JCRC Statement
September 11, 2025
The following is a statement from Ron Halber, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington.
“Yesterday’s assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah and a shooting that wounded students at a high school in Colorado are horrific reminders of the gun violence epidemic that plagues our country. The United States has the highest homicide rate in the world among developed nations, and gun violence is the leading cause of death for American children. Regardless of our political leanings, these facts should be unacceptable to all of us.
"The Jewish community has felt the effects firsthand, as we continue to mourn Israeli embassy staffers Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky who were murdered in Washington, DC earlier this year. That is why our organization has long supported bipartisan, commonsense measures such as expanded background checks, mandatory waiting periods, and a ban on assault weapons. Unless and until policymakers summon the political will to enact these types of policies, gun deaths will continue to be an everyday part of American life.
"Politically motivated violence can be especially pernicious, as it threatens the core of what makes our political system work: the ability to engage in civic discourse and disagreement without fear for our personal liberty or safety. In addition to enacting gun safety measures, it is imperative that our political leaders across the spectrum reaffirm the importance of civil disagreement and reject rhetoric that demonizes those with different political views.
"We send our deepest condolences to Charlie Kirk’s family, and our sympathies to the families in Colorado and across the country whose lives have been similarly shattered. Our country was founded on the ideals of free expression and personal liberty. We cannot permit senseless gun violence to silence these values.”