David Friedman Hearing Brings Out Shofar-Blowing Hecklers

David Friedman Image by Courtesy Cindy Grosz

By Nathan Guttman February 16, 2017

Protests are nothing new in congressional meetings, but David Friedman’s confirmation hearing brought out an impressive array of hecklers.

As Friedman prepared to read his opening statement at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a protestor stood up waving a Palestinian flag and raising the issue of Palestinian refugees. “Mr. Friedman supports the annexation of the West Bank,” he called out, while being removed by security guards.

And then another heckler stood up, accusing Friedman of being a “war criminal.”

And after that, a couple of protestors from IfNotNow stood up, blew a shofar and shouted at Friedman that he does not represent them. They succeeded in holding out for about a minute until being removed from the room, while singing.

Committee chairman Bob Corker anticipated the protests, warning hecklers at the opening of the discussion that they might be jailed. Senator Lindsey Graham joked that he can represent them in court and that his fees are reasonable, but “you get what you pay for.”

Friedman sat quietly during the disruptions, picking up on his speech from the point he stopped once the hecklers were taken out of the room.

Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO