The Dangerous Rise of Anti-Semitic Violence
Note – This article was co-written with Quincy Levine, a junior at Crossroads High School in Los Angeles, California.
In December 2025, on the eve of Hanukkah, over 1,000 people gathered on Bondi Beach in eastern Australia for a day of celebration, community and faith. The gathering was abruptly shattered when two gunmen opened fire, ruthlessly murdering 15 people and injuring 40 others. What should have been a moment defined by light and unity became a scene of terror, claiming the lives of children, adults and elderly alike.
Shortly after, in January 2026, the Beth Israel synagogue in Mississippi was set ablaze by an arsonist. Beth Israel is the state’s largest Jewish house of worship, with the attack bringing back memories of the synagogue’s bombing by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in 1967.
These events are testaments to one horrific truth – the profound rise of antisemitic violence. In 2024, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported 9,354 global antisemitic events, representing a 344% increase over the previous five years. All of these incidents were reported as either assaults, vandalism or harassment.
As Jewish teenagers, we’ve seen acts of antisemitism go from rare headlines to weekly occurrences. When Nadav attended a Jewish teen conference, he was met with protestors who called for acts of violence against him and his community. While Quincy was at an international Model United Nations conference, another student told him that he agreed with Adolf Hitler’s attempts to exterminate the Jewish people.
In what world is this okay? Hatred deserves no tolerance. And yet, when antisemitism erupts, when places of worship are firebombed, when Jewish kids are told Hitler was right, when kibbutzes are burned to the ground, when children are left without parents and parents left without children, the world falls silent. Of course, statements are issued. Politicians reserve their grievances. And, for a bit, we mourn. Eventually, though, headlines fade and conversations move on, while these tragedies go forgotten. But for us, they don’t. We return to school, with fear echoing through our consciences. We wonder about the next event. If we’ll become the next headline.
Our fear represents a broader global shift; in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel and the ensuing Gaza conflict, antisemitic violence has skyrocketed, sparking widespread controversy and polarization. Subsequently, in today’s geopolitical climate, conversations about antisemitism have increasingly intertwined with Israel’s legitimacy and role in the region.
For us, the idea of a Jewish State is central to our identity, encompassing both religion and culture. However, Israel is not and should not be immune to criticism. Like every nation, it has its flaws and should be held accountable for wrongdoings. Recently, though, the line between criticism and antisemitism has been dangerously blurred, ultimately transitioning into the use of violence against an entire race. A regional conflict should never justify threatening the livelihoods of innocent Jewish people. Antisemitism is not political; it is hatred and bigotry in its purest form.
Senior Rabbi Erez Sherman of Sinai Temple, located in Los Angeles, believes antisemitism has seen a dramatic shift in recent years. Once deeply rooted in old, malicious tropes, antisemitism, Sherman explains, has flourished in new and evolving ways.
“The newest form of antisemitism is through social media,” he said. “People aren’t reading books, they’re not meeting Jews, they’re hearing about Jews online.” Sherman also pointed towards political polarization and extremism, attributing these factors to the growing wave of antisemitism.
Although recent spikes in hate dishearten Sherman, he has encouraged Jewish teenagers to create social change in the Los Angeles area. Sinai Temple has provided youth group members with opportunities to meet local members of Congress and advocate for anti-hate policies. Sherman said that he “wants to prepare teens to actively live out their Jewish joy and their Jewish identity.”
Nadav, a lifetime member of Sinai Temple, has become an active voice within his community, developing an intricate relationship with Sherman. Through these opportunities, Nadav has been empowered to learn about his Jewish identity and the importance of standing up to hate.
In addition to fostering education, Sherman has established interfaith dialogue groups and engaged directly with civic leaders, working to ensure that antisemitism is addressed across broader religious and political spaces.
Yet, Sherman argues that enough isn’t being done by policymakers around the globe to combat antisemitism. “When governments fail to put regulations and laws in place to stop hate speech, it eventually leads to violence.” Sherman says that religious leaders must “look at those in power and ask what they’re doing to protect Jews.”
Allowing hateful ideas to fester in our communities and institutions of higher education, both socially and politically, is unacceptable. Although new legislation and formal definitions of antisemitism have been implemented, they have fallen short of combating widespread hate and malice. Acts of violence have risen year-over-year, and new social media trends only contribute to harmful rhetoric. Without strong accountability and leadership from elected officials, educational institutions and society as a whole, antisemitism will only continue to spread.
Jonathan Greenblatt, National Director of the ADL, has become a leading voice in the fight against global antisemitism. Under his guidance, the ADL has collaborated with lawmakers and civil rights organizations to develop new public policy, track extremism and counter online hate.
Despite the ADL’s efforts, antisemitism, specifically antisemitic violence, has surged profoundly. “Antisemitic violence has always existed, but what’s changed is the normalization of mass-casualty events,” Greenblatt explained. “The proliferation of guns and the normalization of violence is a bad combination.” Together, these factors have created an environment where physical manifestations of hate and barbarity have flourished.
This spike in violence is strikingly similar to that of the Nazi regime. Over the last two and a half years, we’ve seen antisemitism evolve from online trends to systematic acts of terror, evident in the Bondi Beach massacre and burning of the Beth Israel synagogue.
Antisemitism must not further permeate our society. Allowing baseless hatred to spread has not only endangered the livelihoods of Jewish people, but hundreds of other targeted groups across the world. Antisemitism does not materialize overnight. It slowly builds, weaving its way into society under the cover of darkness. Now, we’re presented with an opportunity to stop hate in its tracks. Silence is no longer an option.
To the millions of Jewish teenagers like us, living in a cruel and scary world, we know and understand your struggle. We empower you to explore yourselves and Jewish identities: have that difficult conversation, celebrate Shabbat on Friday night, confront hate in all its forms and unapologetically express who you are. Most importantly, stand up for yourself and stand up for your people. The day we fall silent is the day that they win.
