All Americans Must Unite Against Antisemitism

This week marked the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks – a day that saw the brutal murder of 1,200 innocent men, women, and children and the kidnapping of 251 hostages. With those atrocities, Hamas showed the world the depths of its depravity and evil – and a shocking number of people around the world cheered them on.

Antisemitic violence, harassment, and discrimination have been on the rise both nationally and globally for years, but the October 7 attacks on Israel ushered in a new era of danger for the Jewish people around the world. Before Israel even had a chance to respond to the attacks – when the world should have been united in disgust and sorrow – antisemites were taking to the streets in cities around the world to revel in the murder of men, women, and children.

Take action with us. Add your name to the petition: Bring the Hostages Home.

Over the past two years, the situation has only deteriorated, and the United States has not been immune to the global rise in antisemitism. Our country saw an estimated 360% increase in antisemitic incidents in the three months following October 7, 2023, compared to the same period the previous year.

Israel’s wholly righteous response to these attacks has been libeled as “genocidal” by some leading Democratic politicians, including members of Congress and the frontrunner for the New York City mayoralty. Earlier this week, pro-Hamas protestors in New York marked the anniversary by taking to the streets to chant eliminationist slogans like “Globalize the Intifada” and “From the river to the sea.” The opposition of these protestors to the impending ceasefire tells you everything you need to know about actual goals: not ending the suffering of the Palestinian people but destroying the state of Israel and the Jewish people.

While anti-Israel and anti-Jewish rhetoric in the United States is usually associated with the Left, the Right is by no means immune. Antisemitic conspiracy theories have become disturbingly popular among Right-wing influencers in the new media world, who traffic in ugly, age-old stereotypes repurposed for modern audiences.

Such views are a cancer on our polity, and they need to be rejected – no matter what end of the spectrum they come from. It is crucial that elected officials across both parties demonstrate leadership in rejecting this rising tide of bigotry. That means drawing a clear line between debate over differences in policies and incendiary rhetoric that stokes conspiracy theories and violence.

Politicians must also reaffirm Israel’s unqualified right to exist. America’s long-standing alliance with Israel is a function of our abiding historical, social, and religious ties – but it’s also a practical partnership that advances our economic and security interests in a critical region. Well-meaning people can disagree on specific policies, but we all know that “anti-Zionist” positions are almost always fundamentally antisemitic: ascribing collective guilt to all Jewish people for the actions of the Israeli government and denying the world’s only Jewish state the right to exist.

Thankfully, President Trump has proven to be perhaps the most pro-Israel President in our history. He recognizes not only that Israel’s cause is right and just, but that it is fighting this war against barbarism on behalf of the entire civilized world. With God’s help, the peace deal that his Administration has worked so hard to put together will succeed in bringing the hostages home and bringing this war to a just conclusion.

President Trump’s support has put Israel in a position to finish the war against its enemies on its own terms – defeating Hamas and severely weakening its backers in Iran, as well as Tehran’s many other proxies throughout the region. And by forthrightly rejecting the modern-day blood libels being heaped upon Israel by Hamas apologists, the President has exercised important moral leadership at a critical time.

There are few things more fundamentally un-American than bigotry. As the world’s oldest hatred, antisemitism is as un-American as it gets – and it must be rejected at every turn.

Take action with the ACLJ and add your name to the petition: Bring the Hostages Home.