Antisemitism “threatens all of us,” the White House said in announcing a first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism May 25. “While antisemitic incidents most directly and intensely affect the Jewish community, antisemitism threatens all of us. Antisemitic conspiracy theories fuel…
Antisemitic-motivated assaults at record levels
For the third time in five years, the Anti-Defamation League has documented record-high cases of assault, harassment and vandalism targeting Jewish individuals, congregations and institutions. “In 2022, ADL tabulated 3,697 antisemitic incidents throughout the United States. This is a 36%…
Amid rampant antisemitism, most Americans think highly of Jews
Despite ongoing spikes in antisemitism corresponding to the rise of white supremacy and Christian nationalism, most Americans think more highly of Jews than they do of evangelical Christians, Mormons, Muslims and atheists, according to a new survey by Pew Research…
Three hate groups drove spike in antisemitism and racist propaganda last year
Incidents of racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ propaganda increased substantially in 2022 as major white supremacist groups boosted disinformation campaigns in numerous U.S. states, according to new research by the Anti-Defamation League. The March 8 report documented spikes in the distribution…
‘Religicide’ a growing threat worldwide, authors warn
Right-wing extremist groups in the United States exhibit the same language and behaviors that have stoked attempts to exterminate entire religions and populations around the world, according to Georgette Bennett, co-author of the new book, Religicide: Confronting the Roots of…
When hate speech meets the First Amendment, what should Christians do?
Hate speech, like an erratic stock market, rises and falls. The primary instigators of the last two jumps in hate speech have been Donald Trump (beginning in 2015) and Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter. In Trump’s case, there…
Antisemitism is rampant in America: Will churches be silent?
Antisemitism, one of the world’s earliest and most enduring conspiracy theories, is again rearing its ugly head. With origins in ancient Greece, antisemitism became a hallmark of Christian-Jewish relations across the centuries. It is with us yet. Writing in the…
‘To bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance’: Responding to the rising tide of antisemitism
On Aug. 18, 1790, President George Washington wrote a letter to the Hebrew congregation of Newport, R.I. Washington was responding to a letter from Moses Seixas, warden of the Congregation Yeshuat Israel of Newport. In his letter, Seixas had expressed…
The original sin of the church
Last week we observed Shoah, or Holocaust, Remembrance Day. It is well, then, to consider the original sin of the church. If America’s original sin is slavery, the original sin of the church is anti-Judaism and antisemitism. Before the New…