June 27, 2025 | 1 Tammuz 5785
Candlelighting 8:36 p.m. | Havdalah 9:44 p.m. | Vol. 68, No. 26 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
Sens. Fetterman and McCormick collaborate on resolution condemning antisemitism
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W Sen. John Fetterman official U.S. Senate portrait Public domain
Sen. Dave McCormick official U.S. Senate portrait Public domain
By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
Israel in January, after Oct. 7 [2023],” he said. “Here we are six months into my first term, and antisemitism and acts of violence are on the rise.” The freshman senator said fighting antisemitism is an area where he, a Republican, and Fetterman, a Democrat, share common ground. “He’s been an incredibly strong voice,” McCormick said of Fetterman. “He’s been unequivocal in his moral clarity on the issue.” Fetterman said he considers McCormick a “colleague and friend” and the pair wanted to find issues they could work on together. “We both live close to where the Tree of Life massacre occurred, and we’ve been concerned about the continued growth of antisemitism and the violence and intimidation connected to it,” he said. Since Oct. 7, Fetterman noted, there’s been an acceleration of Jewish hatred at public events and on college campuses, as well as in the media and in organizations like the
orking for Israel in the United Nations has always been a challenge, Jonathan Harounoff said. Harounoff is the Jewish state’s international spokesperson to the U.N., an award-winning journalist and author of the book “Unveiled: Inside Iran’s #WomanLifeFreedom Revolt.” “Especially since Oct. 7, when there was such an almost disgraceful minimization and lack of focus on what happened and a hyperintense focus on all ‘evils’ that Israel is doing,” he said. “It’s been quite disgraceful.” Harounoff was in Pittsburgh this week, attending the American Jewish Press Association's annual conference. Both the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly, he said, have offered discussions and resolutions centered on Israel’s actions and have not formally condemned Hamas or worked for the release of the hostages. “We see a very clear lack of U.N. work there, which is what we’ve been doing for the past year, elevating those voices,” he said. “We’ve invited recently released hostages and families of hostages still held to the U.N. because the U.N. never came to them in their time of need.” Harounoff oversees all the media that comes in and out of U.N. involving Israel. He interacts with journalists from around the globe and strives to ensure Israel’s narrative is fairly reflected in the press. Right now, he said, that message involves Israel’s war with Hamas, its fight to keep Iran from securing a nuclear weapon and the plight of the 50 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Harounoff spoke to the Chronicle several days after the U.S. bombed sites believed to
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ennsylvania Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick have introduced Senate Resolution 288, a bipartisan resolution condemning the rise of antisemitism across the country. Citing the antisemitic attack that injured eight people in Boulder, Colorado, the arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence and the murder of Israeli embassy staff members Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, the senators denounced anti-Jewish hatred. The resolution has 34 co-sponsors. New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew introduced a companion resolution to the House of Representatives. It was co-sponsored by 69 members of the House. McCormick said he was dumbfounded at the antisemitism he saw on college campuses while he campaigned in 2024 and that he strives to be a strong voice denouncing the intimidation and hatred he observed. “This is something that’s been very vivid in my mind ever since my wife and I visited
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