Earlier this year, Townhall reported how a school superintendent revealed that she’d received pushback from staff for wanting to implement some kind of antisemitism teaching for staff. This came after Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israel that began on Oct. 7.
In addition, the Department of Education has launched investigations into several school districts and universities over claims of antisemitism.
In a new poll published this week, large majorities of Americans, Jews and non-Jews, say that antisemitism in the United States is a “serious problem.”
Broken down, 94 percent of American Jews say antisemitism is either a “very serious” or “somewhat serious” problem. Only 1 percent said it’s “not much of a problem.”
In addition, 50 percent of American Jews said that antisemitism in the United States has “increased a lot” over the past five years. Thirty-seven percent said it had increased “somewhat.”
Sixty-three percent of American Jews said the status of Jews in the U.S. is “less secure than a year ago.”
Twenty-five percent of American Jews surveyed said they were a target of an antisemitic incident—a physical attack, a remark in person, or antisemitic vandalism or messaging—in 2023.
"No one should be fearful of being targeted or harassed for being Jewish when walking down the street, going to school, or being at work," Ted Deutch, the American Jewish Committee’s CEO, told USA TODAY. "This isn’t a new problem, but the explosion of antisemitism since Oct. 7 demands that we take collective action now."
"No one should be fearful of being targeted or harassed for being Jewish." - @AJCCEO Ted Deutch
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) February 14, 2024
AJC's new survey on antisemitism in America found an alarming truth: 3/4 of American Jews feel less safe after October 7th.
More from @USATODAY:https://t.co/vb9DT3WqQi
The AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report: Survey of American Jews, conducted by the research company SSRS, was based on interviews conducted by telephone and online from October 5 - November 21, 2023, among a nationally representative sample of 1,528 Jews aged 18 or older.
College campuses, specifically, have been hotspots for antisemitic displays.
"Hate has no place in our schools, period. When students are targeted because they are—or are perceived to be—Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Sikh, or any other ethnicity or shared ancestry, schools must act to ensure safe and inclusive educational environments where everyone is free to learn,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement in November after reports of antisemitism came to light.
“If an institution refuses to follow the law to protect students, we would withhold dollars,” Cardona said.