05-31-2023
In December 2022, more than 100 lawmakers sent President Biden a letter asking him to create a national strategy to combat the rise in antisemitism and methods to handle the threats and violence against Jewish communities. While American Jews make up just 2.4% of the U.S. population, they are victims of 63% of religiously motivated hate crimes, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Antisemitic incidents are currently at record levels, including violence directed at Jewish synagogues.
Biden established a task force to coordinate efforts to devise and implement the strategy. The newly-released plan includes four overarching themes: (1) increasing awareness and understanding of antisemitism; (2) improving safety and security in Jewish communities; (3) reversing the normalizing of antisemitism; and (4) building solidarity across communities. Federal agencies will commit to adding language about antisemitic bias and workplace religious accommodations into their training and educating their networks about Jewish-American contributions. The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security will work with Jewish communities to help with community-based prevention efforts, increase intelligence sharing with state and local partners, and communicate federal training and resources. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum plans to launch the first U.S.-based Holocaust education research center, and the National Endowment for the Humanities will expand its investment in K-12 education on Jewish history.
The tech companies are integral to the government's strategy. The Biden Administration called on tech companies to meet with Jewish groups to deepen their understanding of how antisemitism proliferates because of their social media platforms and establish a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech. The White House highlighted that "Antisemitic conspiracy theories fuel other forms of hatred, discrimination, and bias — including discrimination against other religious minorities, racism, sexism, and anti-LGBTQI+ hate.”