Jewish leaders condemn shooting of Israel embassy staff

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says there is ‘no place for anti-Semitism’ as Jewish leaders say allowing ‘unchecked rhetoric’ to spread hatred would inevitably lead to violence.

A man, standing behind police tape, talks on his cell phone outside the Capital Jewish Museum following a shooting that left two people dead, in Washington DC, on May 21, 2025. Picture: AFP

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Foreign Minister Penny Wong has condemned the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy workers in Washington, saying there is “no place for anti-Semitism”, as Jewish leaders warn that allowing “unchecked rhetoric” to spread hatred would inevitably lead to ­violence.

After a man and a woman were killed outside an event in the US capital on Wednesday night, local time, by a gunman who shouted “free Palestine”, Jewish organisations have urged the community in Australia to remain vigilant.

Joining US President Donald Trump and Israeli President Isaac Herzog in condemning the attack, Senator Wong said the Albanese government was “shocked and ­appalled” by the killing of the embassy workers and the nation’s thoughts were with their families.

“There is no place for anti-­Semitism in the world. It must be denounced and condemned,” Senator Wong said.

Amid concerns the shooting marked an escalation in anti-­Israel activism, Zionist Federation of Australia chief executive Alon Cassuto said there had been a sustained campaign against Israel and Jewish people and “these ­brutal murders did not occur in a vacuum”.

“Unchecked rhetoric that promotes hatred and violence has real-world consequences; when a nation and their people are relentlessly vilified, not only does violence become imaginable, but inevitable,” Mr Cassuto said.

In a joint statement condemning the shooting, Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion and co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said they were horrified by the “act of anti-Semitic terror” and had been in touch with the Australian Federal Police.

EJAC co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

They said the event where the killings took place had been hosted by a close partner of the ECAJ, the American Jewish Committee.

“Our deepest sympathies are with the families of the dead, with the Israeli diplomatic corps and the American Jewish community,” they said. “We hope justice is swift and decisive.

“This senseless, brutal and targeted attack again shows us the danger posed to us all by the incitement and violence of the pro-­Palestinian movement.

“The ECAJ has been in touch with the AFP … and reminds the community to remain vigilant.”

The workers, a couple, were shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum where an event aimed at bringing together young Jewish professionals and diplomats was being held.

The lone gunman, identified by US media as 30-year-old Chicago man Elias Rodriguez, was seen pacing outside the museum before approaching a group of four and opening fire.

Rodriguez was arrested after he entered the museum and told officials he had discarded the gun, implying that he was behind the shooting, local law enforcement said.

He chanted “Free, free Pales­tine” as he was being taken into custody.

The couple was planning on becoming engaged the next week, according to Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter.

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein said the shooting was the result of an escalation in hatred against the Jewish communities, which had been witnessed across the world.

“This appalling act of terrorism is a direct outcome of the hatred we’ve witnessed in the streets of the US, Australia and around the world,” Dr Rubenstein said.

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein. Picture: Supplied.

“When people in those hate-filled marches chant ‘Globalise the intifada’, this is what they mean.”

Dr Rubenstein said AIJAC had also been a longstanding partner of the event host, declaring that his organisation stood with the American Jewish community. “Condemnation of terrorism after the fact isn’t good enough; we implore our political leaders to condemn the chants of hatred before they become acts of violent hatred.

“The Australian Jewish community is rightly worried for our security.

“If this act could happen on the streets of the American capital, it could happen in Australia.”

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, said he was “horrified” by the attack in Washington that claimed the lives of two embassy staff.

“This brutal act is a reminder that Israeli diplomats – and Jews – face real threats, even far from home,” Mr Maimon said.

Jeremy Leibler. Picture: Yusuke Sato

ZFA president Jeremy Leibler said the targeting of a Jewish ­institution was a sign of the “grave and escalating” threat to the ­community.

“Jewish community spaces, like the one targeted in Washington DC, are vital centres of Jewish identity, education, and remembrance,” Mr Leibler said.

“In Australia, many members of our community regularly ­attend events in these spaces, and the fact that such a location would be the site of a targeted killing under­scores the grave and escalating threats facing Jewish communities globally.”

The shooting occurred only steps away from an FBI office.