Thursday, May 15, 2025
The rise of Yehuda Kaploun: How a Hasidic fixer became Trump’s nominee for antisemitism czar
The first time Yehuda Kaploun's name entered the Congressional Record, it was because a senator named Joe Biden had elevated his concerns about antisemitism.
The second time came last week, 32 years later, when President Donald Trump, who preceded and followed Biden in the White House, formally nominated Kaploun to an ambassador-level role tasked with fighting antisemitism.
Taken together, the two moments might suggest a straightforward ascent from Kaploun's time as a young firebrand and Brooklyn yeshiva student to government office — the potential capstone of the rabbi's career.
But his path has been more complicated. Over the decades, Kaploun has occupied a unique place in Jewish communal life, cultivating influence through quiet diplomacy, high-level political connections and moments of controversy.
His story includes a longstanding relationship with the Adelson family and, before he died, Elie Wiesel; a deepening alliance with the political right; and a lawsuit involving allegations of infidelity and personal betrayal.
That lawsuit alleged that Kaploun conducted an affair with a married woman he met through his Orthodox congregation, and threatened her husband to keep it quiet. It was quietly settled just days before Trump announced the nomination.
If confirmed, Kaploun would become the most senior Hasidic Jewish official in U.S. government history. The position he's been tapped for appears to have survived a broad restructuring at the State Department that eliminated many other roles. He is now slated for a Senate confirmation hearing, where lawmakers are expected to question him on his character, background, and worldview.
Kaploun declined to comment for this story, saying he was refraining from interviews until after the confirmation process. But last year, as he became more visible in Trump's campaign, he acknowledged a shift in posture.
"I've always preferred working behind the scenes," Kaploun told The Jerusalem Post at the time. "But given the challenges the Jewish community faces today, I realized it was time to speak publicly."
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