U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi declared that the Trump administration will no longer tolerate antisemitism in the United States, vowing aggressive enforcement against hate crimes, campus intimidation and violence targeting Jewish Americans.
“The days when Jewish students could be bullied without consequences are over,” Bondi said. “That will not happen under President Trump’s leadership. We will not allow antisemitism in America to go unpunished.”
Bondi spoke Friday at the annual Israeli-American Council National Summit in Florida, the largest pro-Israel Jewish conference of the year, attended by thousands. Her remarks came during a session titled ‘Inspirational Role Models.’
She opened her address by recalling the killing of Israeli Embassy employees Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, who were shot dead in May 2025 near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington.
“Sarah and Yaron were shot, murdered because they were Jewish,” Bondi said. “It was horrible. Horrible. We will not tolerate that in our country any longer.”
Bondi said her office intends to seek the death penalty against the suspect, Elias Rodriguez, who is charged with murder of a foreign official, first-degree murder and a hate crime resulting in death.
“We are prosecuting the monster and we will seek the death penalty,” she said.
Bondi said antisemitism has been allowed to grow unchecked in the United States, blaming institutional inaction and moral failure.
“The sad truth is that antisemitism was allowed to flourish in this country,” she said. “Too many institutions failed their moral responsibility. Too many leaders stayed silent. Actions have consequences, and so does inaction.”
She cited recent antisemitic incidents, including an arson attack at a historic synagogue in Mississippi, saying her department is pursuing hate crime charges against the suspect.
“Too many Jewish Americans are forced to live in fear,” she said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice is committed to reversing this unacceptable trend.”
Bondi pointed to million-dollar settlements reached with major U.S. universities over anti-Israel protests and harassment on campus. She said Columbia University agreed to pay $200 million for violating the civil rights of Jewish students and employees, Northwestern University $75 million and Cornell University $60 million, with additional investigations ongoing.
“These are not easy agreements,” Bondi said. “We are protecting not only Jewish students, but Jewish professors as well.”
She added that she has personally intervened in campus cases, including helping secure the expulsion of a student who verbally attacked a Jewish student wearing an Israel Defense Forces shirt.
“It’s not a crime of great violence,” Bondi said, “but in my opinion, it’s a crime of great significance.”
Bondi credited Trump and his envoys, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, for what she described as extraordinary efforts to secure the return of hostages taken during Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
“What President Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have done is exceptional,” she said. “We will continue to fight for Israel.”
Later at the summit, Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida addressed concerns about divisions within her party over Israel, drawing both applause and boos from the audience.
“I am Florida’s first Jewish congresswoman,” she said. “I am a Zionist. I am a proud Jewish mother, and I represent a strong Jewish and Israeli-American community.”
Wasserman Schultz acknowledged tensions within the Democratic Party but said Congress remains overwhelmingly pro-Israel.
“It is my responsibility to reassure people who feel anxiety about the Democratic Party that the United States Congress remains an overwhelmingly pro-Israel institution,” she said.
She cited the election of pro-Israel Democrats, including New York City Comptroller Mark Levine and City Council Speaker Julie Menin, and said an organized group within the party continues to educate incoming members.
Wasserman Schultz said ensuring younger generations understand Jewish history, including the Holocaust, remains a shared responsibility.
The summit also featured speeches by Israeli diplomats, a former Hamas hostage, Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner and television personality Siggy Flicker.
The Miami Herald reported that the event underscored bipartisan pledges of support for the Jewish community amid rising antisemitism nationwide.