May 18, 2026
This column originally appeared in the Hearst Connecticut Newspapers.
Antisemitism is not a relic of the past. It is here, it is on the rise, and it is reshaping how Jewish Americans live their daily lives, including in Connecticut.
American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) State of Antisemitism in America 2025 Report paints a sobering picture. One in three American Jews have been personally targeted by an antisemitic act, whether in person or online, in the past year. Also, 55% have altered their behavior out of fear of antisemitism, such as hiding a Star of David necklace in public or refraining from commenting about Jewish issues online, in 2025.
The FBI’s most recent data reinforces this reality — roughly 70% of all religiously motivated hate crimes in the United States target Jews, who make up just 2.4% of the population.
These are not abstract statistics. That is evident to anyone who visits a synagogue or Jewish institution, where armed guards, metal detectors, bulletproof glass, and blast doors are common.
Even more worrisome is the growing normalization of antisemitism. When hateful rhetoric goes unchallenged, when conspiracy theories are excused and amplified, when anti-Jewish incidents are minimized or rationalized, we send a dangerous message: that this form of hate is somehow acceptable.
Addressing antisemitism cannot be the responsibility of the Jewish community alone. That was one pivotal message conveyed when a delegation from AJC and other leading Connecticut Jewish organizations recently met in Hartford with nearly three dozen lawmakers from both parties.
For some, this presentation of AJC’s report provided a sobering wake-up call. It’s not that any of them had to be convinced that antisemitism was a problem, but some did not know just how bad that problem has become.
When I shared that 91% of American Jews feel less safe as a Jewish person in the United States due to violent attacks in the past year, including the burning of a Jewish governor’s home, the firebombing of Jews in Boulder, Colo., and the murders at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., that got their attention.
So did the finding that 73% of American Jews say they have experienced antisemitism online — either by seeing or hearing it or by being personally targeted.
We also shared those troubling numbers with Gov. Ned Lamont, who has been a staunch supporter of the Jewish community and discussed ways to keep the Jewish community safe in Connecticut.
We know that hatred often starts with attacks against the Jewish community, and if left unchecked, spreads to other minority, at-risk communities.
Nowhere is this more urgent in Connecticut than in educational spaces. Classrooms and college campuses must be places of learning, growth, and respectful dialogue. Yet too many Jewish students feel unsafe or unheard.
Two University of Connecticut students were part of our delegation. They told Lamont and the lawmakers about numerous instances of harassment, hostility, and intimidation Jewish students have experienced from anti-Zionist students and professors following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. Being proud and Jewish has become a fraught exercise at UConn.
These disturbing episodes are reminders that creating safe and inclusive environments for Jewish students would not come at the expense of others; rather it strengthens the fabric of our entire educational system and civil society.
The conversations we had in Hartford matter. Fighting antisemitism requires a whole-of-society response: government officials, educators, faith leaders, and civil society working together.
Antisemitism is not just a Jewish issue; it is an American issue. If we fail to confront it, clearly, collectively, and urgently, we risk not only the safety of one community, but the strength and integrity of our democracy.
Myra Clark-Siegel is Director of AJC Westchester/Fairfield.
