capital Jewish Museum shooter ‘did it for Gaza,’ his actions were antisemitic - Forward

• May 2025 National Survey of Jewish Voters

• Yes to Transfer: 82% of Jewish Israelis Back Expelling Gazans - Haaretz

• Poll analysis: Trump’s approach to universities, Israel-Palestine, and antisemitism - Brookings

• Anti-Jewish attitudes have increased among anti-Israel Americans - Good Authority

Subscribe below to our contributors' Substacks:

• ET Write Home by Emily Tamkin

• India Inside Out by Rohan Venkat

• Dividing Lines by Tom Hamilton