RSS
Antisemitism in North America: Unmasking Hate in the Guise of Activism
Yale University students at the corner of Grove and College Streets in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S., April 22, 2024. Photo: Melanie Stengel via Reuters Connect.
We are witnessing an alarming moral erosion across North America as antisemitism continues its steep and brazen ascent. This is not the subtle “dog whistle” antisemitism of past decades. It is overt. It is violent. It is organized. And it is often masquerading as “activism” under the guise of anti-Zionism or anti-Israel sentiment.
The growing chorus of hatred is not merely about Israel’s policies — it is about Jews, period.
In city streets, on college campuses, in media and political discourse, antisemitic rhetoric has become normalized and even celebrated. As a Jewish activist, journalist, and advisor working on the frontlines of Jewish advocacy, I can no longer temper my condemnation: our governments are failing us. Our cities are complicit through inaction. And too many voices of reason have been muted by fear or ignorance.
Anti-Zionist, anti-Israel, and anti-Jewish sentiments directed against our entire movement, people, and country are, in fact, antisemitism.
Being against Israeli policies, specific individuals, or specific actions is one thing. Being against an entire movement, country, or people is another thing.
Hate in the Streets, on Campuses, and in Political Discourse
Let us start with the public sphere, where antisemitism no longer hides.
Just last week, Washington, D.C., was rocked by a violent terror attack targeting a Jewish gathering and murdering two young people because they attended a Jewish gathering in a Jewish building. This followed a string of violent incidents in both the United States and Canada, from vandalism of synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses to death threats at “Israel Day” events in Toronto, Montreal, and New York City. It also followed murders and attempted murders that targeted Jews across America.
One unsettling battleground is the university campus, which reflects exactly what we are witnessing on city streets, as performative activism and “catchy” slogans are used to justify anti-Jewish racism, bigotry, and hatred.
According to a sweeping 2024 study conducted by Hillel International and the Anti-Defamation League, 73% of Jewish college students have experienced or witnessed antisemitism since October 7, 2023. Even more disturbingly, 41% report concealing their Jewish identity due to safety concerns
At UCLA, Jewish students were blocked from entering campus spaces unless they denounced Israel’s right to exist. In 2024, a Federal court ruled in their favor, underscoring the university’s gross failure to uphold basic rights. At McGill University in Canada, protesters called for the destruction of Israel with chants of “Long live the intifada,” while intimidating Jewish students with hateful signage and harassment. The encampments are not peace protests — they are theaters of intimidation and hate.
The Digital Engine of Antisemitic Hate
This surge of hate is not organic. It is algorithmically amplified. The digital sphere — particularly social media platforms — has become the central artery through which antisemitic content spreads.
According to CyberWell’s analysis of the 2025 Canadian federal election, 72.1% of antisemitic content tracked was posted to X (formerly Twitter), often mixing Holocaust denial, dehumanizing slurs, and calls for violence with the language of political activism. Other platforms — TikTok, Instagram, YouTube — are also culpable. This is not free speech; this is the incitement and proliferation of hate speech, and it has very real offline consequences.
The Unholy Alliance: Islamism and the Far-Left
What is perhaps most insidious is the strategic manipulation of far-left ideologies by Islamist movements that are fundamentally opposed to liberal democracy. These Islamist entities have perfected the art of linguistic appropriation — using terms like “decolonization,” “social justice,” and “intersectionality” — to disguise antisemitism as a virtue. And too many progressive institutions, including our universities and civic spaces, have bought this lie.
The placard-waving crowds chanting for “liberation” are often parroting slogans that call for the elimination of Jews and Israel.
This is not solidarity — it is sinister exploitation. These ideologues weaponize moral language to deceive well-meaning, uninformed minds. What begins as ignorance metastasizes into hate. The results are playing out in real time, in both physical attacks and the chilling erasure of Jewish identity in public life.
The Path Forward: The Stakes for Everyone
Let me be clear: when Jews are targeted, the foundational values of the entire nation are under assault.
Antisemitism is the canary in the coal mine. History teaches us that societies that allow hatred against Jews to fester will eventually turn on themselves. If you want to protect the soul of America or Canada, you must protect your Jewish citizens.
What can be done? Everything. Everyone must act.
- For citizens: Speak out when you see hate. Do not allow bigotry to masquerade as activism in your community or workplace. Educate yourself beyond social media slogans.
- For politicians: Condemn antisemitism without conditions or “context.” Pass legislation that defines and prosecutes antisemitic hate crimes. Fund security for vulnerable communities.
- For universities: Enforce codes of conduct. Protect Jewish students. Restore academic integrity by removing ideologically extreme professors who promote hate under the banner of scholarship.
- For tech companies: Ban antisemitic content. Enforce your own policies. The digital space must not be a breeding ground for violent ideology.
A Final Word
I refuse to be silent as hatred spreads like wildfire. I refuse to downplay antisemitism as just another political opinion. It is not. It is the world’s oldest hatred, and it has been rebranded and repurposed in our modern era with terrifying efficiency.
As Jews, we carry the burden of survival — and the responsibility to fight forward, not back. As citizens of democratic nations, we all share the obligation to confront hate wherever it appears. This is not a Jewish problem; this is a North American crisis. And the time to act is now.
Yuval David is an Emmy Award–winning journalist, filmmaker, and actor, and an internationally recognized advocate for Jewish and LGBTQ rights. He serves as a strategic advisor to diplomatic missions, international NGOs, and multilateral organizations, focusing on human rights, pluralism, and cultural diplomacy. With extensive experience in global media and public engagement, Yuval contributes to leading international news outlets and frequently speaks at diplomatic forums, policy conferences, and intergovernmental gatherings. His work fosters cross-cultural understanding, combats antisemitism and hate, and promotes democratic values and inclusive societies. Instagram.com/Yuval_David_ X.com/YuvalDavid Facebook.com/YuvalDavid YouTube.com/YuvalDavid Tiktok.com/@yuval.david
The post Antisemitism in North America: Unmasking Hate in the Guise of Activism first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
US Links $1.9 Billion in State Disaster Funds to Israel Boycott Stance
A resident enters a FEMA’s improvised station to attend claims by local residents affected by floods following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Marion, North Carolina, US, Oct. 5, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
US states and cities that boycott Israeli companies will be denied federal aid for natural disaster preparedness, the Trump administration has announced, tying routine federal funding to its political stance.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency stated in grant notices posted on Friday that states must follow its “terms and conditions.” Those conditions require they certify they will not sever “commercial relations specifically with Israeli companies” to qualify for funding.
The requirement applies to at least $1.9 billion that states rely on to cover search-and-rescue equipment, emergency manager salaries, and backup power systems among other expenses, according to 11 agency grant notices reviewed by Reuters.
The requirement is the Trump administration’s latest effort to use federal funding to promote its views on Israel.
The Department of Homeland Security, the agency that oversees FEMA, in April said that boycotting Israel is prohibited for states and cities receiving its grant funds.
FEMA separately said in July that US states will be required to spend part of their federal terrorism prevention funds on helping the government arrest migrants, an administration priority.
The Israel requirement takes aim at BDS, the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement designed to isolate the world’s lone Jewish state on the international stage as a step toward its eventual elimination.
“DHS will enforce all antidiscrimination laws and policies, including as it relates to the BDS movement, which is expressly grounded in antisemitism,” a spokesperson for Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement.
The requirement is largely symbolic. At least 34 states already have anti-BDS laws or policies, according to a University of Pennsylvania law journal. The BDS movement did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The American Jewish Committee supports the Trump administration’s policy, said Holly Huffnagle, the group’s director of antisemitism policy. The AJC is an advocacy group that supports Israel.
Under one of the grant notices posted on Friday, FEMA will require major cities to agree to the Israel policy to receive a cut of $553.5 million set aside to prevent terrorism in dense areas.
New York is due to receive $92.2 million from the program, the most of all the recipients. Allocations are based on the agency’s analysis of “relative risk of terrorism,” according to the notice.
RSS
Iran Sets Up New Defense Council in Wake of War With Israel
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Ilam, Iran, June 12, 2025. Photo: Iran’s Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Iran‘s top security body approved the establishment of a National Defenxe Council on Sunday, according to state media, following a short air war with Israel in June that was Iran‘s most acute military challenge since the 1980s war with Iraq.
“The new defense body will review defense plans and enhance the capabilities of Iran‘s armed forces in a centralized manner,” the Supreme National Security Council‘s Secretariat was quoted as saying by state media.
The defense council will be chaired by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and consists of the heads of the three government branches, senior armed forces commanders, and relevant ministries.
On Sunday, the commander-in-chief of Iran‘s military, Amir Hatami, warned that threats from Israel persist and should not be underestimated.
RSS
Israel to Decide Next Steps in Gaza After Ceasefire Talks Collapse
Smoke rises from Gaza as the sun sets, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his security cabinet this week to decide on Israel‘s next steps in Gaza following the collapse of indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas, with one senior Israeli source suggesting more force could be an option.
Last Saturday, during a visit to the country, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had said he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would effectively end the war in Gaza.
But Israeli officials have also floated ideas including expanding the military offensive in Gaza and annexing parts of the shattered enclave.
The failed ceasefire talks in Doha had aimed to clinch agreements on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day truce, during which aid would be flown into Gaza and half of the hostages Hamas is holding would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel.
After Netanyahu met Witkoff last Thursday, a senior Israeli official said that “an understanding was emerging between Washington and Israel,” of a need to shift from a truce to a comprehensive deal that would “release all the hostages, disarm Hamas, and demilitarize the Gaza Strip,” – Israel‘s key conditions for ending the war.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday that the envoy’s visit was seen in Israel as “very significant.”
But later on Sunday, the Israeli official signaled that pursuit of a deal would be pointless, threatening more force: “An understanding is emerging that Hamas is not interested in a deal and therefore the prime minister is pushing to release the hostages while pressing for military defeat.”
“STRATEGIC CLARITY”
What a “military defeat” might mean, however, is up for debate within the Israeli leadership. Some Israeli officials have suggested that Israel might declare it was annexing parts of Gaza as a means to pressure the Palestinian terrorist group, which has ruled the enclave for nearly two decades.
Others, like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir want to see Israel impose military rule in Gaza before annexing it and re-establishing the Jewish settlements Israel evicted 20 years ago.
The Israeli military, which has pushed back at such ideas throughout the war, was expected on Tuesday to present alternatives that include extending into areas of Gaza where it has not yet operated, according to two defense officials.
While some in the political leadership are pushing for expanding the offensive, the military is concerned that doing so will endanger the 20 hostages who are still alive, the officials said.
Israeli Army Radio reported on Monday that military chief Eyal Zamir has become increasingly frustrated with what he describes as a lack of strategic clarity by the political leadership, concerned about being dragged into a war of attrition with Hamas terrorists.
A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declined to comment on the report but said that the military has plans in store.
“We have different ways to fight the terror organization, and that’s what the army does,” Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said.
On Tuesday, Qatar and Egypt endorsed a declaration by France and Saudi Arabia outlining steps toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which included a call on Hamas to hand over its arms to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
Hamas has repeatedly said it won’t lay down arms. But it has told mediators it was willing to quit governance in Gaza for a non-partisan ruling body, according to three Hamas officials.
It insists that the post-war Gaza arrangement must be agreed upon among the Palestinians themselves and not dictated by foreign powers.
Israel‘s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar suggested on Monday that the gaps were still too wide to bridge.
“We would like to have all our hostages back. We would like to see the end of this war. We always prefer to get there by diplomatic means, if possible. But of course, the big question is, what will be the conditions for the end of the war?” he told journalists in Jerusalem.