Friend,
This is a precarious time for American democracy. We have seen a disturbing rise in hate incidents of all kinds, including antisemitic hate. Antisemitism, in addition to being a toxic form of prejudice, is also a key feature of white nationalist ideology and is in many instances a leading indicator of extremist movements that threaten the rights of all.
The “great replacement” narrative has become thoroughly mainstream on the political right over the past few years. This racist conspiracy, which says there is a systematic, global effort to replace white, European people with nonwhite, foreign populations, provides the central framework for the white supremacist movement. In some manifestations of the great replacement theory, believers blame Jews for the supposed genocide of the white race. This theory has inspired numerous deadly, terror attacks.
For more than 50 years, the SPLC has been tireless in identifying and rooting out hate and extremist groups to create a fair, inclusive and diverse democracy. However, the consequences of mainstream antisemitic hate still threaten our communities today. The SPLC has remained one of the premier civil rights organizations fighting antisemitism in the courts, in Congress and through grassroots community work. This work is as important as ever, and we thank you for joining us in standing up to antisemitic hate.
Here’s more about some of the work we’ve done to combat antisemitic hate in recent years:
- SPLC Intelligence Project Director Susan Corke was selected to testify at the House Homeland Security hearing in October on extremism and antisemitism. She shared our dedicated research and analysis of the hate spreading across America and urged lawmakers to invest in the technology needed to track antisemitism and white supremacy across the digital frontier and improve our national hate crime reporting requirements.
- The SPLC played a lead role in promoting a productive White House United We Stand Summit on hate and extremism in September. SPLC President and CEO Margaret Huang was among those polled for ideas for the summit, and we set out concrete objectives and goals for the summit in a letter to White House Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice. And, just this week, an SPLC Action Fund-drafted coalition letter was sent to the director of the Office of Management and Budget urging the president to fully fund commitments made at the United We Stand hate and extremism summit.
- In February 2022, the SPLC Action Fund urged senators to promptly confirm Professor Deborah Lipstadt as the State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.
- The SPLC has expressed support for increased funding for DHS’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which provides funding for protecting synagogue, day school and Jewish community (and other religious community) institutions against attack. We have urged that these programs be complemented by funding for federal and state prevention and community-based victim assistance initiatives. We were also among the civil rights groups that a June 2021 letter in solidarity with the Jewish community confronting antisemitism.
- The SPLC has demanded accountability and consequences for the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and we submitted three detailed statements on extremists and antisemites associated with the insurrection to the January 6 Select Committee. Read more about our work investigating the Jan. 6 attack here: Jan. 6: The Long Path to the Insurrection.
- We have helped lead advocacy for improved hate crime response both in the United States and abroad. In July 2022, we submitted this report to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
- In 2019, the SPLC triumphed in our lawsuit against neo-Nazi leader Andrew Anglin, who used his website to launch an antisemitic campaign of terror against a Jewish woman and her family. A federal judge ruled that Anglin must pay more than $14 million in damages – and, last month, a federal court issued a warrant for his arrest.
- An August 2022 article from SPLC’s Hatewatch blog exposed how white nationalists used Amazon to fund their cause.
- Most recently, the SPLC has helped elevate background about Nick Fuentes, the antisemite who recently dined with Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and former President Trump. SPLC staff also provided expert analysis for an ABC article addressing antisemitic rhetoric from celebrities and rising antisemitic threats.
We are deeply concerned that antisemitic incidents have become so prevalent, and stand ready to address antisemitic hate as soon as it manifests. Thank you for empowering us to continue this important work.
In solidarity,
The Southern Poverty Law Center
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