Which Jewish organizations have publicly criticized Charlie Kirk and what were their statements?
Executive summary
Multiple Jewish organizations publicly reacted to Charlie Kirk’s Sept. 10, 2025 shooting with condemnation of political violence and expressions of horror; coverage shows groups including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Jewish Federations of North America, the Jewish Democratic Council of America, the Republican Jewish Coalition, the Zionist Organization of America, and other Jewish and Israeli leaders issued statements or were quoted in reporting [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not present a long list of Jewish organizations “criticizing” Kirk in the sense of attacking him for public statements at the time of his death; instead, Jewish groups overwhelmingly condemned the assassination and warned against conspiratorial blaming of Jews or Israel [1] [4] [5].
1. Jewish groups’ primary public message: horror and condemnation of political violence
News reporting shows a near-unanimous immediate reaction from Jewish communal organizations and leaders that focused on horror at the killing and the need to reject political violence rather than on partisan judgments of Kirk’s politics. eJewishPhilanthropy summarized that “Jewish organizations expressed wall-to-wall condemnation and horror” at Kirk’s slaying and highlighted calls for an end to political violence from a range of communal leaders [1]. The Jewish Federations of North America’s posted language similarly stresses being “horrified by the apparent assassination” and condemns political violence [2].
2. The Anti-Defamation League’s stance: monitoring, condemnation of violence, but also prior criticism of Kirk’s platform
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a short statement calling the shooting “terrifying” and said the organization was “monitor[ing] the situation,” per reporting; this reaction emphasized condemnation of the attack while noting the ADL had previously criticized Kirk for amplifying extremist and far‑right conspiracy figures [1] [6]. That prior ADL critique—that Kirk had “created a vast platform for extremists and far-right conspiracy theorists”—appears in background coverage and explains why ADL’s public immediate response focused on violence and monitoring rather than a broader judgment in the moment [1] [6].
3. Jewish political groups and Israeli leaders: mourning from across the spectrum
Both politically conservative and liberal Jewish organizations mourned Kirk. Conservative groups such as the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Zionist Organization of America publicly expressed sadness and praise—Morton Klein of the ZOA called Kirk “a great man, a personal friend and an ally who loved Israel and the Jewish people,” and the RJC issued a statement calling him “a shining light” for the American Jewish community [3]. On the progressive side, Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, said she was “devastated by the horrific, unconscionable, depraved murder of Charlie Kirk,” demonstrating cross‑communal condemnation of the killing [1].
4. Jewish groups pushing back on conspiracies blaming Jews or Israel
Several Jewish organizations and antisemitism monitors explicitly refuted or documented the rise of conspiratorial claims that Jews or Israel were responsible for the assassination. The ADL tracked and warned about “antisemitic and anti‑Israel conspiracy theories” alleging a “false flag” or Israeli involvement, noting thousands of social‑media posts making unsubstantiated claims [4]. The Combat Antisemitism Movement and affiliated Antisemitism Research Center documented and condemned baseless lies circulating online that blamed Jews for the killing [5]. Israel Hayom and other outlets also reported on forums spreading such accusations and reiterated that those narratives were unfounded in available reporting [7].
5. Context: prior tensions between Kirk and some Jewish audiences
Background coverage makes clear that Kirk was a complex figure for many in the Jewish world: he repeatedly described himself as a defender of Israel, yet he also made statements that drew criticism for veering into anti‑Jewish tropes—examples include his comments about Jewish philanthropy and influence on institutions, which critics cited as problematic [6] [8] [3]. This history explains why some Jewish leaders had previously criticized aspects of his rhetoric even as they condemned his assassination and rejected antisemitic conspiracy theories after his death [6] [3].
6. What the available sources do not show
The available reporting does not provide a list of Jewish organizations that, at the time of the shooting, publicly attacked or “criticized” Kirk in response to the killing itself; instead, public statements from Jewish bodies emphasized horror, mourning, and a repudiation of violence and conspiracies [1] [2] [4]. Sources also do not provide evidence that mainstream Jewish organizations endorsed claims that Israel or Jewish groups were responsible; on the contrary, watchdogs documented those claims as baseless [4] [5].
Limitations: this summary relies only on the provided reporting and public statements cited therein; other Jewish organizations may have made statements not captured in these sources, and further primary texts (full statements from each organization) would be necessary to quote verbatim or map every organizational reaction (not found in current reporting).