Sen. Bob Casey stresses support for Israel during ‘Coffee and Conversations’

Sen. Bob Casey pledged his support to both the Jewish community and the state of Israel during a town hall-style program hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh on Oct. 9.

The “Coffee and Conversations” event was moderated by Laura Cherner, director of the Federation’s Community Relations Council, and covered several topics of interest to the Jewish community, including Israel’s war against the terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah, antisemitism and a statement released on Oct. 7 by Rep. Summer Lee, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and Pittsburgh City Mayor Ed Gainey. Casey previously condemned the statement, which was criticized by the Federation — and many others — for its “dangerous and false moral equivocation” about Hamas’ attack on Israel and the ensuing war.

“Today, because Hamas remains a threat, the people of Israel have to continue the fight,” Casey told the more than 40 people attending in person and those viewing the event on social media. “At the same time, they have to beat back a threat posed by Hezbollah, which has been a threat for more than a generation.”

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Casey went on to call Hezbollah — designated as a terrorist organization by most Western nations — “the leading killer of Americans.”

The United States, he said, must support Israel as it contemplates a response to Iran’s Oct. 1 missile attack against the Jewish state.

“When you face multiple threats that are regionwide and very much proximate — and I didn’t mention the Houthis, and I didn’t mention the Shiite militias and some others — when you have that kind of array of threats, Israel has to keep pushing back on those threats and we have to continue to support them,” Casey said.

The senator said he viewed continual support of Israel as part of his obligation, just as he views support for the people of Ukraine against “a murderous dictator, Vladimir Putin.”

Asked how U.S. foreign policy can be used to help ensure the release of hostages still held in Gaza — including seven Americans — and neutralize the threat of Iran and its proxies, Casey blamed Hamas for adding conditions each time negotiations seem to be making headway.

He said that while CIA Director Bill Burns and other diplomats are capable of leading negotiations with Israel, Egypt and Qatar, he has little confidence that there will be a breakthrough.

Turning domestically to what appears to be a growing contingent of Democratic politicians who espouse anti-Israel views, Casey said that it is a small but vocal part of the caucus. He pointed to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ resolution to cut funding for military support to Israel as an example of that group and its positions.

“I don’t think that’s a prevailing point of view in the Democratic caucus in the Senate,” he said, “and certainly doesn’t represent my views.”

Casey used the opportunity to again condemn the statement put out by Lee, Innamorato and Gainey.

“To the extent that that point of view grows in our party, I don’t think it’s growing very much, but it’s there and I’ll continue to push back against it,” he said.

The senator said that as we pass the one-year mark of Hamas’ Oct. 7 invasion of Israel, it’s important to continue to remind people of the “horrific attack where 1,200 innocent Israelis were murdered by a terrorist organization and all of the murder, terror and rape and the dehumanization that occurred.”

The attack, he said, was especially wicked because it was intended to eliminate as many Jews as possible.

“It was a different — in my judgment — a different kind of terrorism,” he said. “It was genocidal terrorism.”

Fundamental to Hamas’ dogma , he said, is killing Jews, calling it the organization’s “raison d’etat.”

Casey said he opposes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, adding that Congress needs to turn its attention to the issue.

“It’s particularly pernicious,” he said.

Casey said he hoped the Antisemitism Awareness Act, a bill he introduced with Sen. Tom Scott, would be voted on before the end of the calendar year and that there’s a good chance it will pass.

The bill, he said, will provide a working definition of antisemitism that the Department of Education and its Office of Civil Rights can use to fight hate. Once passed, he said, the fight will begin to allocate $280 million to hire 500 people to staff the department and enable them to investigate cases of possible antisemitism on college campuses.

Asked about the rise in hate speech online, Casey said there seems to be a “huge bipartisan consensus” to take on tech companies that don’t do enough to combat “toxic” speech, which he said is not protected by the First Amendment.

Pivoting from the First to the Second Amendment, Casey said it was important to change the filibuster and allow for a 51, rather than 60, vote threshold. Without it, he said, it would be impossible to ban military-style assault weapons or protect female reproductive rights.

When asked if he would withdraw his endorsement of Lee in light of her Oct. 7 statement, Casey reiterated that he condemns the statement as well as speech he considers antisemitic.

“I stand on that record,” he said. “I realize some want me to get involved in other races. I’ve got a race for the United States Senate and I’m concentrating on earning the vote of our people and I hope it’s successful, but I think my record is pretty clear.”

Casey’s Republican opponent, David McCormick, will sit down with Cherner on Oct. 10 at 4 p.m. at the Federation’s office on Technology Drive. PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.