June 8, 2025 — Pittsburgh, PA
The following column appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
By Brandon Pinsker, AJC NY Associate Director
As a born-and-raised Pittsburgher, I’m all too familiar with the dangers of far-right antisemitism, especially in the wake of the 2018 Tree of Life massacre, where a white supremacist murdered 11 Jewish worshippers.
But I’ve long known that when it comes to antisemitism, you have to be swivel-headed. It comes not just from the far right but also the far left. In this country, that version of anti-Jewish hatred was found in the incessant rants on social media and numerous anti-Israel protests after Hamas massacred Israelis on October 7, 2023.
Many were thin disguises for antisemitic grievances, some of which explicitly called for violence against Jews.
Hateful and vile
That hateful and vile rhetoric was acted upon May 21, as I boarded a plane to Israel.
I learned then about the murders of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., as they were leaving an event for young diplomats hosted by my employer, American Jewish Committee. The gunman told police, “I did it for Gaza.”
Less than two weeks later, marchers calling for the release of the Hamas hostages were assaulted in Boulder, Col., by an assailant hurling two Molotov cocktails, injuring 12 people, some critically. According to court papers, he “wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were dead.”
I wish I could dismiss these acts as the work of unhinged extremists. I don’t have that luxury.
As someone who is identifiably Jewish because I wear a yarmulke, I am always vulnerable to someone who would do me harm because of who I am and what I believe in. I live in New York City, home to more Jews than anyplace outside of Israel. But there is little strength in numbers.
In 2024, there were 345 antisemitic incidents in the city, a 7% increase from 2023, a year in which antisemitic incidents skyrocketed by 12.7% from 2022 in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 massacre.
The antisemitism Jews have experienced from the far right may have gotten more attention, such as white supremacists marching in Charlottesville, Va. bellowing “Jews will not replace us” or the so-called Goyim Defense League littering neighborhoods with fliers laden with age-old conspiracy theories about Jews.
Increasingly dangerous
What is more recent and proving to be increasingly dangerous and deadly is the antisemitism that has emerged from the far-left, which exploded after the Hamas attack on Israel, informed by false claims of genocide and apartheid by the only Jewish state.
To be clear, criticism of Israel, like criticism of any government, is legitimate. Israelis do it all the time and better than most. But when one calls for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state, a line is crossed.
A common refrain at many protests has been “globalize the Intifada.” It’s more than a slogan. It’s a call to aggressive and violent resistance against Israel and its supporters.
As AJC’s Translate Hate glossary of antisemitic tropes notes, actions “taken in the name of resisting Israel demonstrates the need for increased vigilance by those advocating for Palestinian rights against using potentially inciting language.”
Washington and Boulder showed us the demonization of Israel is not only dangerous but left unchecked, can be deadly. When the fringes of the left and right have antisemitism as a common thread, that should be a glaring hint that something is dreadfully wrong.
Jews in this country sense that. In AJC’s “State of Antisemitism in America 2024” report, 56% of American Jews said they altered their behavior in the last year out of fear of antisemitism, such as hiding a Star of David necklace or concealing a yarmulke with a hat.
But hiding is not the answer. As a father of two young boys, I should not have to fear that placing yarmulkes on their heads will put a target on their backs.
Their Jewish identity will not be rooted in fear and victimization. They will be visibly Jewish because they will be raised to be proud of who they are and their community, just like Jews have been for 3,000 years.
Shattered sense
Still, on board my plane to Israel, the shattered sense of safety and confidence I felt after the Tree of Life massacre resurfaced. Back then, I asked how something so horrific could happen amid the beautiful Jewish tapestry of Squirrel Hill.
Tree of Life could have been my synagogue; the Washington shooting could have been my event. After Tree of Life, I feared going to synagogue. After Washington, I fear even going to work.
Tree of Life. Washington. Boulder. They are more than markers of tragedies. They must all serve as a call to action for all Americans. Antisemitism is a clear and present danger. For Jews. For all of us.
Brandon Pinsker is the associate director of the American Jewish Committee office in New York. He was born and grew up in Pittsburgh.
