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The Kosher Restaurant I Work at Was Attacked; America Is Not Safe for Jews
Pro-Hamas activists gather in Washington Square Park for a rally following a protest march held in response to an NYPD sweep of an anti-Israel encampment at New York University in Manhattan, May 3, 2024. Photo: Matthew Rodier/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
In the past eight months, I’ve personally experienced what we’ve all come to know: Jews in America are no longer safe.
Of course, this story has repeated itself countless times over the generations. In every era, in different parts of the world, Jewish communities have faced persecution, discrimination, and violence. Around the world, since the Holocaust, diaspora Jewry continued to face persecution. From the persecution of Soviet Jewry to the Kielce Pogrom in Poland, from the AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires to the expulsion and persecution of nearly all the entire Jewish communities of the Middle East outside Israel, it never really went away.
In recent years, this hatred surged again in Europe, with Jews widely being afraid to wear a kippah or a Jewish star. But America always stood as a beacon of hope amidst the darkness of the diaspora.
In the words of the renowned late Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, America was a “country of kindness.” Despite the occasional attacks and bouts of antisemitism cropping up in America, from the Klu Klux Klan to Henry Ford to Charldes Lindbergh, America has always had a good relationship with its Jews.
No more. The current climate in America, post-Oct. 7, is a chilling echo of the past. Hate crimes against Jews have surged, and the sense of security that once existed is rapidly eroding. The rise of antisemitic rhetoric and actions are no longer confined to the fringes, but have permeated mainstream discourse.
Many of the students and faculty at elite universities, America’s staging ground for the future leaders in politics, industry, and thought, have expressed support for Hamas, a terrorist organization. In a recent poll of college students, 40 percent say they sympathize with Hamas, compared to only 33 percent who don’t. Students call for the death of Jews, make them scared to be on their own campuses, and celebrate terrorism.
I have friends at these universities, including the world-famous ones with billion-dollar endowments. They are scared to walk around on their own campuses, attacked by radicals who see a Jewish star and lash out. One friend had a flag violently taken from him, another was assaulted by several protesters, and others were harassed and made to fear for their safety.
This is not just happening on campuses, either. Swastikas have been spotted popping up outside of stores in New York, and an ever-growing group of online Neo-Nazis and antisemites harass Jewish people constantly.
A kosher restaurant that I work in recently had its door shattered, one of two such incidents to occur in a single day. I have spent countless evenings in that restaurant, watching Jewish customers comfortably eating their dinners and enjoying time with family and friends. I have sat there myself, and walked through that very door hundreds of times without a care. Now that comfort and security that we took for granted are threatened. The door is shattered. Shades of Kristallnacht cannot but appear before our eyes.
And, of course, this ideology has infiltrated the halls of Congress. From accusations of “genocide” because Israel wants to stop future Hamas massacres, to lies that Israel is an apartheid state or committing war crimes, members of the far-left have used their platforms to promote hate against Israel and Jews. And — partly due to the indoctrination on campuses — the numbers of those in power who call for the eradication of the Jewish state only continue to grow, as younger and more radical activists take their places as staffers, legislative aides, and Members of Congress.
Jews in America must continue to advocate for Israel and the Jewish community, but a glance at the age-segmented opinion polling shows that the future looks bleak. We must find a way to change the conversation, and interact with these future leaders in a way that can change their minds.
A few years ago, I asked a prominent rabbi with knowledge of the topic how long he thought America would remain safe for Jews. He said it would be just 10 or 15 years. At the time, I thought that was pessimistic. I was wrong. America — Di Goldene Medine (the Golden Land) — has been tarnished at last. America is no longer safe for Jews.
The author is a 2023-2024 CAMERA On Campus Fellow and a graduate of Yeshiva University.
The post The Kosher Restaurant I Work at Was Attacked; America Is Not Safe for Jews first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.