In Philadelphia, we are all too aware of how antisemitism has affected Jews, especially since Oct. 7, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and slaughtered more than 1,200 innocent civilians and kidnapped 240 men, women, children and babies.
The American public is waking up to antisemitism here at home with nearly three-quarters (74%) now saying antisemitism is a problem in the U.S., up from 68% in 2022, and 60% in 2021.
The U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, released in May 2023, can't be seen as just a list of suggestions. These are requirements that must be urgently followed through and built upon.
Given the prevalence of misinformation on social media and the one-sided reports in news outlets, it’s not unreasonable for some people to think that Zionism—the belief that Jews have a right to self-determination in our ancestral homeland—is controversial among Jews and that anti-Israel attitudes are mainstream in the American Jewish community. Yet these Jews do not represent the vast majority of the Jewish community and they reside in small but loud echo chambers.