Chief Government Affairs Officer at CAM, Lisa Katz, a former New Castle Town Supervisor, stated, "Jewish New Yorkers are right to be alarmed by today's victory of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, whose radical outlook and history of antisemitic rhetoric should concern all New Yorkers."

The CAM official noted, "The Jewish community continues to face unprecedented antisemitic threat levels." Katz warned that "barring an improbable 180-degree ideological about-face from Mamdani, Jews in New York City will lack an ally in City Hall come January."

"If past is prologue, a Mamdani administration will refuse to recognize as antisemitism hate that vilifies and demonizes Jews on the basis of the Jewish people's connection to Israel," Katz's statement continued.

"The Combat Antisemitism Movement stands with New York's Jewish community and will vigilantly monitor the new administration, together with our partners," Katz added, noting that "CAM works on a daily basis with mayors across the country who are proving real leadership... While New York City may lack such leadership come January, the election results have only deepened CAM's commitment to ensuring that the city government keeps all New Yorkers, including Jewish New Yorkers, safe."

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) reacted with a statement saying, "It's official. Zohran Mamdani is the face of the Democratic Party now. Democratic 'leaders', including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Governor Kathy Hochul, have handed their party over to what was once the radical leftwing fringe."

It added, "This is a deeply distressing result for New Yorkers, particularly Jewish New Yorkers, but in fact this election will affect all of us," the RJC continued. The group stressed, "The national Democratic Party owns this election and all its results, and voters across the country will hold them accountable when they vote in 2026 and 2028."

"We've said it before and we'll say it again: There is only ONE party in this country fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel, and it is the Republican Party," it continued.  "While Republicans loudly condemn antisemitism, Democrats have shamefully endorsed and elected an antisemite to run the largest city in America with the largest number of Jews in the country," the RJC statement said, warning that New Yorkers will now have "a mayor who took money from terror-supporting Islamist organizations... who is virulently anti-capitalism, anti-police, and anti-Israel, and who will not lift a finger to protect Jewish New Yorkers from the 'globalize the intifada' crowd."

The press release from the RJC concluded, "This is a dark day for the City of New York, and the Democrats own all of it."

Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO and national director of the ADL, issued a statement regarding the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor. "In light of Mayor-elect Mamdani's long, disturbing record on issues of deep concern to the Jewish community, we will approach the next four years with resolve," Greenblatt said, according to the ADL.

The ADL chief continued, "We expect the mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population in the world to stand unequivocally against antisemitism in all its varied forms and support all of its Jewish residents just as he would all other constituents."

"In the months ahead, we will hold the Mamdani Administration to this basic standard, and ADL will be relentless and unyielding in our work to ensure the safety and security of all Jewish New Yorkers," Greenblatt's statement added, per the ADL. "We will neither compromise nor relent in our pursuit of our core purpose, to protect the Jewish people," the ADL statement concluded.

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More than 55% of respondents said they experienced at least one type of antisemitism in the past 12 months, while 57% of respondents believe that antisemitism is now a "routine part" of the Jewish experience in America.

The 2025 Antisemitism Report, conducted in partnership with researchers from Columbia University, points to a troubling picture of fear and anxiety among American Jews – nearly one in five experienced assault, threats or verbal harassment due to their Jewish identity, while more than a third witnessed actual antisemitic violence or threats of violence.

The study found that Jews experience antisemitism in various contexts – 41% experience antisemitic incidents online, 21% in public spaces, 13% in educational institutions, and 9% in workplaces or near Jewish institutions. 44% reported experiencing actions or statements that minimize the Jewish experience, and 74% of victims said they did not report the incidents at all, a figure that indicates a lack of trust in institutions that handle such incidents.

79% of respondents expressed concern about the level of antisemitism, with 48% of respondents saying they took "steps to strengthen their personal security," including preparing for extreme scenarios (33%), installing cameras and security measures (13%), and even purchasing weapons (9%). 14% said they even devised an escape plan from the country if needed, an unprecedented rate that illustrates the depth of anxiety.

"It is very sad that American Jews are talking about such extreme scenarios," said Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. "When American Jews who have built lives, careers, and families here for generations are preparing contingency plans for escape, we must understand that this is a national emergency. This is not just a Jewish problem; this is an American problem that requires immediate action by leaders at all levels".

The report also pointed to the serious psychological impacts caused by the rise in antisemitic incidents among the Jewish community in the US – nearly a third of respondents who experienced or witnessed an antisemitic incident showed signs of anxiety, and one in five showed signs of depression. Additionally, 6% of Jews experienced antisemitic sexual violence, of which 3% reported actual threat or assault due to their Judaism.

Alongside the rise in antisemitic incidents and hate crimes, there was also an increase in Jewish involvement. Jewish Federations of North America President Eric Fingerhut said that "the fact that nearly two-thirds of those who experienced antisemitism respond by deepening their Jewish involvement demonstrates the extraordinary resilience of our people. Instead of retreating out of fear, American Jews are choosing to stand together, strengthen connections, and reaffirm their identity. This wave of Jewish involvement represents hope and determination in the face of hatred".

50% of Jews believe that most of the non-Jewish public would not stand by them in case of an antisemitic attack, an increase of 6% compared to last year, but only 30% believe there is nothing that can be done to change the situation. 68% said they feel comfortable, at least to some extent, speaking publicly against antisemitism – evidence that the fight against hatred continues, even as it becomes more "normal" than ever.

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The dramatic surge in antisemitic incidents across the United States following the October 7 massacre in Israel continued throughout 2024, with figures shattering the annual incident record again since measurements began 46 years ago.

This marks the fourth consecutive year of increasing antisemitic incidents and broken annual records. It is also the first time that incidents containing components related to Israel or Zionism constitute the majority of incidents (58% of all documented cases).

In 2024, 9,354 incidents of antisemitic assault, harassment, or vandalism occurred across the United States, according to the Anti-Defamation League's annual summary report. This figure represents a 5% increase compared to 2023 (a year that had already broken previous records), a 344% increase over the past five years, an 893% increase over the past decade, and the highest number recorded since the Anti-Defamation League began tracking these data in 1979.

Key findings:

Assaults: 196 incidents (a 21% increase compared to 2023) were classified as assaults – cases in which Jews (or those perceived as Jewish) were targets of physical violence accompanied by evidence of antisemitic motive. Orthodox Jews were targeted in 30% of the assaults. In these 196 attacks, at least 250 victims were assaulted, though none of the attacks were fatal.

Vandalism: 2,606 incidents (a 20% increase compared to 2023) were classified as vandalism – cases where property was damaged with an antisemitic motive or that had an antisemitic impact on Jews. Swastikas, typically interpreted as symbols of antisemitic hatred, appeared in 37% of these cases.

Harassment: 6,552 incidents (up from 6,535 compared to 2023) were classified as harassment – cases in which Jews (or those perceived as Jewish) were harassed through language including antisemitic insults, stereotypes, or motifs. There were 647 bomb threats counted. The harassment category also includes many antisemitic expressions documented at anti-Israeli demonstrations.

Additionally, incidents on college and university campuses, or near them, experienced the sharpest increase. In 2024, the Anti-Defamation League documented 1,694 antisemitic incidents on campuses, an 84% increase compared to 2023. Campus incidents constituted 18% of all incidents – a higher proportion than any previous annual report.

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Wikipedia editors have decided to declare one of the leading human rights organizations in the United States, the Anti-Defamation League, as an "unreliable source" whose data cannot be relied upon when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a report published overnight between Wednesday and Thursday revealed.

The Jewish organization is one of the most prominent and well-known in terms of protecting and supporting the rights of Jewish citizens in particular and minorities in general in the US, and it constantly fights to ensure the security of American Jews and to stop the rising antisemitism in the country.

Wikipedia editors' decision to categorize the Anti-Defamation League as "a source that is generally unreliable" means that from now on, it will not be possible to quote data or statements from the ADL in articles posted on Wikipedia, except in exceptional cases. Thus, the organization joins a list alongside state-owned media outlets in Russia, Fox's political coverage, and Amazon reviews, all defined as "unreliable sources" on Wikipedia.

In another absurd move, Wikipedia editors are now facing a vote regarding labeling the Anti-Defamation League as an unreliable source on the subject of antisemitism. If the decision is ultimately made, it could severely damage the credibility of the ADL as the world's leading organization for researching antisemitism.

In an online forum held on the topic, Wikipedia editors defended the decision, arguing that the dual role played by the ADL – on the one hand as a research body and on the other as an organization engaging in pro-Israel advocacy – prevents it from providing unbiased reports on Israel and antisemitism.

"The organization is very biased toward Israel, to the point that it often acts as a pro-Israel lobbying organization," one editor known under the name "Loki," who has edited over 3,000 articles on Wikipedia, wrote. "This impairs its ability to accurately report facts about people and organizations that disagree with it on this issue, especially non-Zionist or anti-Zionist Jews," according to him.

Despite these statements, the few editors who opposed the decision argued that they were not provided with any proof or reliable evidence that the Anti-Defamation League made false claims as a result of its advocacy work for Israel or that the data it provided was unreliable and/or inaccurate.

ADL strongly denounced the decision. In a written statement, the group said the decision was the result of a "campaign to delegitimize the ADL" and that editors opposing the ban "provided point-by-point refutations, grounded in factual citations, to every claim made, but apparently, facts no longer matter."

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The newly released Annual Antisemitism Worldwide Report for 2023 has revealed a disturbing increase in the number of antisemitic incidents across major Western nations compared to the previous year. The report, jointly published by Tel Aviv University (TAU) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), highlights a particularly steep surge following the October 7 attack, but also notes relative increases in most countries with sizable Jewish populations during the first nine months of 2023, before the outbreak of conflict.

"October 7 helped spread a fire that was already out of control," the report states grimly, referring to the escalation of violence that fueled a wave of antisemitic acts globally. "Some antisemitic attackers emphasize their problem is with Israel, not with Jews, and then attack Jews and Jewish institutions."

In the United States, home to the world's largest Jewish community, the New York Police Department recorded 325 anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2023, up from 261 in 2022. Similarly, the Los Angeles and Chicago police departments saw their figures jump to 165 and 50 incidents respectively, compared to 86 and 39 the previous year. The ADL's tally rose from 3,697 incidents in 2022 to a staggering 7,523 in 2023, with assaults increasing from 111 to 161 and acts of vandalism nearly doubling from 1,288 to 2,106.

The surge extended far beyond American shores. In France, antisemitic incidents skyrocketed from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023, with physical assaults almost doubling from 43 to 85. The United Kingdom witnessed a similar trend, with incidents rising from 1,662 to 4,103 and assaults increasing from 136 to 266.

Other nations that experienced dramatic spikes included Argentina (427 to 598 incidents), Germany (2,639 to 3,614), Brazil (432 to 1,774), South Africa (68 to 207), Mexico (21 to 78), the Netherlands (69 to 154), Italy (241 to 454), and Austria (719 to 1,147). Australia, meanwhile, recorded 622 antisemitic incidents in just October and November of 2023, compared to 79 during the same period in 2022.

According to Prof. Uriya Shavit, Head of The Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry, "With bomb threats against synagogues becoming a daily occurrence, Jewish existence in the West is forced to fortify itself, and the more it does so, the more the sense of security and normalcy is undermined. What the fight against antisemitism needs now is efforts focused on the hubs of poison, and the presentation of measurable and attainable goals. Foremost, the reality in which big companies make big money by spreading big hate has to end. Responsibility for combatting antisemitism should be delegated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose officials are professionals who know the Jewish communities firsthand."

Dr. Carl Yonker, Senior Researcher at the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at TAU, wrote in the report, "The fringes in the United States are encroaching on the political center from both right and left, making combatting antisemitism much trickier."

ADL's CEO and National Director, Jonathan Greenblatt, said: "The aftermath of Hamas's horrific attack on Israel on October 7th was followed by a tsunami of hate against Jewish communities worldwide. Unprecedented levels of antisemitism have surged globally in the streets of London, New York, Paris, Santiago, Johannesburg and beyond. This year's report is incredibly alarming, with documented unprecedented levels of antisemitism, including in the US, where 2023 saw the highest number of antisemitic incidents in the US ever recorded by ADL."

The Annual Antisemitism Worldwide Report serves as a sobering reminder of the persistent and rapidly escalating threat of antisemitism globally, exacerbated by regional conflicts but with far-reaching and deeply concerning ramifications.

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Leading US Jewish organizations have asked the White House to act against antisemitism following a series of anti-Jewish incidents concerning fighting between Israel and the Gaza Strip in recent weeks.

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In the letter, the signatories wrote: "We fear that the way the conflict has been used to amplify antisemitic rhetoric, embolden dangerous actors, and attack Jews and Jewish communities will have ramifications far beyond these past two weeks."

They urged Biden "to speak out forcefully against this dangerous trend and stand alongside the Jewish community in the face of this wave of hate before it gets any worse."

Among the signatories to the letter were the Jewish Federation of North America, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the Orthodox Union, and the Hadassah Women's Zionist Organization of America.

The letter follows the release of ADL data showing a spike in antisemitic incidents on several social media platforms, including 17,000 tweets saying Nazi leader Adolf "Hitler was right."

The ADL recorded dozens of anti-Israel rallies across the US since the outbreak of violence between Israel and Hamas, with many more in the works. The organization noted signs accusing Jews of killing Jesus and carrying out a Holocaust against the Palestinians were seen at the protests. It said 193 incidents of antisemitism were reported in the first week of the violence compared to 131 such incidents that were reported the previous week.

In a statement, ADL head Jonathan Greenblatt said the "ADL remains steadfast in its commitment to fight antisemitism and hate with every ounce of energy we have. We are working actively with authorities in cities across the country to identify the perpetrators of hate and to protect our community. We call on leaders throughout our country to speak out against antisemitism and stand alongside the Jewish community in the face of this wave of hate before it gets any worse."

According to a recent Pew Research Center study, three-quarters of Jewish Americans say there is more antisemitism in the US than five years ago, and 53% say they feel less safe. Jews who wear distinctive religious attire such as head coverings are particularly likely to feel less safe.

More than two dozen people were arrested as pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed in New York City's Times Square and police were investigating the gang assault of a Jewish man as a hate crime, police said Friday.

"It's absolutely disgusting and unacceptable," Mayor Bill de Blasio said on WNYC public radio. "We had a man viciously beaten simply because he appeared to some individuals to be Jewish. We had folks throwing very potent fireworks and creating harm to others and burning some folks, at least one person."

The melee on Thursday evening resulted in more than two dozen arrests on charges including hate crime assault, obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest, unlawful assembly, disorderly conduct, and criminal possession of a weapon, according to city police. Police said their hate crime unit was investigating the attack on the Jewish man as well as "professional-grade fireworks" being thrown at bystanders, injuring a woman.

A video posted to social media purporting to show the attack on the man shows a group of people striking and kicking what appears to be a person down on the street. One man appears to violently swing a crutch down on him.

The injured man, Joseph Borgen, later spoke to media outlets, telling FOX-5 on Friday he was "just cowering, just making sure I would survive."

"They were using their fists. They were kicking me, punching me, kicking me all over my body. I have bruises on my ribs, my back, all over," said Borgen, 29, who appeared with visible bruising on his face.

"What happened yesterday is not the answer to anyone's problems. Regardless of what skin color you are, what race you are, what ethnicity, what religion. It's just wrong on so many levels," he said.

Police on Friday afternoon announced on Twitter that Waseem Awawdeh, 23, was arrested for using a crutch to assault a man in that area. He was charged with hate crime assault and other charges. It could not immediately be determined if he had a lawyer.

The police did not provide further details.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday condemned the attack and said the state police Hate Crimes Task Force would offer assistance.

"New York is the vibrant and dynamic home for people from around the world. This tapestry makes New York the extraordinary place that it is. Those of all faiths, backgrounds, and ethnicities must be able to walk the streets safely and free from harassment and violence," Cuomo said in a prepared release.

During one part of the demonstrations, a large firework detonated on the sidewalk as groups of shouting pro-Palestinian protesters drove through Manhattan's Diamond District, which is closely associated with the city's Jewish community.

Video posted on social media showed people scrambling to get clear of the pyrotechnic as it detonated, and then showed shoving between bystanders and protesters, who shouted curses about Zionism.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, Thursday, following 11 days of clashes that broke out when the Islamist terrorist groups fired rockets at Jerusalem.

De Blasio said city police reinforced their presence in sensitive areas of Jewish and Palestinian communities after the fighting began overseas.

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The Anti-Defamation League has called for Fox News to fire prime-time opinion host Tucker Carlson because he defended a white-supremacist theory that says whites are being "replaced" by people of color.

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In a letter to Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott on Friday, the head of the ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, said Carlson's "rhetoric was not just a dog whistle to racists – it was a bullhorn."

The civil rights group listed numerous instances Carlson has used allegedly anti-immigrant language. Those include saying immigration makes the US "poorer and dirtier" and questioning whether white supremacy is real. Greenblatt said that "given his long record of race-baiting, we believe it is time for Carlson to go."

The white-nationalist "great replacement theory," otherwise known as "white genocide," says people of color are replacing white people through immigration in the Western world, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Some white supremacists also say that Jews and progressive politicians are furthering this change, the civil rights group says.

The "theory" is a "classic white supremacist trope," the letter said, noting that it has been linked to mass shootings in the US and New Zealand and was referenced during a deadly far-right protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.

It's the first time the ADL has asked for Fox to fire Carlson, said the group's spokesman Todd Gutnick, but it has contacted the network before about things Carlson has said.

Carlson is Fox News Channel's most popular personality.

He said Thursday during a guest appearance on "Fox News Primetime" that "the left and all the little gatekeepers on Twitter become literally hysterical if you use the term 'replacement,' if you suggest that the Democratic Party is trying to replace the current electorate of voters now casting ballots with new people, more obedient voters from the Third World."

Carlson said he was concerned about his "voting rights," and that he had "less political power because they are importing a brand new electorate," but said it's not a racial issue.

Fox News did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

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After being forced by Covid-19 restrictions to celebrate Passover alone last year, like their Israeli brethren, American Jews were by and large able to celebrate the Passover seder with their friends and families this year. And as in Israel, American Jewish families reveled in their deliverance from loneliness on the Jewish festival of deliverance.

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But even the joy of Passover couldn't dispel the twin storm clouds rising around the largest Jewish diaspora.

The first threat is growing Jew-hatred. American Jewish groups are good at fighting white supremacism. Unfortunately, the most dangerous external threat to Jewish life in America doesn't come from neo-Nazis. It comes from their home base.

Along with Hindus, Jewish Americans are the most highly educated religious group in America. American Jews have long assumed that the primary source of anti-Semitism in America is ignorance and that as education levels rise, levels of anti-Semitism would decrease. Given the prevalence of anti-Semitism on university campuses, researchers at the University of Arkansas decided to check this assumption.

Publishing their findings this week in Tablet magazine, they demonstrated just how wrong this assumption has become. Contrary to what Jewish organizations have long claimed, it turns out that the more educated Americans are, the more anti-Semitic they are.

College graduates are five percent more likely to apply anti-Semitic double standards to Jews than Americans who haven't gone to college. Holders of advanced degrees used double standards against Jews 15% more often than respondents without higher educations.

The implications are dire. Academia, American Jewry's home turf for a century and the key to their entry into the American elite – is now hostile territory.

Then there is the media. In the mid-20^th century, American Jews were pioneers of the US mass media, entertainment and music industries. Increasingly, however, today they are their punching bag.

Last month, Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update segment included a "news brief" on Israel's Covid-19 vaccination effort. The punchline had Israel only vaccinating its Jewish citizens. This lie didn't come from nowhere. It was born in the slander that the only liberal democracy in the Middle East is a racist state. SNL's employment of the slur was an expression of its general acceptance in progressive circles today.

A few days later, NBC's drama series "Nurses" depicted Orthodox Jews as rabid racists. Resonating Nazi propaganda, a scene in the show depicted an Orthodox Jewish patient and his family rejecting his doctor's recommendation that he receive an organ transplant because the organ may come from a "non-Jew."

Obviously, the show's writers, producers and directors wouldn't have incorporated this rank anti-Semitism into their script if they didn't believe it or feared they wouldn't get away with it.

And so far, they have gotten away with it.

Two weeks ago, CNN host Don Lemon appeared on ABC's The View to discuss remedies for America's supposed "structural racism."

Lemon said a first step to purging Americans of racism was for them to replace their pictures of Jesus which portray him as "a hippy from Sweden or Norway" with new ones that show "what Jesus looked like."

And what did Jesus really look like?

"Either a black Jesus or a brown Jesus because we know Jesus looked more like a Muslim," Lemon declaimed, knowingly.

Like SNL's anti-Semitic joke, and "Nurse's" anti-Semitic drama, Lemon's failure to mention that Jesus was a Jew from Bethlehem didn't come from nowhere. It came from Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Today the preacher who admires Hitler is viewed as an "authentic" woke religious leader by millions of woke revolutionaries. His celebrity arguably makes him the most powerful Jew-hater in American history. Lemon's statement echoed Farrakhan's assertion that Jews are "fake Jews," and that the "real Jews" are blacks and Muslims.

The Grammy Awards ceremony last month made clear that woke anti-Semitism isn't a bar for entry into the top echelons of American celebrity culture. It may even be an asset. Black activist Tamika Mallory, who referred to Farrakhan as "the GOAT" (i.e., the greatest of all time) gave a speech about racial justice. And singer Dua Lipa, who has attacked Israelis as "fake Jews" and claimed Hamas is an Israeli invention performed at the event.

Then there is the Democrat Party – the political home of 65-75% of American Jews. It isn't simply that anti-Semitic politicians like Rashida Tlaib, Betty McCollum and Ilhan Omar are now ascendant, or that pro-Israel politicians like Elliot Engel and Dan Lipinski have been booted out of power.

It isn't even simply that senior politicians like New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill Deblasio use anti-Semitism to rally their supporters or that President Joe Biden has appointed open Israel haters and BDS activists to senior positions in his administration.

Last week Biden held a Passover seder at the White House which erased the Jews and God from the story of their deliverance from Egypt. The White House invited the progressive, anti-Israel rabbi Sharon Brous to officiate at the event that rewrote and de-Judaized every aspect of the Jewish festival of Jewish freedom.

Disastrously, these assaults on all aspects of Jewish life and identity by the woke left are happening as many American Jews are abandoning their Judaism because they see little reason to remain actively Jewish. More than 70% of non-Orthodox Jews who get married, marry non-Jews. Even more startling, only half of non-Orthodox American Jews of marriage age (25-54) are married at all. Of those who are married, only 15% are raising children as Jews. Non-Orthodox Jewish women have the lowest fertility rates in the US.

Given the data, it makes sense that 65-75% of American Jews remain in a political and ideological home that is hostile to Jews. It's a matter of priorities. It also explains why much of the communal response to both rising anti-Semitism and rising assimilation has been ineffective and even counterproductive.

Take the Anti-Defamation League, for instance. With an annual budget of around $100 million, the ADL is supposed to be the community's first line of defense against anti-Semitism. But with leadership comprised of dedicated foot soldiers of the progressive revolution, who rather than fight the TV networks proliferating anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and libels, or the BDS brownshirts on campuses terrorizing Jewish students, the ADL has devoted its resources to fighting "white supremacy." To be sure, as the Pittsburgh and San Diego synagogue shootings made clear, white supremacists are a threat. But unlike the progressive Jew-haters, white supremacists have no foothold in the mass media, in politics, in academia or in popular culture.

In January, a group of powerful leftist Jewish groups with strong ties to the Biden administration including J Street, Americans for Peace Now and the New Israel Fund began lobbying the administration to cancel the Trump administration's decision to adopt the definition of anti-Semitism produced by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. The IHRA definition asserts that rejecting Israel's right to exist and applying a double standard when judging it are forms of anti-Semitism.

These determinations make IHRA a problem for progressive anti-Semites who routinely reject Israel's right to exist and apply a double standard to delegitimize it.

Last month, a consortium of far-left Jewish activists produced a new definition of anti-Semitism that specifically argued that rejection of Israel's right to exist is not a form of anti-Semitism. In other words, rather than fight progressive anti-Semitism, powerful progressive Jewish groups and key activists are actively enabling anti-Semitic assaults on their fellow Jews by their fellow progressives.

As for the crisis of assimilation, rather than give American Jews a reason to live full Jewish lives, powerful Jewish institutions are denying there is a problem. This week, researchers at Brandeis published a new survey of the American Jewish population which determined that the Jewish population in America is growing, not shrinking. According to the study, there are 7.6 million Jews in America. This number is a striking departure from demographer Sergio Della Pergola's 2019 study which concluded the community has shrunk to 5.7 million.

The Brandeis researchers "discovered" an additional 1.9 million Jews by counting Americans who describe themselves as "Jews with no religion" and "partial" Jews. They also included 1.2 million children growing up in homes with at least one Jewish parent being "raised as a Jew in any way," which as American Jewish writer Jonathan Tobin notes is a "requirement so loosely defined as to be meaningless."

Tobin noted that by expanding the number of Jews to include those with only the most attenuated relationship with Judaism, the Brandeis study provides a rationale for Jewish organizations to devote a larger portion of the (rapidly shrinking) communal resources to people with little attachment or interest in Judaism, and to do so at the expense of American Jews committed to living Jewish lives.

A growing number of committed American Jews are already finding themselves on the outs with their communities. Over the past five years, stories have abounded of members of Reform and Conservative congregations who have been ostracized or forced to leave their communities due to their conservative political beliefs. The most frequently affected have been Jews who openly supported then-president Trump.

Fighting assimilation trends has also gotten many Jews into hot water. American Jewish historian Jack Wertheimer has reported that Reform and Conservative rabbis who refuse to perform intermarriages have been sanctioned and even fired from their pulpits. He noted as well that Reform rabbis who simply encouraged their synagogue members to date other Jews have faced negative repercussions from their congregants. Intermarried couples, he reported, increasingly expect their rabbis to perform services celebrating Jewish and Christian holidays to make their non-Jewish spouses feel welcome.

Jewish organizations that seek to act on behalf of communal interests by fighting progressive anti-Semitism are also coming under attack. Perhaps the most prominent example is Boston's Jewish Community Relations Council decision to consider a petition by progressive groups to expel the conservative Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) from its ranks.

The progressive groups demanded ZOA's expulsion because ZOA President Mort Klein spoke out publicly against Black Lives Matter's vicious anti-Semitism. The progressives also objected to Klein's support for Trump.

While the JCRC rightly recognized that "expulsion [of the ZOA] at this time would not serve the interests of the JCRC or of the broader Jewish community in Boston," it didn't question the legitimacy of the petition to expel the ZOA.

Former US ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro recently attacked as "racists" and "bigots" Jews who voiced opposition to Biden's appointment of Arab Americans with open records of hostility towards Israel and support for Palestinian terrorism. Shapiro argued that their Arab identity gives them a pass for advocating on behalf of Israel's destruction.

The silver lining in the gloomy picture is that between 25% and 40% of American Jews remain deeply committed to their Judaism and to preserving, defending and passing on their identity to the next generation. This group includes both Orthodox Jews, Zionist Jews of varying levels of religious observance and politically conservative Jews. As the progressive Jewish American establishment focuses on reaching out to assimilated Jews and appeasing progressive Jew-haters, Israel can and must support this committed minority. Such assistance will no doubt increase their numbers and empower them to stand up for themselves and their rights as Jews.

Such assistance will ensure that that American Jews will continue to join their Israeli counterparts in singing "Next Year in Jerusalem" for generations to come – and many will do so in Jerusalem with their grandchildren.

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According to NYPD spokesman Detective Hubert Reyes, the 51-year-old victim was walking down a street in Brooklyn, NY, on July 11 when occupants in a blue SUV began yelling anti-Semitic slurs at him. The victim answered them back, and "two men in the vehicle stepped out and punched the victim in the head."

The assailants drove off while the victim walked to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for a laceration to his head and a broken finger on his right hand.

"We are alarmed and deeply disturbed that another violent anti-Semitic incident has occurred in Brooklyn," said Etzion Neuer, interim regional director of the New York/New Jersey ADL. "This is horrific, and the hate must stop. The fact that this alleged attack took place during the Sabbath makes it even more egregious."

The ADL is offering a reward of up to $10,000 information leading to the arrest and conviction of the attackers.

Even though it has a large and heavily Orthodox Jewish population, Brooklyn is no stranger to anti-Semitic incidents.

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In December 2019 and January 2020, incidents were reported on a near-weekly basis. In one case, Tiffany Harris, an African-American woman, slapped three different Orthodox Jewish women in Brooklyn. She was arrested and released under the state's new bail-reform law, only to hit another individual shortly afterward and was again arrested for assault.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) came under criticism online on Tuesday after social media posts showed her wearing a T-shirt with a map of "Palestine" replacing the state of Israel.

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Tlaib, who has come under repeated criticism for her anti-Israel sentiment and support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, wore the shirt while holding a newly published book authored by Linda Sarsour, another vocal critic of the Israeli government who has been accused of making anti-Semitic remarks.

"Stand in solidarity with Palestine by wearing this beautiful Palestinian tee-shirt," the online advertisement of the shirt says, as reported by the Washington Free Beacon. "An outlined map of Palestine is filled with red, white, and green Arabic letters that look stunning from a distance and spell the word Palestine up close. A patterned shemagh wraps around the neck of the Palestinian state like the brave soldiers whose boots stand on the dusty ground."

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib's t-shirt doesn't exactly scream 'two state solution.' pic.twitter.com/NZXdOqBc4J

— Alex VanNess (@thealexvanness) March 9, 2020

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), has slammed Tlaib for falsely claiming that Israeli Jews deliberately killed a Palestinian child. The ADL said she was spreading a "blood libel" that was "steeped in centuries-old accusations used to demonize Jews."

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