White House addressing “historic levels” of antisemitism in U.S.

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The Biden Administration recently announced it is taking new actions to combat antisemitism. This comes as the FBI Director Christopher Wray says says threats towards Jewish Americans have reached “historic levels” since the October 7th terrorist attacks in Israel.

Antisemitic demonstrations and acts of violence have been witnessed at a rate never seen before on college campuses and in communities across the country. The hate has even reached Congress as Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) has even been threatened.

“I’m feeling the same as Jews are feeling all around the world: under attack and under threat,” Rosen told reporters this week.

“There is this deep sense of isolation and feeling alone,” said Julie Rayman who is the Managing Director, Policy and Political Affairs at the American Jewish Committee.

According to the FBI, prior to October 7th, Jewish Americans were targeted in 60 percent of all religious-based hate crimes while only making up a little more than two percent of the population.

“And since October 7th, that’s been ignited to a really terrifying point,” Rayman said.

That is when Hamas carried out its terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians. The Anti-Defamation League said since then antisemitic threats are up 400 percent.

“If this moment is like a moment we’ve never seen before, then our action needs to be different from anything we’ve ever done before,” said Rayman.

The Biden Administration has proposed several actions including increased cooperation with law enforcement, streamlining the process to report discrimination, while specifically criminalizing certain forms of hate.

“President Biden has been clear. We can’t stand by and stand silent in the face of hate. We must without equivocation denounce antisemitism. We must also without equivocation denounce Islamophobia,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday.

And as we wait to see how these new policies work, Rayman has a message for the Jewish people.

“Our strength, in our resilience, which is the hallmark, I think, of of our people and a lot of other minorities around the world. That’s what’s going to be critical,” Rayman said.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department has no tolerance for violence and is focused on making sure no one lives in fear of hate-driven attacks.

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