Nexus In The News

Significant news articles that mention Nexus, including Op-Ed articles written by Nexus Board Members and Advisors. 

Antisemitism watchdog offers alternative to Trump's campus crackdown

Antisemitism watchdog offers alternative to Trump's campus crackdown

Axios reports on the release of Nexus’s Antisemitism Strategy for the Trump Era. Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby shared, “While the Trump Administration exploits the rise of antisemitism to target democratic freedoms and political opponents, too many Jewish establishment groups are either backing their efforts or remaining silent.”
Among American Jews, a Schism Over ICE Arrest of Columbia Activist

Among American Jews, a Schism Over ICE Arrest of Columbia Activist

Jonathan Jacoby, Nexus Project’s national director, expressed concern that the arrest and promised crackdown would widen divides between Jews and other minority groups: “There has never been a safer and more flourishing experience than the American Jewish experience, living as a free people in an open society,” he said. “Anything that endangers that, or our relationships with other Americans — those are all Jewish concerns.”
Jewish people fear scapegoating as Trump invokes antisemitism to justify crackdowns

Jewish people fear scapegoating as Trump invokes antisemitism to justify crackdowns

Axios reported on measures to monitor immigrants’ social media for alleged antisemitic content, which could be used to justify deportations. Jonathan Jacoby told Axios, "Using vague language like 'terrorist sympathizer' to target and punish immigrants will not combat antisemitism or make Jews any safer…The Trump administration continues to exploit our community's concerns to unfairly target others – all while elevating and engaging in antisemitism themselves."

The Coming Jewish Civil War Over Donald Trump

Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby highlighted Nexus Project’s report, “Fighting Antisemitism, Protecting Democracy: A Strategy for the Trump Era,” stating that “[the Trump administration] cannot exploit our fear for your nefarious purposes. We will not let you destroy our democracy in our name. We will not let you endanger our community, and the communities of disadvantaged groups and of other minorities, and ultimately, all Americans, in our

Read Article
Jewish Telegraphic Agency Progressive Jewish groups oppose Antisemitism Awareness Act ahead of Senate vote The act returns to the Senate in a changed political climate

Progressive Jewish groups oppose Antisemitism Awareness Act ahead of Senate vote

The Nexus Project and 10 progressive Jewish organizations signed onto a joint letter opposing the Antisemitism Awareness Act, stating the legislation would “represent an endorsement of the Trump Administration’s escalating efforts to weaponize antisemitism as a pretext for undermining civil rights, deporting political dissidents, and attacking the fundamental pillars of our democracy.”

Read Article
MOMENT The Antisemitism Awareness Act Is Back If passed how will it be used to curb harassment of Jewish students

The Antisemitism Awareness Act Is Back

Jonathan Jacoby, National Director of the Nexus Project, a nonprofit dedicated to combating antisemitism, discussed the dangers of codifying the IHRA definition, or any other definition” of antisemitism. Jacoby told Moment Magazine that the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA) “goes hand in hand with the Trump administration’s strategy of using accusations of antisemitism as a pretext for undermining educational and democratic institutions.”

Read Article
HAARTZ US Govt Says Immigrants May Face Visa Denial OverAntisemitic Social Media Posts The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it will immediately begin scraping immigration

U.S. Gov’t Says Immigrants May Face Visa Denial Over ‘Antisemitic’ Social Media Posts

Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby told Haaretz, “The Trump administration continues to exploit our community’s concerns to unfairly target others – all while elevating and engaging in antisemitism themselves,” following U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announcing it would begin to monitor immigrants’ social media for alleged antisemitic comments, including critiques of the ongoing war in Gaza.

Read Article
The BOSTON GLOBETrump administration to screen social media activity of immigrants The US Citizenship and Immigration Services said Wednesday that it will begin screening the social media activi

Trump administration to screen social media activity of immigrants

Jonathan Jacoby told the Boston Globe the new USCIS policy weaponizes antisemitism as a pretext for deporting immigrants. He “criticized McLaughlin’s use of the term ‘terrorist sympathizer’ as ‘vague’ and said using it ‘to target and punish immigrants will not combat antisemitism or make Jews any safer…The administration continues to exploit our community’s concerns to unfairly target others – all while elevating and engaging in antisemitism themselves.’”

Read Article
The Guardian Trump officials to monitor immigrants social media for antisemitism Advocacy groups condemn action as an ‘excuse to move a cruel, anti-immigrant, authoritarian agenda

Trump officials to monitor immigrants’ social media for antisemitism

Following the announcement by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that it will begin monitoring immigrants’ social media for alleged antisemitic content, the Nexus Project told The Guardian: Treating antisemitism as an imported problem does not fight antisemitism. Using politically malleable language like ‘terrorist sympathizer’ to go after immigrants does not fight antisemitism. Doing this while elevating antisemitism, as this administration is doing, does not fight antisemitism.”

Read Article
Reuters US to screen social media of immigrants rights advocates raise concerns Trump has been cracking down on pro-Palestinian protests

US to screen social media of immigrants, rights advocates raise concerns

Reuters reported on the announcement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that it would monitor social media posts from immigrants for alleged antisemitism and use it as grounds for deportation. Kanishka Singh wrote, “The Nexus Project, which fights antisemitism, said the Trump administration was going after immigrants in the name of tackling antisemitism and treating antisemitism as an imported problem.”

Read Article
NEW YORK TIMES Trump and Netanyahu Steer Toward an Ugly World, Together There was a time when a meeting between the president of the United States and the prime minister of Israel brought

Opinion: Trump and Netanyahu Steer Toward an Ugly World, Together

Opinion Columnist Thomas Friedman explores the U.S.-Israel relationship under the Trump and Netanyahu administrations and how the two leaders undermine democracy to push their autocratic agendas. Friedman interviewed Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby about Nexus’s recent report Fighting Antisemitism, Protecting Democracy: A Strategy for the Trump Era. Jacoby commented: “President Trump has taken a real phenomenon that needs to be addressed — antisemitism that emerges out of

Read Article
POLITICO Trump’s pro-Palestinian activism crackdown closely mirrors a plan from the creators of Project 2025 As President Donald Trump was seeking to distance himself from Project 2025 Heritage

Trump’s pro-Palestinian activism crackdown closely mirrors a plan from the creators of Project 2025

POLITICO analyzes Heritage Foundation’s Project Esther, which the Trump administration has used as a blueprint to combat antisemitism, including detaining student protestors and pulling funding from universities. Kevin Rachlin commented, “There is real resistance from the Jewish community. There is real resistance from the civil liberties community, from almost across the board in civil society. There is real danger if [Project Esther] is implemented.”

Read Article
NEW YORK TIMES Trump’s Fight Against Antisemitism Has Become Fraught for Many Jews American Jews have watched with both alarm and enthusiasm as strong-arm tactics, including arrests of activists,

Trump’s Fight Against Antisemitism Has Become Fraught for Many Jews

The New York Times reports on the varying reactions from Jewish groups and Jewish leaders to the Trump administration’s approach to countering antisemitism. Jonathan Jacoby, the national director of the Nexus Project, expressed concern over the safety of Jewish Americans, “[a]nytime you put Jews in the middle on an issue, it’s not good for the Jews…That’s a classic antisemitic position that antisemites like to put Jews. So

Read Article
The BOSTON GLOBE Jewish community must stand up to Trump’s targeting of international students What happened to Rumeysa Ozturk, and many other international students, will not make Jewish student

Opinion: Jewish community must stand up to Trump’s targeting of international students

Alan Solomont, member of the Nexus Project Board and Dean Emeritus of Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, responded to the detainment of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University PhD student. Solomont editorializes, “What happened to Ozturk, and many other international students, will not make Jewish students safer, nor is it fighting antisemitism. It is weaponizing legitimate Jewish pain and very real concerns about antisemitism

Read Article
Jewish Telegraphic Agency A growing number of Jewish groups are condemning Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest President Donald Trump cheered the arrest, and the White House tweeted SHALOM, MAHMOUD

A growing number of Jewish groups are condemning Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest

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.

Read Article
Yahoo News Federal judge blocks Trump administration from deporting pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil Khalil was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Saturday night at his

Federal judge blocks Trump administration from deporting pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil

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.”

Read Article
HAARETZ Trump, GOP Eye Columbia University as Prime Target in Antisemitism Purge As Trump threatens cut funding college over pro-Palestinian protests, investigates University California holds S

Trump, GOP Eye Columbia University as Prime Target in Antisemitism Purge

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.’”

Read Article
USNEWS 3 Takeaways From Senate Hearing on Antisemitism Witnesses at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on antisemitism called on Congress to take concrete steps to combat the rising tide of hat

3 Takeaways From Senate Hearing on Antisemitism

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

Read Article
Jewish Telegraphic Agency JD Vance to visit Dachau on Thursday, the latest VP to tour the Nazi camp He’s the latest in a string of senior U

JD Vance to visit Dachau on Thursday, the latest VP to tour the Nazi camp

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.

Read Article
NEWSWEEK CEO of National Jewish Advocacy Center, Rabbi Mark Goldfeder (R) arrrives to testify as demonstrators protest during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution

There Is a Better Way to Fight Antisemitism

In an Opinion piece published by Newsweek, Nexus Project Board Members Hannah Rosenthal and Rabbi David Saperstein discuss the contradictions of the new Trump Administration vowing to fight antisemitism while threatening to crack down on peaceful protests and free speech.

Read Article

The Coming Jewish Civil War Over Donald Trump

Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby highlighted Nexus Project’s report, “Fighting Antisemitism, Protecting Democracy: A Strategy for the Trump Era,” stating that “[the Trump administration] cannot exploit our fear for your nefarious purposes. We will not let you destroy our democracy in our name. We will not let you endanger our community, and the communities of disadvantaged groups and of other minorities, and ultimately, all Americans, in our

Read Article
Jewish Telegraphic Agency Progressive Jewish groups oppose Antisemitism Awareness Act ahead of Senate vote The act returns to the Senate in a changed political climate

Progressive Jewish groups oppose Antisemitism Awareness Act ahead of Senate vote

The Nexus Project and 10 progressive Jewish organizations signed onto a joint letter opposing the Antisemitism Awareness Act, stating the legislation would “represent an endorsement of the Trump Administration’s escalating efforts to weaponize antisemitism as a pretext for undermining civil rights, deporting political dissidents, and attacking the fundamental pillars of our democracy.”

Read Article
MOMENT The Antisemitism Awareness Act Is Back If passed how will it be used to curb harassment of Jewish students

The Antisemitism Awareness Act Is Back

Jonathan Jacoby, National Director of the Nexus Project, a nonprofit dedicated to combating antisemitism, discussed the dangers of codifying the IHRA definition, or any other definition” of antisemitism. Jacoby told Moment Magazine that the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA) “goes hand in hand with the Trump administration’s strategy of using accusations of antisemitism as a pretext for undermining educational and democratic institutions.”

Read Article
AXIOS Jewish people fear scapegoating as Trump invokes antisemitism to justify crackdowns President Trumps invocation of antisemitism to justify everything slashing

Jewish people fear scapegoating as Trump invokes antisemitism to justify crackdowns

Axios reported on measures to monitor immigrants’ social media for alleged antisemitic content, which could be used to justify deportations. Jonathan Jacoby told Axios, “Using vague language like ‘terrorist sympathizer’ to target and punish immigrants will not combat antisemitism or make Jews any safer…The Trump administration continues to exploit our community’s concerns to unfairly target others – all while elevating and engaging in antisemitism themselves.”

Read Article
HAARTZ US Govt Says Immigrants May Face Visa Denial OverAntisemitic Social Media Posts The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it will immediately begin scraping immigration

U.S. Gov’t Says Immigrants May Face Visa Denial Over ‘Antisemitic’ Social Media Posts

Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby told Haaretz, “The Trump administration continues to exploit our community’s concerns to unfairly target others – all while elevating and engaging in antisemitism themselves,” following U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announcing it would begin to monitor immigrants’ social media for alleged antisemitic comments, including critiques of the ongoing war in Gaza.

Read Article
The BOSTON GLOBETrump administration to screen social media activity of immigrants The US Citizenship and Immigration Services said Wednesday that it will begin screening the social media activi

Trump administration to screen social media activity of immigrants

Jonathan Jacoby told the Boston Globe the new USCIS policy weaponizes antisemitism as a pretext for deporting immigrants. He “criticized McLaughlin’s use of the term ‘terrorist sympathizer’ as ‘vague’ and said using it ‘to target and punish immigrants will not combat antisemitism or make Jews any safer…The administration continues to exploit our community’s concerns to unfairly target others – all while elevating and engaging in antisemitism themselves.’”

Read Article
The Guardian Trump officials to monitor immigrants social media for antisemitism Advocacy groups condemn action as an ‘excuse to move a cruel, anti-immigrant, authoritarian agenda

Trump officials to monitor immigrants’ social media for antisemitism

Following the announcement by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that it will begin monitoring immigrants’ social media for alleged antisemitic content, the Nexus Project told The Guardian: Treating antisemitism as an imported problem does not fight antisemitism. Using politically malleable language like ‘terrorist sympathizer’ to go after immigrants does not fight antisemitism. Doing this while elevating antisemitism, as this administration is doing, does not fight antisemitism.”

Read Article
Reuters US to screen social media of immigrants rights advocates raise concerns Trump has been cracking down on pro-Palestinian protests

US to screen social media of immigrants, rights advocates raise concerns

Reuters reported on the announcement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that it would monitor social media posts from immigrants for alleged antisemitism and use it as grounds for deportation. Kanishka Singh wrote, “The Nexus Project, which fights antisemitism, said the Trump administration was going after immigrants in the name of tackling antisemitism and treating antisemitism as an imported problem.”

Read Article
NEW YORK TIMES Trump and Netanyahu Steer Toward an Ugly World, Together There was a time when a meeting between the president of the United States and the prime minister of Israel brought

Opinion: Trump and Netanyahu Steer Toward an Ugly World, Together

Opinion Columnist Thomas Friedman explores the U.S.-Israel relationship under the Trump and Netanyahu administrations and how the two leaders undermine democracy to push their autocratic agendas. Friedman interviewed Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby about Nexus’s recent report Fighting Antisemitism, Protecting Democracy: A Strategy for the Trump Era. Jacoby commented: “President Trump has taken a real phenomenon that needs to be addressed — antisemitism that emerges out of

Read Article
POLITICO Trump’s pro-Palestinian activism crackdown closely mirrors a plan from the creators of Project 2025 As President Donald Trump was seeking to distance himself from Project 2025 Heritage

Trump’s pro-Palestinian activism crackdown closely mirrors a plan from the creators of Project 2025

POLITICO analyzes Heritage Foundation’s Project Esther, which the Trump administration has used as a blueprint to combat antisemitism, including detaining student protestors and pulling funding from universities. Kevin Rachlin commented, “There is real resistance from the Jewish community. There is real resistance from the civil liberties community, from almost across the board in civil society. There is real danger if [Project Esther] is implemented.”

Read Article
NEW YORK TIMES Trump’s Fight Against Antisemitism Has Become Fraught for Many Jews American Jews have watched with both alarm and enthusiasm as strong-arm tactics, including arrests of activists,

Trump’s Fight Against Antisemitism Has Become Fraught for Many Jews

The New York Times reports on the varying reactions from Jewish groups and Jewish leaders to the Trump administration’s approach to countering antisemitism. Jonathan Jacoby, the national director of the Nexus Project, expressed concern over the safety of Jewish Americans, “[a]nytime you put Jews in the middle on an issue, it’s not good for the Jews…That’s a classic antisemitic position that antisemites like to put Jews. So

Read Article
The BOSTON GLOBE Jewish community must stand up to Trump’s targeting of international students What happened to Rumeysa Ozturk, and many other international students, will not make Jewish student

Opinion: Jewish community must stand up to Trump’s targeting of international students

Alan Solomont, member of the Nexus Project Board and Dean Emeritus of Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, responded to the detainment of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University PhD student. Solomont editorializes, “What happened to Ozturk, and many other international students, will not make Jewish students safer, nor is it fighting antisemitism. It is weaponizing legitimate Jewish pain and very real concerns about antisemitism

Read Article
AXIOS Antisemitism watchdog offers alternative to Trump's campus crackdown Axios reports on the release of Nexus’s Antisemitism Strategy Trump Era Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby While th

Antisemitism watchdog offers alternative to Trump’s campus crackdown

Axios reports on the release of Nexus’s Antisemitism Strategy for the Trump Era. Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby shared, “While the Trump Administration exploits the rise of antisemitism to target democratic freedoms and political opponents, too many Jewish establishment groups are either backing their efforts or remaining silent.”

Read Article
Jewish Telegraphic Agency A growing number of Jewish groups are condemning Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest President Donald Trump cheered the arrest, and the White House tweeted SHALOM, MAHMOUD

A growing number of Jewish groups are condemning Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest

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.

Read Article
Yahoo News Federal judge blocks Trump administration from deporting pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil Khalil was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Saturday night at his

Federal judge blocks Trump administration from deporting pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil

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.”

Read Article
NEW YORK TIMES Among American Jews, a Schism Over ICE Arrest of Columbia Activist Some organizations applauded the move But the raid chilled other American Jews, even some who consider themselves

Among American Jews, a Schism Over ICE Arrest of Columbia Activist

Jonathan Jacoby, Nexus Project’s national director, expressed concern that the arrest and promised crackdown would widen divides between Jews and other minority groups: “There has never been a safer and more flourishing experience than the American Jewish experience, living as a free people in an open society,” he said. “Anything that endangers that, or our relationships with other Americans — those are all Jewish concerns.”

Read Article
HAARETZ Trump, GOP Eye Columbia University as Prime Target in Antisemitism Purge As Trump threatens cut funding college over pro-Palestinian protests, investigates University California holds S

Trump, GOP Eye Columbia University as Prime Target in Antisemitism Purge

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.’”

Read Article
USNEWS 3 Takeaways From Senate Hearing on Antisemitism Witnesses at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on antisemitism called on Congress to take concrete steps to combat the rising tide of hat

3 Takeaways From Senate Hearing on Antisemitism

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

Read Article
Jewish Telegraphic Agency JD Vance to visit Dachau on Thursday, the latest VP to tour the Nazi camp He’s the latest in a string of senior U

JD Vance to visit Dachau on Thursday, the latest VP to tour the Nazi camp

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.

Read Article
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