Jews can’t fight antisemitic attacks alone

On Sunday, at a Jewish community rally in Boulder, Colorado, organized to draw attention to Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, at least 12 people were injured after a man allegedly targeted the group with a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails, shouting, “End Zionists!”

The heinous attack, which the FBI has branded a hate crime, comes less than two weeks after two young employees of the Israeli Embassy — Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky — were killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, by an attacker who allegedly chanted, “Free Palestine!”

Such horrific acts of violence, committed less than two weeks apart, should stop all Americans in their tracks.

Sarah and Yaron promoted friendship between Israelis and Palestinians. The residents of Boulder were supporting freedom for innocent hostages being held for more than a year and a half by Hamas terrorists. But in America today, even people working for peace and merely expressing sympathy for people being held against their will are subject to vile hatred, and simply being Jewish means having a target on your back. Whether it’s on a street in our nation’s capital or in a park in Colorado, antisemitism puts us all at risk.

I’ve led the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington for more than two decades, and have experienced firsthand how the Jewish community shoulders the psychological and financial burdens of antisemitic attacks. Losing young people like Sarah and Yaron in the prime of their lives is our worst nightmare. The pain and fear of this wrenching violence spreads throughout the Jewish community, damaging mental health and straining institutions with increasingly high security costs.

It’s not just up to Jews to stop antisemitism. It’s up to non-Jews to help us and stand against hate. With antisemitic violence on the rise in the last few years, according to incidents tracked by the Anti-Defamation League, political leaders and policymakers have a responsibility to act. Antisemitism is not a Jewish problem; it is a national problem that requires a unified response.

Antisemitism dates back millennia. But it has reached unprecedented levels in our country in recent years. The 9,354 antisemitic incidents documented in the United States in 2024 were the highest since the ADL started tracking annual totals 46 years ago. Just as concerning as the total number is the nature of those instances. Since 2022, antisemitic harassment has nearly tripled, and antisemitic assaults have nearly doubled, according to ADL data.

Since 2005, the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program has provided security funding to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of terrorist attacks. However, current funding levels are insufficient to cover the costs for cameras and other security equipment, and can only under limited circumstances be used for armed security personnel — the most pressing need right now.

In 2024, 7,584 nonprofits and religious institutions (not all of them Jewish) requested $973 million in total funding, but only $454.5 million was granted. Recipients also encounter unnecessary administrative hurdles and delays — including this year, when a funding freeze affected the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which houses the security grant program, causing payments and reimbursements to be paused for months, putting lives at risk.

That’s why Jewish institutions across the country are urging Congress and the Trump administration to raise total annual funding for the program to $1 billion and increase flexibility in how those funds are used. When it can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars for just one synagogue to put proper security measures in place, a federal response is necessary.

States and localities should implement similar programs or expand existing ones. My organization has led efforts alongside other Jewish organizations and local officials to create local programs in Montgomery County, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, as well as statewide programs in Virginia and Maryland. There is no substitute for additional federal dollars, but states and municipalities must do everything they can to help support local needs.

Jewish families deserve to live in a world where it’s possible to walk into a synagogue without the presence of armed guards. Sadly, that’s not the world we live in right now. And it’s not just armed security that’s needed to make Jews feel secure. Our whole society needs to respond so we don’t have to fear for our lives every time we express our faith or gather as a community.

Social media and other platforms must do far more to monitor, address, and prevent antisemitic hate speech that incites violence. School officials should do better at listening and responding to the experience of Jewish students and educators who regularly encounter antisemitism in classrooms and hallways. Policymakers from across the political spectrum – and community leaders across races, ethnicities, and faiths – must speak out against antisemitism without being asked to do so.

We will never let violence or hatred prevent us from leading open and proud Jewish lives. But Jewish communities in Washington, DC, Boulder, Colorado, and beyond need more financial and emotional support. This is the only way to prevent future attacks — and to ensure American Jews finally have the safety and security we deserve.