Statement From Chairman Alex Plechash on the Antisemitic Attack in Washington, D.C.

St. Paul, MN - Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Alex Plechash issued the following statement in response to the brutal, antisemitic attack outside the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., that left two Israeli Embassy staffers dead:

 “I join countless Minnesotans and Americans in condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the antisemitic attack that took place last night in our nation’s capital.

The murder of two Israeli diplomatic staffers outside the Jewish Museum is not only an attack on Israel - it’s an attack on the values of freedom, democracy, and decency that our country was founded upon.

Antisemitism is not new, but what we are witnessing now - in our cities, on our campuses, and from too many elected officials - is a dangerous and escalating tolerance for hate and violence masquerading as political expression.

Sadly, we’ve seen this pattern here in Minnesota as well. Just last week, Governor Tim Walz compared ICE officers - men and women enforcing U.S. immigration law - to the Gestapo, the Nazi regime’s secret police.

This grotesque analogy dishonors the victims of the Holocaust, vilifies our own law enforcement officers, and adds fuel to a fire of radicalism that is already burning out of control. We demand that the Governor apologize for that thoughtless comment.

Worse still, members of Walz’s own party have faced harassment and public condemnation - not from political opponents, but from within their own ranks - simply for speaking out against Hamas and the horrors of October 7. 

When Jewish Democrats are attacked by their own party for defending Israel’s right to exist, we have crossed a line. When silence or justification meets antisemitic violence, complicity is no longer accidental - it is deliberate.

The Republican Party of Minnesota stands firmly with the Jewish community in Minnesota, across the country, and around the world. We are unwavering in our support for Israel and for the values of peace, freedom, and truth.

Let me be clear: there is no room for excuses or equivocation. If you cannot condemn antisemitism without a disclaimer, then you are not condemning it at all.”