Senate Confirms Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun as Antisemitism Envoy

As Special Envoy, he will be tasked with coordinating US efforts to counter antisemitism globally, engage foreign governments, and advocate for the protection of Jewish communities facing growing threats.

By United with Israel Staff

The U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment of Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun on Thursday as the United States’ special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, granting him the rank of ambassador and an official role within the State Department. The confirmation passed in a 53–43 vote in the Senate plenum.

Kaploun was nominated to the position by President Donald Trump in May 2025.

The role carries responsibility for coordinating U.S. efforts to track, confront, and counter antisemitism worldwide, including collecting data on antisemitic incidents, engaging with foreign governments and international organizations, and advancing American policy in the global fight against anti-Jewish hatred. The envoy reports directly to the U.S. administration through the State Department.

Born in Kfar Chabad, Israel, Kaploun is a Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi, businessman, and longtime Jewish communal activist. He later lived in New York City, where he was present during the September 11, 2001, terror attacks and volunteered at Ground Zero with Hatzalah emergency responders. He currently resides in Miami, Florida, and was a close friend of the late Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel.

Kaploun has maintained a longstanding relationship with Trump, dating back to their years living in New York. His first documented public involvement with Trump occurred in 2018, when he helped present Israeli-developed water-from-air technology by the company Watergen at Mar-a-Lago, where Kaploun served in senior management. In 2020, he organized a campaign event aimed at Jewish leaders in support of Trump, which was attended by then–Vice President Mike Pence.

The World Jewish Congress welcomed Kaploun’s confirmation. WJC President Ronald S. Lauder praised the appointment, calling Kaploun “a dedicated fighter against anti-Jewish hatred,” and warning that antisemitism today is “global, coordinated, and emboldened.”

Lauder said the position requires leadership that fully understands the severity of the threat facing Jewish communities worldwide and expressed hope for close cooperation as Kaploun begins his work. Kaploun is also expected to participate in the Special Envoys and Coordinators Combating Antisemitism forum, an international network of officials first organized by the World Jewish Congress in 2019.

The confirmation comes amid a sharp surge in antisemitic incidents in the United States and around the world. In recent days, Jews have been targeted in violent and hostile attacks, including an antisemitic assault on the New York City subway, a stabbing in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood, and the deadly Chanukah terror attack in Sydney, Australia.

Officials and Jewish leaders expressed hope that the appointment will energize global efforts to combat antisemitism and translate concern into concrete action. The move is widely seen as a chance to build a safer future for Jewish communities facing growing threats worldwide.