Antisemitic incidents are rising at an alarming rate across the United States, with Jewish communities facing a surge of hate-fueled threats and violence. In Highland Park, Illinois, an antisemitic letter threatening violence was mailed to a resident, prompting involvement from the FBI and the Illinois Terrorism and Intelligence Center. As a precaution, religious institutions in the area were temporarily closed. In New York City, an elderly man struck a Jewish woman on a subway platform after yelling a racial slur, while federal authorities in Maryland arrested a man for sending threatening letters to Jewish organizations in Philadelphia. In another incident in San Francisco, a Jewish victim was beaten unconscious by a group reportedly shouting anti-Jewish and pro-Palestinian slogans. These acts represent just a fraction of the growing wave of hostility.

The violence escalated even further in recent weeks. A pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado was firebombed by an Egyptian national using Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower, injuring 15 people. Just days earlier, two Israeli embassy staffers were murdered in Washington, D.C., by a gunman who claimed he acted “for Gaza.” The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reports that 2024 saw a record-breaking 9,354 antisemitic incidents in the U.S.—an average of 25.6 per day. Over half of these were tied directly to Israel’s existence. Particularly troubling is the 84% spike in antisemitic activity on college campuses and a 19% rise in public attacks. As the ADL warns, this normalization of antisemitism is a growing crisis. Yet, despite the threats, Jewish Americans remain steadfast—unshaken in their heritage, faith, and identity.

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SOURCE: The Algemeiner