Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 2,500 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in American public policy, today defended Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) after he faced “backlash” for saying, with regards to the members of the Hamas terror organization, that “we should kill them all.” Some claimed he was referring to all Palestinian Arabs, while the American Muslim Advisory Council neatly inverted reality by claiming it was Rep. Ogles, rather than Hamas, that sought “the extermination of [a] people.”

CJV Midwestern Regional President Rabbi Ze’ev Smason issued the following statement:

Given that Rep. Ogles stated unequivocally that he was speaking about Hamas, a terror organization that has both declared and evidenced its intent to massacre all Jews, his is the only morally correct position. It is deplorable that organizations and even left-wing media outlets have deliberately falsified his words in order to malign and slander him. Whether through ignorance or malice, they are advocating for those who seek genocide against the Jewish People, and we commend Rep. Ogles both for his moral compass and his backbone when confronted with their virulent hate.