It is a perilous time for the Jewish community. We have been under increased visible siege, in this most Jewish of cities and across the country, since October 8th, 2023, when campuses and squares erupted in chaos. The day after October 7th, it was startlingly clear that many would not stand in support with and mourn and fight alongside Jews the day after we endured the worst attack since the Holocaust - but would actively work against us. Many know that the seeds of this atmosphere had long taken root, just under the radar. These seeds had grown particularly throughout our higher education system, which has been increasingly peopled by antisemitic, anti-Israel, anti-American academics, professors, and organizers busily and, I regret to say, successfully, brainwashing an entire generation of young people against Jews and against the West itself.
I regret that it has not gotten better. Jews do not feel supported, reassured, or safe. This is a massive problem. We should not, ever, be concerned for our standing or our future here in New York, of all places.
But we are not powerless. Far from it. And we Jews are strongest when we are organized, and when we fight back. The battle must be fought most aggressively in the education sector. The lines are increasingly well known in higher education - we must address the hiring and tenure of radical educators and administrators who do not educate but indoctrinate. We must examine where money, including unchecked foreign money, are flowing and what strings are attached and demand transparency and action, including legislative action. And we must be very clear at using every tool to expose and call out bad actors. This is not about attacking critical thinking. Such efforts are about ensuring that generations of young minds, addicted to social media and manipulable algorithms, are not being manipulated themselves. Furthermore, we must devote resources to protecting K-212 education. Taxpayer dollars are going towards antisemitic, anti-Israel and anti-Western teachers, administrators and propaganda. Teachers' unions and local school boards are being taken over.
We have a long way to go.
I can promise today to Jews here in New York, across the diaspora and to Jews in Israel who have endured so much since October 7th, that in the coming years, we will be the tip off the spear. We will not give an inch of ground. Our basic rights and safety are nonnegotiable. Vigilance in and of itself is not enough. This is our city; this is our country. We have fought too hard for our place here - and we are here because we had to leave other places that became unsafe and untenable. Jews in New York will fight the forces that are against us, and hold them accountable. That is our mission, and my pledge.
Ron Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, will take part of the first Israel Hayom Summit in the US on Tuesday afternoon (5:00 p.m. Israel time, 10 a.m. EST, with a live broadcast on the Israel Hayom website), at the Hilton Midtown Hotel in New York.
