Dramatic moment Pennsylvania Senate Republican hopeful's volunteer is grabbed by the neck by 'pro-Hamas' protestor on Pitt's campus in 'disgusting anti-Semitic' event

Pennsylvania Republican Senate hopeful Dave McCormick shared a video Tuesday of a dramatic moment when one of his campaign volunteers was grabbed by a pro-Palestinian protester on the University of Pittsburgh's campus. 

McCormick shared a clip from Pittsburgh's WTAE-TV that showed campaign volunteer Reuben Rochkind, a student at Pitt, being held by the neck by a masked demonstrator. 

Rochkind was standing in front of the assailant, holding up an American flag, at the time of the incident.  

'One of my great volunteers was attacked by pro-Hamas supporters on Pitt's campus,' McCormick wrote on X. 'He's a Jewish student who was wearing a McCormick hat & proudly waving the American flag.' 

The GOP hopeful added, 'This antisemitism is disgusting,' while calling out his Democratic rival in a key battleground race. 

Pennsylvania Republican Senate hopeful Dave McMormick shared this footage on X Tuesday that showed one of his campaign volunteers, Pitt student Reuben Rochkind, being grabbed by the neck by a masked pro-Palestinian demonstrator on the University of Pittsburgh's campus

Republican Senate hopeful Dave McCormick said, 'This antisemitism is disgusting,' while calling out his opponent, incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey for not doing enough to defend his Jewish constituents

'Bob Casey needs to stand up & defend his Jewish constituents,' McCormick said. 

On Sunday, anti-Israel demonstrators created an encampment on the grounds of Pitt's Cathedral of Learning, the large gothic structure at the center of campus. 

Rochkind told the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle that he heard about the encampment from other Jewish students in a chat group and went to check it out - bringing along an American flag and sporting a McCormick for Senate hat.

As he stood with his back to the fence that separated the encampment from the Cathedral's grounds, he was grabbed by his backpack and then by the neck by a masked demonstrator. 

'It caught me off guard,' the student told the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. 'I was definitely not expecting that to happen.' 

He told the Chronicle that he went to the encampment hoping to strike up a conversation with the demonstrators and thought the American flag was a good accessory to have. 

'I believe America has a lot of good values, like the freedom of speech and the freedom of protest,' Rochkind continued. 

GOP Pennsylvania Senate hopeful Dave McCormick shared the video that showed Jewish Pitt student and campaign volunteer Reuben Rochkind wearing a McCormick hat and holding an American flag before he was assaulted Sunday

Rochkind was first grabbed by his backpack and then by his neck as he stood just outside the encampment that sprung up Sunday on the Cathedral of Learning's ground at the University of Pittsburgh's campus 

But the student indicated he was soured by his experience. 

'The protesters are out there and they're, in my opinion, anti-Western and anti-American,' the McCormick volunteer added.  

Rochkind told the Chronicle that the assault didn't deter him from returning to the encampment Monday to speak with demonstrators, though only a professor would engage with him, he said. 

He said that the encampment 'is a hostile environment' for Jewish students at the school. 

'It's right in the middle of campus and hard to avoid,' Rochkind said. 'It makes sense to keep moving and not engage if you want to avoid any kind of trouble.' 

A spokesperson for Pitt didn't immediately comment on this specific incident, but Pitt's communications director Jared Stonesifer told the Chronicle that the university is working with the Pittsburgh police, Allegheny County police, Pennsylvania State Police and the nearby Carnegie Mellon and Carlow universities to monitor the situation. 

As of Monday morning one individual, 33-year-old Donald Johnson, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest and obstruction. 

He is not affiliated with Pitt. It was unclear if Johnson was the individual who assaulted Rochkind. 

Incumbent Sen. Bob Casey's campaign didn't respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com. 

After losing a close GOP Senate primary in 2022 to Dr. Mehmet Oz - who went on to lose to Democratic Sen. John Fetterman - McCormick launched his second Senate bid in September. 

He earned former President Donald Trump's endorsement in mid-April, ahead of the Pennsylvania primary. 

McCormick's wife, Dina Powell, was a Trump administration appointee.  

On the heels of his GOP primary win McCormick talked to DailyMail.com and called the protests 'disgraceful.'  

'I think these kids are turned around in terms of clarity on what's right and wrong and the difference between good and evil,' he told DailyMail.com. 'I think they're confused and I think it's a failure and you see it clearly the failure of leaders in our universities and across our country to show moral clarity and leadership in dealing with these circumstances.'

'Frankly, this is where Bob Casey in my opinion has been weak in a sense that you can't have it both ways,' he said.

He called it a failure of leadership and a moral decline and said it's 'indicative of a spiritual decline in the country' that 'has to be turned around.'

In May, Casey spoke about similar pro-Palestinians protests that had taken over the University of Pennsylvania's campus in Philadelphia.

'Protest is a form of expression that we protect constitutionally and it's a great American tradition to protest,' the Democrat said, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. 'But at some point, when a protest begins to affect the ability of others to get to class or in this case with an impending graduation, it begins to infringe upon others’ rights.' 

'But at some point it has to end, you can’t just take over a campus indefinitely,' Casey added. 

The most recent poll, conducted by Florida Atlantic University, showed Casey leading McCormick by 7 percent among likely voters.