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
Among American Jews, a Schism Over ICE Arrest of Columbia Activist
Jewish people fear scapegoating as Trump invokes antisemitism to justify crackdowns
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.
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.’”
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.”
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.”
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
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.”
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
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
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.
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.”
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.’”
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
‘We’ll Never Surrender’: Steve Bannon Appears to Perform Nazi Salute at CPA
Haaretz reports on Steve Bannon’s gesture resembling a Nazi salute at CPAC. “Enough with the rationalizations and excuses: the Nazi salute is not a troll, and it is not an accident,” added Nexus Project National Director Jonathan Jacoby. “The neo-Nazi movement is alive and well, and some of the most powerful people in our country have now actively embraced it.”
Eric Adams stands by comparing calls for his resignation to ‘Mein Kampf’
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.”
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.
Trump’s Antisemitism Executive Order Worries Progressive Jewish Groups, Delights Others
Writing for Haaretz, Etan Nechin describes the mixed reaction from Jewish organizations to Trump’s Antisemitism EO. Jonathan Jacoby is quoted for Nexus and said the order “cynically weaponizes legitimate concerns about Jewish safety to suppress constitutionally protected speech and threaten vulnerable student populations.”
Trump signs antisemitism executive order to prevent anti-Israel campus protests
Writing for The Jerusalem Post, Hannah Sarisohn reports that Trump said, “Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities.” She quotes Jonathan Jacoby of the Nexus Project.
Jewish groups approach new campus antisemitism EO with cautious optimism
Reporting for the Jewish Insider, Haley Cohen and Marc Rod state that “The groups emphasized that deportations carried out under the executive order must be consistent with the First Amendment and existing laws.”
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.
For Colleges, Defining Antisemitism Hasn’t Gotten Any Easier
Writing for the CHE, Maddie Khaw references Nexus: With the new Trump administration turning its eye to higher education, Harvard in particular may be “bowing its head” to political pressure, preemptively “cutting [its] losses,” said Jonathan Jacoby, national director of the Nexus Leadership Project.
Netanyahu Defends Elon Musk Amid Spate Of Nazi Puns
After the Israeli prime minister defended Musk following controversy over a gesture at a Trump rally, the tech executive wrote a tweet full of Nazi-related wordplay. Jonathan Jacoby is quoted: “Elon Musk has a long track record of promoting white nationalist and antisemitic ideas and conspiracies,”
One Day After Trump Takes Office, Harvard Settles Two Antisemitism Lawsuits
Harvard reached a settlement in two ongoing Title VI lawsuits accusing the university of mishandling antisemitism. Harvard’s decision to adopt the IHRA definition could blur the lines between legitimate political discourse and antisemitic rhetoric. David H. Myers and Joshua Shanes (both sit on the Nexus Project Task Force) are quoted in the article.
Trump urged deportation of foreign students with pro-terrorism views
“While the rapid rise in campus antisemitism demands serious action by the incoming administration and Congress, threatening to deport students based on their political views about Israel and Palestine would be a dangerous overreach that undermines both academic freedom and America’s democratic values,” said Kevin Rachlin, Nexus.
Will Trump’s Threats to Defund Colleges Over ‘Antisemitic Propaganda’ Become a Reality?
“That, to me, is the hard thing: to say you want to do something while at the same time endorsing classical antisemitic tropes,” said Kevin Rachlin, Washington director for the Nexus Leadership Project, a nonprofit that combats antisemitism. “Actions speak louder than words in this case.”
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.
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.’”
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.”
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.”
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
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.”
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
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
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.”
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.”
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.
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.”
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.”
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.’”
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
‘We’ll Never Surrender’: Steve Bannon Appears to Perform Nazi Salute at CPA
Haaretz reports on Steve Bannon’s gesture resembling a Nazi salute at CPAC. “Enough with the rationalizations and excuses: the Nazi salute is not a troll, and it is not an accident,” added Nexus Project National Director Jonathan Jacoby. “The neo-Nazi movement is alive and well, and some of the most powerful people in our country have now actively embraced it.”
Eric Adams stands by comparing calls for his resignation to ‘Mein Kampf’
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.”
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.
Trump’s Antisemitism Executive Order Worries Progressive Jewish Groups, Delights Others
Writing for Haaretz, Etan Nechin describes the mixed reaction from Jewish organizations to Trump’s Antisemitism EO. Jonathan Jacoby is quoted for Nexus and said the order “cynically weaponizes legitimate concerns about Jewish safety to suppress constitutionally protected speech and threaten vulnerable student populations.”
Trump signs antisemitism executive order to prevent anti-Israel campus protests
Writing for The Jerusalem Post, Hannah Sarisohn reports that Trump said, “Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities.” She quotes Jonathan Jacoby of the Nexus Project.
Jewish groups approach new campus antisemitism EO with cautious optimism
Reporting for the Jewish Insider, Haley Cohen and Marc Rod state that “The groups emphasized that deportations carried out under the executive order must be consistent with the First Amendment and existing laws.”
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.
For Colleges, Defining Antisemitism Hasn’t Gotten Any Easier
Writing for the CHE, Maddie Khaw references Nexus: With the new Trump administration turning its eye to higher education, Harvard in particular may be “bowing its head” to political pressure, preemptively “cutting [its] losses,” said Jonathan Jacoby, national director of the Nexus Leadership Project.
Netanyahu Defends Elon Musk Amid Spate Of Nazi Puns
After the Israeli prime minister defended Musk following controversy over a gesture at a Trump rally, the tech executive wrote a tweet full of Nazi-related wordplay. Jonathan Jacoby is quoted: “Elon Musk has a long track record of promoting white nationalist and antisemitic ideas and conspiracies,”