On Rosh Hashanah, seizing the moment to post when Jews were offline and could not respond, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., used the opportunity to slander a shliach and raise money for his 2026 reelection campaign. He posted a darkened photo showing Rabbi Shlomo Litvin standing with Speaker Mike Johnson during a guest chaplain visit at the Capitol, then falsely labeled Rabbi Litvin as tied to AIPAC while asking supporters for donations. “They’re gunning for me,” Massie wrote, claiming the rabbi “participates in AIPAC events and travels with them.”

Rabbi Litvin denied the claim and called it dangerous. He highlighted the hostile replies the post invited, including one from an account that claimed to “specialize in spiritual warfare,” which wrote, “So you’re the Jew trying to work against Congressman Massie. We’ll be seeing more of you.”

“When Rep Thomas Massie sees a Jew invited as Chaplain in Congress, and begins spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories, this is the reaction he is hoping for,” Rabbi Litvin wrote. He said Massie “is seeking to incite violence against Kentucky Jews,” and urged the Kentucky GOP to condemn him. “Some people wondered why @RepThomasMassie was too much of a coward to tag me in his blatantly antisemitic post begging neo-Nazis for money, while inciting hate against Kentucky’s Jews,” he added.

The photo Massie used came from Rabbi Litvin’s own post about the visit. Rabbi Litvin had thanked Rep. Andy Barr for inviting him to serve as guest chaplain, and thanked Speaker Johnson for “a moment of private prayer and conversation above the National Mall.”

Rabbi Litvin stated he has zero affiliation with AIPAC. He explained that he has attended three public AIPAC events like tens of thousands of other attendees, and has never donated to AIPAC, never been paid by AIPAC, and never traveled with AIPAC. He said the accusation treats Kentucky Jews as outsiders and turns a routine prayer moment into a manufactured plot.

Support poured in from across the political spectrum. “Chabad is not AIPAC. Not even close,” wrote Kassy Akiva, a popular frum journalist. “Rabbi Litvin has nothing to do with AIPAC. If this is an official campaign page for @RepThomasMassie, a public apology is in order,” wrote Eyal Yakoby, a pro-Israel activist and media commentator. AG Hamilton, a conservative political commentator, wrote that Massie was “trying to fundraise by posting a picture of a Rabbi who met Johnson and claiming it’s part of an AIPAC plot,” adding that the rabbi “has 0 to do with AIPAC.” Jordan Schachtel, journalist and author of The Dossier, called it a “mask off” moment and said Massie was “spiraling” by labeling a Kentucky rabbi as an “AIPAC guy.”

Despite the criticism, Massie did not back down. He posted a meme styled like an apology form and told a critic, “Make it easier for @EYakoby by attaching the form.” When challenged, he repeated that Rabbi Litvin “participates in AIPAC events and travels with them,” and told people to “do your homework.” Rabbi Litvin answered that none of it is true.

Rabbi Litvin serves as Chairman of the Kentucky Jewish Council and as Director of Chabad of the Bluegrass. He said he sought a meeting with Massie as a Kentucky constituent and community leader and was turned away. According to Rabbi Litvin, Massie treats Jews as representatives of a foreign government instead of local voters.

Massie frames his position around foreign policy opposition. He has voted against sending money abroad, voting no on Israel aid in November 2023 and no on the April 2024 package that included Israel. He was also the lone no vote on the October 2023 resolution reaffirming U.S. support for Israel’s security. That is the policy stance he points to.

However, the foreign policy explanation doesn’t cover votes on antisemitism itself. He voted no on the December 2023 resolution condemning antisemitism that defined anti-Zionism as antisemitism. In January 2025 he voted present on legislation responding to possible International Criminal Court actions against Israeli officials.

In 2021 Massie posted, then deleted, a message comparing COVID rules to the Holocaust. Rabbi Litvin called it “horrific” and “offensive.” What happened on Rosh Hashanah follows the same pattern: a false AIPAC tag, posted during the Rosh Hashana when Jews were offline, used to solicit donations while painting a local rabbi and his community as foreign operatives.