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Will Antisemitism in the US Lead to Even More Violence Against Jews?

Demonstrators take their “Emergency Rally: Stand with Palestinians Under Siege in Gaza” out of Harvard University and onto the streets of Harvard Square, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, Oct.14, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Most American Jews agree on one thing — antisemitism is on the rise in this country, and the curve is rather steep, especially since October 7, 2023. To many, it is shocking that this is happening in America, the one-time safe haven for Jews.

Antisemitism was present in the US even during World War II, though the discovery of Nazi atrocities in concentration camps diminished it substantially. Even antisemites felt uncomfortable, at least for a while. However, many universities did not abolish quotas for Jewish students until the 1960s. Broad US support for Israel didn’t emerge until the 1970s — and there still remained many instances of antisemitism throughout the US.

But something strange started happening after 9/11. There were voices blaming Jews for the Al-Qaeda attacks, and many Muslims were worried about backlash. This view — that Jews were responsible for the ills in America and the Middle East was developing at some universities long before 9/11. Professors in Middle East Studies departments, like Edward Said at Columbia, began blaming Israel for problems in America and around the world. Said and his ilk present Israelis as war criminals, ignoring all history of the region, broad support for terrorism against Israel, and the Palestinian leadership’s refusal to leave peacefully alongside their Jewish neighbors.

Due to this campus indoctrination, as well as successful far-left activism, the seeds of hatred had been firmly planted against Israel.

This disturbing trend took an ominous turn on October 7, when even during the massacre, many of those professors and their students rejoiced over it.

Since then, many universities have been engulfed in raucous and violent protests descending into chaos and rabid antisemitism, including calling for the destruction of Israel. It has also resulted in the harassment and intimidation of Jewish students. Of the recent Hamas-Israel conflicts, this current war is the longest and most cruel, and it is accompanied by a dramatic increase in antisemitism in the US, many European countries, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and other nations.

How did this happen? The initial shock and empathy for Israel in the aftermath of October 7 evaporated quickly, because Israelis fought and are fighting back — and they were not supposed to do that, they were supposed to be slaughtered like Jews have been in the past.

Their supporters have ignored every Palestinian attempt to destroy Israel and reject peace — starting in 1948 and continuing until today. They refuse to even admit that there are two sides in this conflict — and that one tries to protect civilian lives (Israel), while the other (Hamas) purposefully sets out to kill innocents.

Not only that, some American Jews are convinced that President Trump is making things worse with his actions — partly because he’s not explaining that the issue isn’t criticizing Israel, but supporting terrorism and violence. They defend Mahmoud Khalil, the arrested leader at Columbia. Their argument is that free speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment. But Khalil’s actions were not free speech — they were promotion of a terrorist group and violence against Jews.

Jacob Miller, the president of Harvard Hillel in 2023, brings up an interesting point in his article in The Harvard Crimson. He argues that many of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations and actions would be despicable even when one would not consider them antisemitic because of their hatred and calls for violence. This is true, but we also need to realize that any rise in antisemitism in the recent and distant past was always connected with violence, culminating in the Final Solution of the Third Reich. It is the same type of mob violence associated with the KKK and pogroms of the past.

The history of Jews shows that this hatred is usually preceded by violence; we can only hope that in America, things will unfold differently if we push back hard enough.

Jaroslava Halper, a daughter of Holocaust survivors, grew up in communist Prague, experienced the Six-Day and Yom Kippur wars from a distance, but lived through Prague Spring and Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. She escaped to Canada in 1976, where she finished her MD at the University of Toronto. She trained in pathology at the Mayo Clinic, where she also obtained a PhD. She is a professor of Pathology at the University of Georgia in Athens GA. She considers it of utmost importance to defend Israel and Judaism (at least in writing), and fight antisemitism.

The post Will Antisemitism in the US Lead to Even More Violence Against Jews? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy

Thomas Barrack at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., November 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

i24 News – Lebanon’s daunting social, economic and political issues would not get resolved unless the state persists in the efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy behind so much of the unrest and destruction, special US envoy Tom Barrack told The National.

“You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn’t move, it’s going to be Bilad Al Sham again,” he said, using the historical Arabic name for the region sometimes known as “larger Syria.”

The official stressed the need to follow through on promises to disarm the Iranian proxy, which suffered severe blows from Israel in the past year, including the elimination of its entire leadership, and is considered a weakened though still dangerous jihadist outfit.

“There are issues that we have to arm wrestle with each other over to come to a final conclusion. Remember, we have an agreement, it was a great agreement. The problem is, nobody followed it,” he told The National.

Barrack spoke on the heels of a trip to Beirut, where he proposed a diplomatic plan for the region involving the full disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese state.

The post Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a cultural forum dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 11, 2024. Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Scherbak/Pool via REUTERS

i24 News – Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian leadership that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, the Axios website reported on Saturday. The Russian strongman also relayed the message to his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, the report said.

Iranian news agency Tasnim issued a denial, citing an “informed source” as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard.

Also on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that “Any negotiated solution must respect Iran’s right to enrichment. No agreement without recognizing our right to enrichment. If negotiations occur, the only topic will be the nuclear program. No other issues, especially defense or military matters, will be on the agenda.”

The post Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool

i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is attending at least one meeting with Israeli officials in Azerbaijan today, despite sources in Damascus claiming he wasn’t attending, a Syrian source close to President Al-Sharaa tells i24NEWS.

The Syrian source stated that this is a series of two or three meetings between the sides, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also in attendance, along with Ahmed Al-Dalati, the Syrian government’s liaison for security meetings with Israel.

The high-level Israeli delegation includes a special envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as security and military figures.

The purpose of the meetings is to discuss further details of the security agreement to be signed between Israel and Syria, the Iranian threat in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollah’s weapons, the weapons of Palestinian militias, the Palestinians camps in Lebanon, and the future of Palestinian refugees from Gaza in the region.

The possibility of opening an Israeli coordination office in Damascus, without diplomatic status, might also be discussed.

The source stated that the decision to hold the meetings in Azerbaijan, made by Israel and the US, is intended to send a message to Iran.

The post Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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