March 6, 2025
The following column originally appeared in the Miami Herald.
I’m one of the more than a quarter million Jews living in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. That means I am a proud part of a unique, extremely diverse community that has made innumerable contributions to the intricate and vibrant mosaic that is South Florida.
However, it is also a community forced to confront a steadily rising tide of hostility and outright hatred because of who we are and what we believe in.
This truth is reflected in the American Jewish Committee’s new State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report. As a lifelong Jewish professional, I have dealt with issues tied to antisemitism for decades. I am not easily rattled. But this recently released report left me especially troubled.
The statistic that stands out the most: 56% of American Jews have altered their behavior out of fear of antisemitism in the past 12 months. They think twice about where they go and what they wear in public or post online in order to avoid being identified as Jewish. When a majority of American Jews feel that way — for the first time in the six years AJC has conducted this survey — that should be a cause of concern for us all, Jewish or not. How did we get here?
The data shows how the rise in domestic antisemitism, including as it relates to the Hamas massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has affected American Jews’ personal feelings of safety.
Ninety percent of American Jews say antisemitism has increased in the U.S. following Oct. 7, and 77% felt less safe as a Jewish person in America because of the massacre. So much of the hatred and scorn heaped upon Israel as it fought a defensive war morphed into outright antisemitism.
That palpable sense of fear is not a recent phenomenon, just one that has worsened in recent years. AJC launched its State of Antisemitism in America Report — the most comprehensive look at the impact of antisemitism on American Jews — in 2019, a year after the Tree of Life synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh.
In 2020, a parallel survey of U.S. adults was added to compare perceptions of and experiences with antisemitism for Jews and non-Jews. That horrific incident, where 11 people were murdered just for being Jewish, stands as the deadliest attack on our community in U.S. history. Tree of Life gave license for antisemites to come out from the shadows to where they had long been relegated. Look no further than your phone for evidence of that.
Indeed, 67% of American Jews say they saw antisemitism online or on social media, and one in five of this group say they felt physically threatened by what they saw online. You don’t have to look for hate. It will find you. Given all that, Jews could be forgiven if they feel vulnerable and alone.
So, I feel fortunate that the Jewish community in South Florida has no shortage of allies. Many of our state and local elected officials have been tremendously supportive and prioritized our safety and protection.
In Miami-Dade, we have one of the most diverse communities in the country with many different perspectives and we don’t always see things the same. However, we have built bridges of mutual understanding through working together and learning from each other.
Toward that end, AJC has conducted multiple trainings in South Florida with corporate leaders, educators and non-profit professionals and held a summit on combating antisemitism in Broward.
Even in Miami, I still meet people who have never known a Jewish person before. It’s a situation I’m well versed in, having grown up in a small Jewish community in Birmingham, Alabama.
But many of the conversations I have reveal we have more in common than we might have believed. And these personal connections have never been more important. Antisemitism has never been just a Jewish problem.
The hate that starts with Jews does not end with us. It is why we must all stand together to reject antisemitism. Join us.
