There is a famous Chinese curse that says, “may you live in interesting times”. Today’s times are extraordinary and quite difficult to believe. In my own county, Montgomery County, Maryland there have been four separate antisemitic incidents within the past several weeks, including a local high school that was vandalized with graffiti saying, “Jews Not Welcome”, swastikas and pictures of Jews hanging from nooses along a popular biker trail, swastikas at a bench near a well-frequented mall, and flyers passed around with swastikas emblazoned on them at a bus stop in my own neighborhood.
This is emblematic of the rapidly multiplying virus of antisemitism that is taking root within our own shores across America. We are all deeply dismayed and horrified to watch an ancient evil begin to gain mainstream support within our soil. As you may know, according to the FBI, antisemitic crimes outnumber the TOTAL of all racial and ethnic motivated crimes combined. In the past few years, these numbers are skyrocketing from an already elevated level. It is starting to look eerily like Germany in the 1930s, when ordinary Germans simply ignored violent antisemitic language and actions, brushing them off as anomalies. Interestingly, German universities were among both the first and the worst offenders, similar to what is happening in the United States, today.
While some antisemitism is driven by pre-modern tropes about Jews controlling everything, much of the new wave of anti-Semitism is focused on anti-Israel and anti-Zionist vitriol. Anti-Israel bigots don’t care if a Jew is liberal or conservative. They believe all Jews must answer for whatever perceived slight is coming from the current democratic-elected government of the State of Israel, or worse, that all Jews should suffer because, they believe, Israel is not a legitimate nation.
As you know, EMET is an action-oriented organization whose mission is accomplished through the education of policymakers. Unlike some organizations that excel at raising revenue at ‘feel good’ parlor meetings in living rooms --that often result in no meaningful success for the U.S. or Israel--EMET excels at raising awareness on issues of vital importance to the U.S. and Israel during meetings on Capitol Hill with Members of Congress and throughout the Executive Branch, that often results in significant policy changes that benefit both the U.S. and Israel.
We focus much of our work on foreign policy and pro-Israel action. We have been assiduously working to ensure the US government does all that is necessary to prevent the criminal Iranian regime from obtaining nuclear weapons and to support the brave Iranian dissidents who seek to liberate the Iranian people from the Ayatollahs. We have also been tirelessly working to obstruct funding for Palestinian terrorism and to confront the international diplomatic war against Israel. However, we are also keenly aware of the changing narrative in the USA, in terms of attacks on the Jewish people. We have been proactive in addressing this growing problem and working with policymakers to take real action, not just platitudes and speeches. For example:
Combatting Antisemitism on College Campuses: Thanks to an Executive Order signed by President Trump on December 11, 2019 – and long advocated by EMET in the form of the Antisemitism Awareness Act - Jewish students on college campuses are entitled to the same protections against hate speech as other groups have received. As a result, the Federal Government can withhold funding to any college or university that does not offer Jewish students these protections. However, now with the order in place, our job is to ensure its enforcement so that Jewish students are safe from the vitriolic anti-Semitism that often masquerades under the banner of the BDS movement or anti-Zionism. Of particular interest to us are the federally funded Middle Eastern Studies Programs under Title VI of the Higher Education Act. Most of these programs are virulently anti-Israel and anti-American and facilitate or promote anti-Zionism and antisemitism. Several years ago, we worked with Congress to make some amendments to this law so that there could be a “diversity of viewpoints” and “balance of perspectives” within these federally funded programs. We are now collaborating with student groups on college campuses who are giving us up-to-date details to bring to the attention of the Administration as to why our federal taxpayers’ dollars should be withheld from these programs, which constitute nothing more than anti-Israel, anti-American, and antisemitic propaganda as a paltry substitute for quality education. This has been going on for decades.
We know that today’s students become tomorrow’s thought leaders and policymakers and that what is taught in the university classroom creates attitudes that linger on for years and years, affecting the body politics and the policy decisions of the United States.
Now that antisemitism has reached the appalling levels that it has in this country, it is high time we call for hearings on this vitally important issue—one that is affecting the entire American Jewish community. And one that--among certain elements of the American electorate--is creating an alarming erosion of support for the continued survival of the state of Israel.
While the past few years have been troubling, to say the least, we are cautiously optimistic for a better 2023. EMET is well-positioned to be the sane, thoughtful, and strong voice of the pro-Israel community in 2023. We are very focused on action, not just words.
We ask you to please make a significant contribution to EMET and become a part of our team of those that not only think and analyze but also act.
Invest in EMET. Invest in the Truth. Thank you very much.
With Warmest Wishes for a Happy Chanukah and a Merry Christmas, Sarah
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