The past two months have been the most challenging for the Jewish community in the 21st century. On October 7, Hamas terrorists carried out some of the most unspeakable crimes that history has ever seen and broadcasted them live for all to see. When Israel launched a war in response, antisemitism skyrocketed across the world and Jews watched helplessly as Western streets were taken over by keffiyeh masked rioters calling for their genocide. Meanwhile, Iran is threatening Israel with Hezbollah’s arsenal of more than 150,000 rockets.
Antisemitism grew 300% since October 7 in the United States alone. But even before the massacre, antisemitism was at peak levels. According to the Anti-Defamation League, there was a 36 percent increase in reported antisemitic events from 2021 to 2022, marking a change of almost 1,000 incidents. This is the highest number of antisemitic incidents ever recorded by the organization. These numbers included a 41 percent increase in attacks on college campuses, where after October 7, students and professors alike gleefully cheered on Hamas and threatened Jewish and Israeli students.
Israel and the Jewish community need help. Now more than ever, American politicians need to hear from you, and EMET will guarantee that your voice is not silenced.
Every day, EMET’s team goes to Capitol Hill to ensure that American legislators and policymakers are well-informed about the threats and challenges that Israel and the Jewish community face daily. We provide them with fact-based, non-ideological information about antisemitism both on campus and off, as well as geopolitical analysis of the reality in the Middle East.
In fact, EMET is the only organization dedicating time and resources to work with congressional offices to pass the AntisemitismAwareness Act, which would institutionalize the International HolocaustRemembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism to be used in cases at the federal level. This includes helping to protect students on campus, as the IHRA definition is the gold standard: it recognizes anti-Zionism as antisemitism. According to the Jerusalem Post, over 1,000 global organizations, countries, and local municipalities, and 30 US states have adopted the definition. With out this protection passed at the federal level through the Antisemitism Awareness Act, Jews across the US have no real recourse against acts of hatred perpetrated against them, unlike every other minority group. And we have seen the complete lack of will from university administrators to take action. On December 5, in an Education and Workforce Committee Hearing, the Presidents of Harvard, MIT, and Penn University could not even denounce calls for Jewish genocide as harassment. It has become abundantly clear that we need a legislative solution.
EMET also dedicates resources to public outreach about the issue, ensuring that we provide the public with analysis from the best experts in Washington and the world through webinars and constant publications.
We take no money from governments or agenda-driven donors. Given the growing challenges both in the Middle East and the US, EMET needs to expand and increase its activities to ensure that the Jewish people remain safe.
This is why we need your support. We cannot do this alone. EMET depends on you to make sure the Jewish people and Israel are strong in the face of so much adversity.
Investing in EMET is investing in the Jewish community and Israel’s future, and in the strength of the United States of America.
Invest in EMET. Invest in the Truth.
Thank you.
Sarah Stern
