Combating Antisemitism, Upholding Democracy, Protecting Free Speech

In JTA, Nexus Project and other Jewish groups vocally condemned the arrest of pro-Palestinian protestor Mahmoud Khalil. The Nexus statement, while expressing concern about antisemitism and the tome of campus protests, said, “Authoritarian federal overreach and apparent disregard for due process only makes Jews less safe.” NYJA likewise condemned campus antisemitism.

David Knowles quoted Nexus Project’s reaction to the detainment of pro-Palestinian protestor Mahmoud Khalil. “We unequivocally oppose the use of violence and intimidation on campus. At the same time, when legitimate political protest has been recklessly mischaracterized by the administration as support for terrorism, deporting and arresting green card holders over alleged ‘support’ of Hamas is too broad a standard to be the basis of policy.”

Haaretz reports on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on antisemitism amid increased pressure from the Trump Administration to cut funding or deport students involved in pro-Palestinian protests. “‘Jews have always been safest in pluralistic democracies,’ said Nexus Project Washington Director Kevin Rachlin. ‘True antisemitism thrives in authoritarian environments where civil liberties are curtailed, not in spaces of robust, protected democratic discourse.’”

US News and World Report analyzes key moments from the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on antisemitism. “Kevin Rachlin, the Washington director of the Nexus Project, called on Congress to use its power to authorize action instead of scheduling hearings and pointing fingers. He also called on Congress to not discard the 2023 National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, which outlines a broad approach to tackle antisemitism in the country, calling it a ‘landmark document.’”

Reporting for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Ben Sales writes that the embattled NYC mayor, facing corruption charges and allegations of a quid pro quo with the Trump administration, said his opponents are engaged in the “big lie.” Adams faced criticism from The Nexus Project, which focuses on antisemitism and called the comment “out of line.”

Jonathan Jacoby, voicing objections to the visit, noting Vance's role in pushing Elon Musk (who recently made Holocaust jokes on X) in rehiring a staffer who publicly self-identified as a racist. ". . . until you condemn the many connections to neo-Nazis in your new administration, please stay off the sacred ground upon which our parents and grandparents were slaughtered," Jacoby wrote.