Fighting Hate: The Real Way to Challenge Antisemitism

When Donald Trump became president, many American Jews felt uneasy. They worried about what his presidency would mean for their safety and security. His talk about a mysterious corrupt elite and his right-hand man, Elon Musk, performing what looked like two Nazi salutes at a victory ceremony didn't help. Trump promised to fight antisemitism, but his approach is likely to be ineffective. Trump's approach to fighting antisemitism is flawed. He has ignored the role of education in countering antisemitism and other forms of hate. He fails to mobilize the broad-based multi-faith and cross-ideological coalitions that are indispensable for effective action, instead relying on government appointees who have troubling track records of antisemitic views and statements. Trump has put together a roster of appointments and nominees who are all too comfortable with antisemitic rhetoric and ideology. Trump's candidate to represent the United States at the United Nations, Elise Stefanik, used language in campaign advertisements that echoed "replacement theory, " a white nationalist conspiracy in which often Jewish elites are flooding the country with immigrant masses to degrade the nation. Trump's candidate to run Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , implied that COVID was designed in such a way as to spare Ashkenazi Jews. And Elon Musk, the world's richest man and Trump's candidate for dealing with "government efficiency" has blamed the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for X's commercial troubles, has also endorsed Germany's far-right party. Trump's supposed determination to fight antisemitism does not extend to his own administration. To fight antisemitism, we need coalitions, education, and solidarity, not fear and divisiveness, and not people who claim to be tackling antisemitism in one moment while boosting it in the next. During the Obama administration, we saw great strides in building coalitional relationships and working toward peaceful cooperation and deeper understanding of, and respect for, those who were the victims of discrimination and hate. The coalitions we need to build to fight antisemitism must bring together people of differing political ideologies, including those who hold profoundly different positions on other issues—but who are nevertheless allies in countering antisemitism—as indispensable in the push to preserve American democracy and celebrate America's diversity. We are most effective when we stand together. Education is central to fighting antisemitism. Education for all about the history of antisemitism and the devastating impact it has had on Jews over the centuries. Education on what antisemitism is—and what it isn't. Research shows that education helps reduce prejudice and bias. It is not an inoculation against hate as recent expressions of hate on our college campuses have dramatically illustrated but higher levels of education consistently correlate with lower levels of prejudice against minorities and out-groups. There are those who, because of protests against Israel on university campuses, are already urging the Trump administration to crack down on higher education. While there are incidents of vile antisemitism on university campuses, we must stress that imposing definitions or litmus tests on academic institutions is not only counterproductive, but dangerous. This is true well before students get to university. In an age where some school districts are banning books on the Holocaust like The Diary of Anne Frank and Maus, we need to be doubling down on the importance of education. How ironic then that Trump has pledged to cut the Department of Education. American Jews must work to cultivate solidarity. We should work to create a society where public officials and other leaders speak out when Nazis march, or when swastikas are flown, or when politicians say that they can't allow Jews to represent their communities. We should push our leaders—in government, in business, and in civil society—to speak out against antisemitism. Fighting antisemitism demands thoughtful attention and nuanced understanding, not just broad proclamations that conflate it with criticism of Israel. In our polarized times, building coalitions and solidarity in the face of divisiveness and fear may seem different and novel. But if this isn't the time to take antisemitism seriously, when is?