The A B C of Antisemitism in the United States

Antisemitism is not merely a form of hatred; it is a multilayered ideological construct that spans religious narratives, economic myths, racial obsessions, and political manipulation. In Ancient Rome, Jews were marginalized for their monotheistic beliefs. During the Christian era, antisemitism became institutionalized. The myth of the “God killer,” which blamed Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus, laid the groundwork for pogroms, forced baptisms, ghettos, and blood libels throughout medieval Europe.

Over time, this form of hatred evolved. In feudal Europe, Jews were pushed into trade and moneylending, becoming associated with wealth. During the capitalist era, they were simultaneously blamed for the spread of communism and for controlling the financial system, turning antisemitism into a contradictory yet powerful conspiracy narrative. In the 19th century, under the influence of Social Darwinism, antisemitism became racialized. Jews were labeled as “the other” even if they converted, positioned as an immutable threat. This ideological groundwork led to the Holocaust.

Following the Holocaust, the United States began to develop legal and political mechanisms to protect against antisemitism. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned discrimination based on “race, color, or national origin” in institutions receiving federal funding. Since Jews were often recognized as an ethnic group, they were included under this protection [1]. The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, enacted in 2009, also classified religiously motivated hate crimes as federal offenses [2].

Elected in 2016, Donald Trump became the first American president to explicitly use antisemitism as a political tool. His 2019 Executive Order 13899, ostensibly signed to combat antisemitism on college campuses [3], created a framework that equated peaceful pro-Palestinian activism and criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Thus, for the first time, antisemitism was systematically turned into a legal instrument to suppress political dissent.

Another decision by the Trump administration in 2018 revealed that this strategy extended beyond domestic politics. Moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem violated international law and UN resolutions [4]. This move was not only a pro-Israel policy gesture but also a symbolic appeal to Evangelical voters. Even though dozens of civilians were killed in Gaza during the resulting protests, the Trump administration ignored the casualties under the pretext of standing against antisemitism.

Trump’s discourse on antisemitism is therefore deeply contradictory. While claiming to protect Jews, he described white supremacists shouting antisemitic slogans in Charlottesville as including “very fine people on both sides.” This selective use of antisemitism led to a widespread perception that it was instrumentalized to protect allies and silence critics.

The danger here is clear. Antisemitism is a genuine national threat. But its instrumentalization is just as dangerous. The former targets minorities. The latter suffocates free speech. One creates victims; the other undermines the legitimacy of the system.

A similar contradiction exists within the Democratic Party. The Antisemitism Awareness Act passed by the House in 2024 aimed to broaden the definition of antisemitism using the IHRA’s (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) guidelines [5]. However, since this definition could also cover peaceful pro-Palestinian critiques, it sparked free speech concerns. Amendments in the Senate emphasized that peaceful protests should be excluded [6].

Israel’s Gaza operations following Hamas’s October 2023 attacks deeply affected American public opinion. Over 35,000 Palestinians were killed [7]. A Gallup poll published in January 2025 revealed that, for the first time, sympathy toward Israel fell below 50% among Americans, while pro-Palestinian sentiments increased [8]. In response to this shift, the Biden administration temporarily limited arms exports to Israel. Republican circles portrayed this as a “national security failure” [9].

Around the same time, the Heritage Foundation’s Project Esther redefined antisemitism as both a threat and a political tool [10]. The document classified groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace as part of a Hamas support network, proposing actions such as prosecution under RICO laws, defunding, deportation of foreign members, and suppression of campus protests [11]. Outlets like Vox and Forward described this move as a direct assault on free expression [12].

Organizations such as ACLU and PEN America also emphasized that these efforts merely aimed to silence dissenting voices and undermined genuine recognition of antisemitism [13][14]. Scholars noted that such measures posed constitutional and foundational risks to liberal society [15].

In my personal opinion, the long-term solution to faith-based polarization lies in secularism and critical thinking. In a society where individuals live on the basis of shared ethics and reason, detached from religious identities, hateful ideologies like antisemitism are more likely to be rendered ineffective. Though not an easy transformation, lasting social peace can only be established on the foundation of an egalitarian secular order.

Antisemitism is a historically serious threat. But turning that threat into an untouchable weapon poses just as great a danger to freedom of expression and democratic balance. If true antisemitism is a national threat, so too is its abuse.

References

[1] https://www.justice.gov/crt/fcs/TitleVI
[2] https://www.justice.gov/crt/matthew-shepard-and-james-byrd-jr-hate-crimes-prevention-act-2009-0
[3] https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-combating-anti-semitism/
[4] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/world/middleeast/trump-jerusalem-israel-capital.html
[5] https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4127
[6] https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4127/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22antisemitism%22%5D%7D&r=1&s=5
[7] https://www.un.org/unispal/document/statement-by-the-un-human-rights-office-in-the-occupied-palestinian-territory-on-the-developments-in-gaza-21-march-2025/
[8] https://news.gallup.com/poll/657404/less-half-sympathetic-toward-israelis.aspx
[9] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/05/us/politics/israel-gaza-bipartisan-consensus.html
[10] https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/report/project-esther-national-strategy-combat-antisemitism
[11] https://www.vox.com/today-explained-podcast/408106/heritage-foundation-project-esther-israel-palestine-activism-deportation
[12] https://forward.com/opinion/2025/03/20/why-project-esther-harms-the-fight-against-antisemitism/
[13] https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/free-speech-organizations-urge-university-of-maryland-to-lift-unconstitutional-expressive-event-ban
[14] https://pen.org/free-expression-amidst-the-war-between-israel-and-hamas/
[15] https://sapirjournal.org/activism/2025/lawfare/