Antisemitism in the US Since October 7th, 2023
Today is the first anniversary of October 7th when the Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas, brutally attacked the state of Israel. But it’s not just the day that is remembered as over this past year, there has been a distinct rise in antisemitism in a country across the world: The United States.
A year ago, the Nova Music Festival in Israel was infiltrated by Hamas, who slaughtered, kidnapped, raped, and murdered everyone from babies to grandparents. This day, the deadliest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust, is a nightmare that has persisted for people all over the world, not just because of what is happening in Israel, but because the attack has since been used as fuel to a raging antisemitic fire.
In just the first three months since October 7th, the Anti-Defamation League, an anti-hate organization, reports a 360% increase in antisemitic incidents compared to the same time period two years prior. Chief Executive of the ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, says, “The American Jewish community is facing a threat level that’s now unprecedented in modern history. It’s shocking that we’ve recorded more antisemitic acts in three months than we usually would in an entire year.” These reports showcase that by December 2023, 500+ incidents had taken place on college campuses and another 256 in K-12 schools. This increase, putting 2023 on track as the highest year for antisemitic acts since the ADL started tracking this data in the 1970s, is showing up as an average of 34 incidents per day.
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden gave a speech on the Day of Remembrance where he reiterated that while people are always allowed to speak and debate on things they feel empowered about, “there is no place on any campus in America - any place in America - for antisemitism or hate speech, or threats of violence of any kind.” Michelle Obama’s former speech writer, author Sarah Hurwitz, added, “I think he perceives something very old and very ugly coming back to haunt us.”
This “very old and very ugly” thing is demonstrated by the attitudes people hold towards Israel and their views on anti-Jewish tropes. The ADL reported that, out of 4,143 Americans surveyed between January 5th and 18th this year, those who believe that the Israeli people are intending to cause extreme suffering towards the Palestinian people are 4.6 times more likely to be among the most anti-semitic Americans. Oren Segal, the Vice President of the ADL’s Center on Extremism adds, “Jews in the U.S. should not be targeted for the actions of the state of Israel.” However, this is exactly what is happening– In the ADL’s study, it was found that more than half of Generation Z expresses a degree of comfort in being friends with a supporter of Hamas, while their Jewish friends watch in horror as their friends partake in “Free Palestine” rallies, some of which that give off more of a rhetoric of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish than pro-humanity.
In interviews on social media, it is made increasingly obvious that these rallying students don’t truly understand what they are saying. Zach Sage Fox (@zach.sage on Instagram) hosts a “Gaza Graduation Game Show” where he interviews students on their pro-Hamas and pro-Palestine views. In one video, he lets students at schools like UPenn and Cornell know that Al-Qaeda recently thanked them for their efforts. These students respond that they are glad to know they are supported and that there truly is hope. He then asks who the terrorist group behind 9/11 was. When the students find out that it was Al-Qaeda, they attempt to justify the group. One student responds to Zach with, “Good in some ways,” when asked if there is justification for the group.
Anti-semitism is widespread, often due to misinformation and uneducation. As people continue to turn towards social media for information, they are consuming falsified and exaggerated information, which only makes the struggle for an end to anti-semitism in America harder. As the anniversary of the attack on Israel approaches, anti-semitism in the United States rages on with intensity, scaring the Jewish population even further into its shell.
By Samantha Weiner