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Why Bret Stephens and the ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt See Eye-to-Eye
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt speaks during the organization’s “Never Is Now” summit at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan in New York City, US, Nov. 10, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
“I was born in hiding, and I don’t want to die in hiding.”
Bret Stephens’ mother, who survived the Holocaust as a child in hiding, said that to him a year ago, after “watching footage of a Jewish student being harassed and surrounded by anti-Israel protestors at Harvard, a once great university,” said Stephens at Temple Emanu-El’s Streicker Center on Dec. 3.
“She couldn’t believe it. My mother, who came to this country at 10 and reveres America and our great institutions, she couldn’t believe that sight.” She responded by putting an Israeli flag on her door.
Stephens was in dialogue with ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, focused on the fact that the war in Gaza has been merely an excuse for the global surge in violent, normalized antisemitism.
The gorgeous sanctuary of Temple Emanu-El was packed on that cold Tuesday evening, with an additional 8,000 watching virtually. In general, the temple has leaned left, as do Reform (and most Conservative) congregations in NYC. But that night, there was no left and right in the audience. There were Jews. And many were there because they were scared.
Greenblatt talked about his first trip to Europe as ADL’s CEO, a decade ago. After seeing the high walls surrounding synagogues and Jewish day schools in Paris, he spoke with a well-armed member of the French Foreign Legion, who told him that he went from “fighting ISIS in Mali to fighting ISIS in Paris.”
“What starts in Europe ends up in America,” a friend told Greenblatt at the time.
“Objects in the mirror are closer than they may appear,” said Nicole Mutchnik, vice chair of the ADL’s Board of Directors.
A decade later, Greenblatt flew to Amsterdam to meet with Dutch leaders after the pogrom last month. “They told me they knew that this was planned long before the Israelis showed up. And yet, we were gaslit and told: The fans caused it. There are intense rivalries in soccer, but they don’t lead to a series of coordinated attacks across an entire city. Six hours of people getting chased down and assaulted with pipes and clubs and knives.”
“I’m sick and tired of being told that what’s happening on college campuses or at K-12 schools or at a soccer game is our fault. We should all be sick and tired of being told that we caused it because we didn’t cause any of it,” he said.
Greenblatt also met with leaders from the local Jewish community. “They were asking me, is it time to leave? Communities that withstood the Crusades, the Inquisitions, and the Shoah are now saying, is it time to go?”
Stephens was equally horrified by the reaction of European leaders. “Immediately, there was an effort at almost every level to explain away what had happened. What are the intellectual and cultural assumptions in which so much bigotry, which would not be permissible against any other minority, becomes permissible when it comes to Jews?”
“What do I want to see from leaders in Europe?” asked Greenblatt. “I want them to show courage. I want them to go after the radicals, whether they’re in the mosques or in the schools, or in their own political parties. And I want them to finally address the propaganda that is radicalizing these young people.”
“And this jihadi Islamism,” he added, “it’s coming here like a freight train.”
“Antisemitism,” Stephens explained, “is always going to find its roots and power not in the most bigoted and ugly expressions, but in the willing compliance of people who are prepared to go along with antisemitic explanations for the harm that’s done to Jews.”
How did we get to this place? “We have allowed anti-Zionism, this ideology of nihilism rooted in racism, to become legitimized,” Greenblatt said. “It is incredibly poisonous and problematic. We need to have the moral clarity and, frankly, the moral courage to call anti-Zionism for what it is: antisemitism. Period.”
“Viruses mutate to adapt to their host,” explained Stephens. “And the host today is uniquely susceptible to totally fallacious arguments about so-called settler colonialism. In fact, there’s one state that has this extraordinary connection to its ancestral homeland. And there’s one movement in the world that has the longest continuous anticolonial struggle in history.”
“The longest anticolonial struggle in history is Zionism,” Stephens stated. Zionism was in fact founded as a liberation movement from colonial powers.
“What is Hanukkah about? Who were we fighting? Who were we being colonized by? Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, the British. Over that space of 2,500 years, Jews never lost sight of the fact that they would resist colonialism and establish sovereignty on their own land.”
Greenblatt then delved into the damage DEI has done. “This kind of oppressor/oppressed framework, this derivative of the DEI industrial complex, has created the view that Jews are ‘oppressors.’”
“What worries me is this idea of privilege,” said Stephens. “We used to speak in America about success and the proper emotion when it comes to the success of others is admiration. When you talk not about success, but about privilege, the suggestion is that it is unearned. Unearned success doesn’t beget admiration, it begets envy. And envy is the most toxic political emotion in the world.”
European Jews “always suffered because there was a profound streak of envy that ran through a lot of European culture, and America was free of that,” said Stephens. “I’m not so sure we’re free of it now, which is what makes me so alarmed that we are on the cusp of replicating some of the patterns we see in Europe.”
“And let’s be honest about what’s happening at Columbia,” Stephens continued. “It isn’t just a bunch of idealistic students upset about what they’re seeing in Gaza, but not in Syria, Sudan, Burma, Russia, or anywhere else, because that double standard is plain, clear antisemitism. When it comes to Israel, there’s zero nuance, zero history, zero context, zero curiosity about how this came about. It’s an abomination, not simply when it comes to the Jews. It’s an abomination when it comes to pedagogy.”
“How did our elite universities get taken over by this utterly unthinking ideology that asks its students to do nothing but mouth stupid slogans that happen to rhyme?,” Stephens asked.
“We cannot expect the cavalry to come,” Greenblatt warned. “You are the cavalry,” he told the audience. “You are the ones who are going to ensure that Bret’s mom doesn’t die in hiding. Anyone who thinks that all of this is a function of some natural law, that it could never happen here, you’re kidding yourselves. America is an experiment in democracy bound together by invisible values and morals that tie us together and root us. And it’s up to us to hold onto those.”
The attendees (myself included) left that evening still feeling scared, but, perhaps, a little less alone.
“All of us are aching,” Greenblatt said, “and all of us are heartbroken.” But here were two strong Jewish leaders who were not afraid to ask and answer the tough questions. And perhaps most important: both want to finally ditch the toxic partisanship that has only made everything a thousand times worse.
Karen Lehrman Bloch is editor in chief of White Rose Magazine. A different version of this article appeared in the Jewish Journal.
The post Why Bret Stephens and the ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt See Eye-to-Eye first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Belgian Prime Minister Shows Solidarity With Jewish Community, Calls for Caution on Palestinian State Recognition
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever attends a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (not pictured), at the Chancellery, in Berlin, Germany, Aug. 26, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
Amid rising antisemitism across Europe and increasing hostility toward Israel from several European governments, Prime Minister Bart De Wever expressed Belgium’s sympathy and respect for the Jewish community this week, honoring the millions of victims of the Holocaust.
During his trip to Berlin on Tuesday, De Wever visited the Holocaust Memorial and left a moving message in its guestbook.
“On behalf of the Belgian government and all people and communities living together in peace in Belgium, I express my deepest sympathy and my respect,” the Belgian leader wrote in a note in German.
“We will remember all the victims. I stand here humbly at this place of remembrance. The Jewish community will always have a home in Europe,” he continued.
Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association (EJA), commended De Wever’s remarks and his support for the Jewish community, highlighting his leadership as a model.
“We sincerely thank Prime Minister De Wever for his moving message in Berlin. At a time when antisemitism is once again spreading across Europe, his clear and unwavering statement that the Jewish community will always have a home here is deeply important,” Margolin said in a statement.
“Such leadership not only honors the memory of the six million victims of the Holocaust but also strengthens the sense of security and belonging for Jews in Belgium and across the continent,” he continued.
“We also commend the Prime Minister’s principled leadership on Israel, where he consistently calls for security guarantees and a realistic path to peace. His voice carries moral weight in Europe, and we deeply appreciate it.”
During a visit to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Belgian Prime Minister @Bart_DeWever left an important message in the guestbook. Written in German, his note expressed Belgium’s sympathy and respect for the Jewish community and commemorated the millions… pic.twitter.com/ZcuEfKCavi
— EJA – EIPA (@EJAssociation) August 26, 2025
During his visit to Berlin, De Wever met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss the recent push by several European countries to recognize a Palestinian state at next month’s UN General Assembly.
At a joint press conference, De Wever stressed that recognizing a Palestine state is only meaningful under strict conditions, warning that doing so without such guarantees would be “pointless and even counterproductive.”
“Hamas must disappear completely, there must be a credible Palestinian Authority, an agreement must be reached on borders, and Israel must receive security guarantees. Without that, recognition makes no sense,” De Wever said.
In Belgium, De Wever’s more cautious approach to Palestinian statehood and support for Israel have fueled clashes within the government, with Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot threatening to block government initiatives if the coalition continues to hinder a firmer stance on Israel and the recognition of a Palestinian state.
“If there is no stronger tone within the government regarding the human rights violations committed by the Israeli government, or if no measures are taken in favor of recognizing Palestine, a major crisis is looming,” Prévot said during an interview with De Standaard.
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Amid War, Olim-Owned Businesses in Jerusalem Thrive, Showcasing Resilience, Community Spirit
Olim gather at JFK Airport, ready to board a charter flight to Israel and begin their new lives in the Jewish state. Photo: The Algemeiner
JERUSALEM — Despite the strains of war and the obstacles of starting over in a new country, businesses in Jerusalem owned by Jewish immigrants are thriving — a testament to resilience, Zionist commitment, and the power of community.
New immigrants, or olim, who make aliyah to Israel face steep challenges even in times of peace, navigating strict regulations, endless permits, and financial hurdles, though the Israeli government offers some support and incentives to promote new businesses.
Aliyah refers to the process of Jews immigrating to Israel, and olim refers to those who make this journey.
In recent years, the road has become even more difficult for entrepreneurs, first with the economic disruption of COVID-19 and now amid the uncertainty of the war in Gaza.
For many olim, launching a business in Israel is about more than entrepreneurship — it’s a way to start a new life, serve their country, build a community, and make a meaningful impact.
Last week, 225 new olim arrived in Tel Aviv on the first charter aliyah flight since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Nefesh B’Nefesh (NBN) — a nonprofit that promotes and facilitates aliyah from the US and Canada — brought its 65th charter flight from New York, which The Algemeiner joined.
Founded in 2002, NBN helps olim become fully integrated members of Israeli society, simplifying the immigration process and providing essential resources and guidance.
In partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth, and the Jewish National Fund, NBN has helped nearly 100,000 olim build thriving new lives in Israel.
Eager to start their next chapter in Israel, these immigrants bring fresh ideas, culinary creativity, and cultural richness, strengthening the country’s social fabric every day.
Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Diana Shapira brought her passion for baking and warm hospitality to Israel, turning her aliyah dream into a popular destination for both locals and tourists.
She and her husband created Infused JLM, located near Jerusalem’s Mahaneh Yehuda Market, blending American and Israeli culture and creating a space that brings people together.
“We want people to see that an oleh’s dream can happen,” Shapira told The Algemeiner. “Even without family and facing many challenges, starting a business in Israel is possible — especially when you have the support of the community.”
“Before we made aliyah, so many people told us it was a bad financial decision. But you have to push past the doubt and keep striving,” she continued.
Another olim-owned business located in Jerusalem, Power CoffeeWorks, has become a favorite destination for coffee enthusiasts across the city.
Owned by Stephanie and Brandon, who made aliyah from Cape Town, South Africa, in 2016 with their four children at the time (now seven), the couple has turned their venture into a hub for coffee lovers and a gathering place for the community.
“We made aliyah because we believed Israel was the best place to raise our children,” Stephanie told The Algemeiner. “Despite all the challenges along the way, it has been an incredible journey.”
Crave, another oleh-owned restaurant in Mahaneh Yehuda, has gained increasing attention with its strictly kosher gourmet street food, blending American, Mexican, and Asian flavors in a way that hasn’t been seen before.
American-born Yoni Van Leeuwen, who made aliyah more than 20 years ago with his wife and eight children, views food not just as a business, but as a way to bring cultures and communities together.
Following the Oct. 7 atrocities, the war in Gaza dealt a harsh blow to Israeli businesses, forcing many to cut hours, adapt operations, and manage shortages.
Yet these olim-owned establishments have shown resilience, proving that passion, creativity, and commitment to the Zionist dream can overcome even the toughest challenges.
Whether by serving comfort food, offering a safe space for neighbors, or organizing fundraisers for soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon, these business owners described a spirit of perseverance deeply rooted in Jewish history.
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Police in England Investigate Air Rifle Attack Against Jewish Teenager, Swastika Spray Painted at Rabbi’s Home
Friday night saw a string of swastika vandalism resulting in four reports, including from Rabbi Bentzion Alperowitz, a Chabad leader who discovered the Nazi symbol spray painted in black on his home’s white wall as he left for synagogue the next morning with his two young daughters. Photo: Screenshot
Multiple antisemitic incidents reported this past weekend targeted the Jewish community of Bournemouth in the southern region on the coast of the United Kingdom.
On Saturday afternoon, a driver stopped to harass and yell obscenities at two pedestrians before shooting one, a Jewish teenage boy, in the forehead with an air rifle and fleeing. The victim suffered swelling but has otherwise recovered.
“Detectives are leading the investigation to locate the occupants of the vehicle and to establish the full circumstances of the incident,” a spokesman for Dorset Police said. “The incident is being treated as a hate crime. Officers are engaging with the local community and carrying out patrols in the area. We would encourage anyone with information or concerns to please speak with an officer.”
Rabbi Alan Lewis, who leads the Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation, said that “the young man who was shot is a religious Jew who was wearing a skull cap. It was very obvious he was Jewish. Then several people living on Manor Road woke up to find that swastikas had been painted on their homes. The homes had a mezuzah outside, so it was obvious that Jewish people lived there.”
Friday night saw a string of swastika vandalism resulting in four reports, including from Rabbi Bentzion Alperowitz, a Chabad leader who discovered the Nazi symbol spray painted in black on his home’s white wall as he left for synagogue the next morning with his two young daughters.
“We will continue to live as proud Jews here in Bournemouth … I want to encourage everyone to do exactly the same,” Alperowitz said. “This is not the Bournemouth I know. Bournemouth is a kind, beautiful place and I feel this is still the truth for the vast majority of people here.”
Other members of the Jewish community came to assist the rabbi with removing the graffiti.
“[The] good news is that by the time you’re watching this video our wall will have been cleaned, thanks to some amazing people from the community, who came around to help clean it,” Alperowitz said.
Author Dov Forman wrote that “on Saturday morning, my friend Rabbi Benzion Alperowitz of Bournemouth Chabad walked outside to find a swastika on his home. Antisemitism is alive on our streets, yet it is too often excused and ignored. But it will not break us. We will continue to live proudly as Jews.”
Law enforcement has reportedly stepped up patrols in the town’s Jewish neighborhoods which include an estimated 2,000 people.
On Monday, the Community Security Trust (CST), an organization focused on monitoring antisemitic threats in the UK, released a statement saying that it was “appalled by a series of anti-Jewish hate crimes in Bournemouth over the weekend. These are abhorrent acts of racism that are deeply distressing for the Jewish community and should alarm everybody. We are supporting the local Jewish community and working with Dorset Police to assist their investigation. We urge anyone with information about these incidents to contact the police and CST.”
CST released a report of antisemitic incidents in the UK during 2024, finding 3,528 — the second highest ever — showing an 18-percent decrease from the all-time high of 4,296 in 2023.
Earlier this month, CST released a separate report noting the group recorded 1,521 antisemitic incidents in the UK from January to June of this year. It marks the second-highest total of incidents ever recorded by CST in the first six months of any year, following the first half of 2024 in which 2,019 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the aftermath of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.
“These hateful attacks on people and property in Bournemouth are extremely concerning. We have been informed that the police are investigating and hope that the perpetrators will be arrested and face the full force of the law,” Andrew Gilbert, vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said in a statement.
Maurice Michaels, who served as rabbi at Bournemouth Reform Synagogue, said that the community felt “very pressurized and anxious.” He added, “We’re getting terrified calls from people across the UK asking, ‘Is this really happening in Bournemouth?’ I’d never go out wearing my usual skull cap, I don’t show outward signs of being Jewish. I know community members who have even removed their mezuzah from their front door.”
Michaels described the antisemitic crimes as “a measure of what’s going on across the country, demonstrations where people cover their faces. They don’t want to be recognized because they know what they’re doing is wrong. We do the best we can to secure our safety. But when people attack our homes, when they shoot pellets — it gets to a point where it’s no longer a manageable situation. We’re frightened.”