Mayor Bowser a No-Show at D.C. Jewish Solidarity Event After Deadly Shooting Near Embassy

WASHINGTON D.C (JNS)- Less than a week after a deadly shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum left two Israeli embassy staffers dead, a planned moment of unity and healing for the Jewish community was marked by a conspicuous absence: that of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), addressed a crowd of around 300 people gathered Wednesday night at George Washington University’s Betts Theater, expecting to hear a message of comfort from Mayor Bowser. Instead, Shemtov dramatically stepped away from the podium for about 25 seconds, symbolizing the silence from the mayor’s office.

“That’s exactly right, folks,” he said upon returning. “The mayor’s staff said she was coming, and we all heard her message of concern for our community, which is nothing tonight.”

According to Shemtov, Bowser’s staff had given a clear indication, even in writing, that the mayor would attend and speak at the event. “We were just waiting to know what time her arrival would be,” he told JNS. “The next thing we hear, she was having a problem getting there schedule-wise. We wouldn’t have publicized her name if we didn’t think she was coming.”

In contrast, a spokesperson from the mayor’s office said Bowser was never confirmed for the event, calling any suggestions to the contrary “incorrect.” Shemtov responded by calling that claim “simply not true,” pointing to clear, written communications with senior staff.

“She could have found the time to come even briefly as a person and say ‘I am with you,’” Shemtov added, expressing disappointment in what he described as a pattern of inconsistency in the mayor’s public support for the Jewish community.

Despite her absence from the event, Bowser did appear at the Capital Jewish Museum’s reopening ceremony the following morning. But for many, the timing felt insufficient given the previous week’s violence and the need for visible solidarity.

Republican Jewish Coalition national political director Sam Markstein called the mayor’s no-show “cowardly and disgraceful,” asking, “What in God’s name could have been more important … than joining a Jewish community solidarity event … in the wake of horrific antisemitic murders?”

The memorial gathering aimed to bring together a grieving community and offer words of resilience and hope. Among the speakers was Robert Milgrim, father of victim Sarah Milgrim, who addressed the crowd live by phone. “Sarah would not want our hearts to remain broken,” he said. “She wants our hearts to mend … to fight hate and antisemitism.”

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., Rabbi Yechiel Leiter—who himself lost a son fighting in Gaza last year—spoke about grief and the enduring strength of Jewish survival. “If I had to summarize the essence of Jewish survival,” he said, “it’s turning pain into perseverance.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon emphasized that more needs to be done to combat antisemitism in America. “The Trump administration is 110% dedicated to the safety of Jewish Americans,” she said. “What happened here in D.C. was shameful for all Americans.”

D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith stated that the department remains “very well connected with the intelligence community” and takes all threats seriously. Ron Halber, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, urged the community to continue living their lives with pride, saying, “If anything, it should incentivize people to come out more.”

The evening featured prayers, communal songs, and a recitation of Psalms led by Rabbi Mordechai Newman of Chabad Lubavitch of Alexandria-Arlington. In closing, Shemtov offered a powerful message: “The best antidote to antisemitism is an informed and robust semitism.”