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Reclaiming Jewish Pride in an Age of Rising Hatred — I Am Done Being Quiet
Israeli youths wave flags and sing outside Jerusalem’s Old City May 29, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
To be Jewish in this moment is to be caught between ancestral trauma and modern-day terror. It is to scroll through social media and see our pain dismissed, our history denied, and our people dehumanized. It is to walk into spaces that claim to be progressive only to find that we, Jews, have been erased, vilified, or forced into silence.
But I am not silent. I am here — as a Jew, as an Israeli, as an American, as a Zionist, as a gay man, as every other part of my identity –and I am fighting forward.
The phrase “never again” was never meant to be passive. It was a call to action. A warning. A demand. Yet here we are, witnessing a resurgence of antisemitism so blatant, so emboldened, that it feels ripped from the pages of history we swore we wouldn’t repeat. From mobs calling for the destruction of Israel, to campus chants openly invoking genocidal rhetoric, the world has grown increasingly comfortable with its hate toward Jews, especially when it hides behind the veil of activism or academic theory.
But we are not just targets. We are not just survivors. We are sovereign people with a right — not only to defend ourselves — but to live with pride, to celebrate our culture, and to exist unapologetically.
As a Jewish advocate and a storyteller, I have spent years using my voice to confront hate, bridge communities, and inspire pride. I appear as a commentator on international news networks and write regularly for news publications, bringing Jewish voices and perspectives into the global media discourse.
I meet with US Congress members and Israeli Knesset representatives to advocate on behalf of the US, Israeli, and international Jewish communities — speaking up for our needs, our challenges, and our aspirations. I support Jewish organizations, community groups, and student groups by providing workshops, media training, and strategy sessions that help them move from trauma to resilience. And I work closely with survivors and the loved ones of victims, helping them take their next steps forward — not just in healing, but as examples of leadership and strength. This is what Jewish advocacy looks like — not just standing up to hate, but lifting each other through it.
What I have come to learn is this: The greatest resistance to antisemitism is Jewish joy and Jewish power, rooted in Jewish education. Not power as domination, but power as presence. Power as permanence. Power as pride. Power as knowledge.
It’s easy to vilify Jews when we are painted as invisible or other. But when we speak, create, dance, love, and shine as Jews, we disrupt the lie. We remind the world that we are not a relic of the past, not a scapegoat for political agendas — but a people with a story that continues, despite every attempt to silence us.
This moment demands that we move beyond survival mode. Survival is essential — but it’s not enough. The future of Jewish life depends on sovereignty of spirit. That means reclaiming our narrative in every realm — media, politics, education, and culture. It means rejecting the idea that we must make ourselves smaller or quieter to be accepted. It means holding our heads high when we speak of Israel — not as a footnote or a caveat, but as the indigenous homeland of our people, the miracle of Jewish self-determination.
Yes, I am a Zionist. Not because it’s fashionable — it isn’t. Not because it’s easy — it’s not. I am a Zionist because I believe in the right of the Jewish people to live freely in our ancestral land. I believe in the right to security, sovereignty, and survival — for all peoples — but especially for the one that has been hunted, exiled, and massacred across millennia.
And I reject the false binary that tells me I cannot be progressive and proudly Jewish. I will not choose between justice and my Jewishness — because Judaism is justice. Judaism is the original call for human dignity, for equity, for repairing the world. Our values are not at odds with activism — they are the root of it. I might be “old school progressive,” and I have separated from the misguidedness of today’s overreaching Progressive movement. My values have not changed, yet the movement sure has.
We must be louder — not just in reaction to hate, but in celebration of love. Jewish festivals should fill our streets. Hebrew songs should fill our schools. Israeli innovation should fill our headlines. Our art, our food, our humor, our wisdom — these are all weapons of light against the darkness.
We also need allies who don’t just whisper behind closed doors, but who are bold and visible in their support. Too many people say that they care about Jewish lives, but disappear when it matters most. To those who claim to be our friends: If your allyship isn’t loud when the hatred is loud, it’s not allyship. It’s convenience.
I speak from a place of pain, but more so from a place of power. I am the descendant of Jews who fled pogroms and persecution, who survived extermination attempts across continents and centuries. But I am also the embodiment of their triumph. I am alive, thriving, and proud. And I will not shrink for anyone.
To my fellow Jews: Wear your Star of David like a badge of honor. Speak your Hebrew with pride. Celebrate Shabbat with joy. And yes — defend Israel without shame.
Let us stop playing defense and start playing offense. Not with hatred, but with truth. Not with vengeance, but with vision. The future of Jewish life doesn’t belong to those who hide or blend in — it belongs to those who show up and stand tall.
We’ve spent generations proving we can survive. Now, let’s show the world what it looks like when we truly live and with full meaning say, Am Israel Chai.
Yuval David is an Emmy and Multi-Award-Winning Actor, Filmmaker, Journalist, and Jewish LGBTQ+ activist and advisor. A creative and compelling storyteller, on stage and screen, news and across social media, Yuval shares the narrative of Jewish activism and enduring hope. Follow him on Instagram, YouTube, and X.
The post Reclaiming Jewish Pride in an Age of Rising Hatred — I Am Done Being Quiet first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Antisemitism at Northwestern University Still a Problem, New Poll Finds
Demonstrators rally at a pro-Hamas encampment at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. on April 28, 2024. Photo: Max Herman/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect.
Jewish students at Northwestern University in Illinois continue to report experiencing antisemitism at alarming rates despite the school’s insistence that the campus climate has improved since pro-Hamas demonstrations held during the 2023-2024 academic year triggered a cascade of antisemitic incidents.
According to a new Spring Campus Poll conducted by The Daily Northwestern, the school’s official campus newspaper, 58 percent of Jewish students reported being subjected to antisemitism or knowing someone who has. An even higher 63.1 percent said antisemitism remains a “somewhat or very serious problem.”
Northwestern University, however, has claimed that antisemitic discrimination on campus is decreasing. Last month, it touted its progress in addressing the issue, publishing a “Progress Report on Northwestern University Efforts to Combat Antisemitism” which enumerated a checklist of policies school officials have enacted since being censured by federal lawmakers over their allegedly insufficient handling of antisemitic, pro-Hamas demonstrations and occupations of campus property in April 2024. Most notably, the document boasted an 88 percent decrease in antisemitic incidents from November 2023 to November 2024.
The so-called progress report was released just over three weeks after US President Donald Trump began confiscating taxpayer funded research grants and contracts previously awarded to elite universities deemed as soft on antisemitism or excessively “woke.”
On Monday, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), a coalition of hundreds of organizations that fight anti-Jewish bigotry around the world, charged that the claims in the report now ring false.
“Yes, the university has reformed policies, implemented trainings, and adopted new definitions. It has pledged transparency and accountability — and some of those measures are meaningful,” the group said in a statement, citing the university’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and enactment of other policies supported by the Jewish community. “But the reality remains: Jewish students continue to feel unsafe, and a majority still see antisemitism as a serious, unresolved issue.”
It continued, “If Northwestern is truly committed to confronting antisemitism, its actions must go beyond compliance. Policies must be enforced. Commitments must be honored in practice. And Jewish students must be seen, heard, and protected. What defines institutional credibility isn’t stated intentions — it’s whether students feel safe. And right now, they don’t.”
In a statement shared with The Algemeiner on Tuesday, Northwestern University maintained that it has made immense progress toward improving campus life for Jewish students, citing as evidence the 88 percent reduction in antisemitic incidents.
“We believe this significant decrease in antisemitic incidents is directly attributable to the strength of our updated policies that were implemented at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year,” said Jon Yates, the university’s vice president of global marketing and communications. “These included revisions to our code of conduct with clear policies and procedures governing the type of actions that are prohibited and the consequences for anyone who engage in them.”
He added, “We remain confident that the measures we have implemented are working as intended and are continuing to adjust and refine our approach as necessary to ensure that our campuses are a safe and welcoming place for all.”
In April, the Trump administration expressed its skepticism of a quick turnaround at Northwestern, impounding $790 million of its federal funds.
Critics of Northwestern’s approach to rampant pro-Hamas and anti-Israel demonstrations have noted that the university’s president, Michael Schill, acceded to protesters’ demands that he establish a scholarship for Palestinian undergraduates, contact potential employers of students who caused campus disruptions to insist on their being hired, create a segregated dormitory hall that will be occupied exclusively by students of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) and Muslim descent, and form a new advisory committee in which anti-Zionists students and faculty may wield an outsized voice.
“As of this writing, we have received 98 stop-word orders, mostly for Department of Defense-funded research projects, in addition to 51 grant terminations that were mostly received prior to the news of the funding freeze. In addition, we have not received payments for National Institutes of Health grants since March. These now appear to be frozen,” Schill said in a May 1 statement addressing the government’s funding cuts. “This is deeply troubling, and we are working in many ways to advocate on behalf of the university and to resolve the situation.”
The antisemitic incidents that Northwestern University continues to see have not lost their shock value.
In April, during the Jewish holiday of Passover, someone graffitied Kregse Hall and University Hall with hateful speech calling for “Death to Israel” and an “Intifada,” alluding to two prolonged periods of Palestinian terrorism during which hundreds of Israeli Jews were murdered. The vandals also spray-painted an inverted triangle, a symbol used to express support for the terrorist group Hamas and its atrocities.
“Antisemitic acts cannot and will not be tolerated at Northwestern, nor will vandalism or other violations of our polices on displays, demonstrations, or conduct,” Schill said following the incident. “We are working systematically and utilizing camera footage, forensics, and other methods to identify the individuals responsible for this vandalism. If these individuals are current Northwestern students, they will be immediately suspended and face full disciplinary proceedings under university policies, as well as criminal charges under the law.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post Antisemitism at Northwestern University Still a Problem, New Poll Finds first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Top US Senate Democrat to Block Trump DOJ Nominees Over Qatar Airplane
The motorcade of US President Donald Trump is parked next to a 12-year-old Qatari-owned Boeing 747-8 that Trump was touring in West Palm Beach, Florida, US, Feb. 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
US Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday vowed to block all of President Donald Trump‘s nominees to the Justice Department until the agency reports what it knows about Qatar‘s offer to give Trump‘s administration a $400 million airplane.
Trump said on Monday that it would be “stupid” for him to refuse Qatar‘s offer of the Boeing 747-8 airplane, which would be used as US “Air Force One,” the jet American presidents use to fly around the globe.
The aircraft eventually would be donated to Trump‘s presidential library.
Schumer, referring to reports that US Attorney General Pam Bondi had signed off on the deal for the plane, called it “a blatantly inept decision.”
“The attorney general must testify before both the House and Senate to explain why gifting Donald Trump a private jet does not violate the emoluments clause [of the US Constitution], which requires congressional approval,” he said in a speech to the Senate.
The Defense Department is already in the process of procuring a replacement for the current, aging Air Force One, with delivery by Boeing expected within a couple years.
Schumer said he wants answers to whether the Qatari government will pay for modifications of the aircraft needed to protect the president, secure communications and provide special configurations for what is in practice an airborne Oval Office workspace.
If the US government would have to bear those costs, Schumer said, “why are American taxpayers being asked to spend hundreds of millions of dollars or more on a plane that will only be used for year or two?”
A White House spokesperson on Monday said details of the gift were still being arranged.
Outside ethics experts have listed a range of Trump activities that could point to the president using his office to enrich himself or his family. Schumer specifically mentioned a $TRUMP meme coin, plans for a new Trump hotel in Dubai, and a new golf course in Qatar.
Currently, three Trump Justice Department nominees are before the Senate: an assistant attorney general for Maryland and two in Virginia.
The post Top US Senate Democrat to Block Trump DOJ Nominees Over Qatar Airplane first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Trump Secures $600 Billion Saudi Investment Pledge on Gulf Tour
US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman shake hands during a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
US President Donald Trump secured a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to invest in the United States after the oil power accorded him a gala welcome at the start of a tour of Gulf states.
Trump punched the air as he emerged from Air Force One to be greeted by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who later signed an agreement with the president in Riyadh on energy, defense, mining, and other areas.
The US agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, according to a White House fact sheet that called it “the largest defense cooperation agreement” Washington has ever done.
The agreement covers deals with more than a dozen US defense companies in areas including air and missile defense, air force and space advancement, maritime security and communications, the fact sheet said.
“Today we hope for investment opportunities worth $600 billion, including deals worth $300 billion that were signed during this forum,” the Saudi crown prince said in a speech during a US-Saudi Investment Forum session held in Riyadh on the occasion of Trump‘s visit.
“We will work in the coming months on the second phase to complete deals and raise it to $1 trillion,” he said.
Saudi Arabia is one of the largest customers for US arms.
Reuters reported in April the US was poised to offer the kingdom an arms package worth well over $100 billion.
“I really believe we like each other a lot,” Trump said during a meeting with the crown prince, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler.
The US and Saudi Arabia had discussed Riyadh’s potential purchase of Lockheed F-35 jets, two sources briefed on discussions told Reuters, referring to a military aircraft that the kingdom is long thought to have been interested in.
It was not immediately clear whether those aircraft were covered in the deal announced on Tuesday.
Trump, who was accompanied by US business leaders including billionaire Elon Musk, will go on from Riyadh to Qatar on Wednesday and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
He has not scheduled a stop in Israel, a decision that has raised questions about where the close ally stands in Washington’s priorities, and the focus of the trip is on investment rather than security matters in the Middle East.
“While energy remains a cornerstone of our relationship, the investments and business opportunities in the kingdom have expanded and multiplied many, many times over,” Saudi Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih told the investment forum.
“As a result … when Saudis and Americans join forces very good things happen, more often than not great things happen when those joint ventures happen,” he said before Trump‘s arrival.
Trump told the investment forum that relations with Saudi Arabia will be even stronger.
He was shown speaking with Riyadh’s sovereign wealth fund governor Yaser al-Rumayyan, Aramco CEO Amin Nasser, and Falih as he toured a hall that showed off models for the kingdom’s flashy, multi-billion-dollar development projects.
Trump called the Saudi crown prince a friend and said they have a good relationship, according to a pool report from the Wall Street Journal, adding that Saudi investment would help create jobs in the US.
BIG INVESTMENTS
Business leaders at the investment forum included Larry Fink, the CEO of asset management firm BlackRock; Stephen A. Schwartzman, CEO of asset manager Blackstone; and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Musk chatted briefly with both Trump and the crown prince, who is otherwise known as MbS, during a palace reception for the US president. And joining Trump for a lunch with MbS were top US businessmen including Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX chief, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
MbS has focused on diversifying the Saudi economy in a major reform programme dubbed Vision 2030 that includes “Giga-projects” such as NEOM, a futuristic city the size of Belgium. Oil generated 62 percent of Saudi government revenue last year.
The kingdom has scaled back some of its ambitions as rising costs and falling oil prices weigh.
Saudi Arabia and the US have maintained strong ties for decades based on an ironclad arrangement in which the kingdom delivers oil and the superpower provides security in exchange.
Trump left Israel off his schedule although he wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a new ceasefire deal in the 19-month-old Gaza war.
Israel’s military operations against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and its assassinations of the two Iran-backed terrorist groups’ leaders, have at the same time given Trump more leverage by weakening Tehran and its regional allies.
US and Iranian negotiators met in Oman at the weekend to discuss a potential deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear program. Trump has threatened military action against Iran if diplomacy fails.
Trump told the investment forum he wants to offer Iran a new and better path toward a more helpful future. If no new nuclear deal is reached, he said, Tehran will face maximum pressure.
Trump‘s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said last week he expected progress imminently on expanding accords brokered by Trump in his 2017-21 first term under which Arab states including the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco recognized Israel.
Trump said it was his “fervent hope” that Saudi Arabia would soon sign its own normalization agreement with Israel, adding, “But you’ll do it in your own time.”
Still, Netanyahu’s opposition to a permanent stop to the war in Gaza or to the creation of a Palestinian state makes progress on similar talks with the Saudis unlikely, sources told Reuters.
The post Trump Secures $600 Billion Saudi Investment Pledge on Gulf Tour first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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