Nexus In The News
Significant news articles that mention Nexus, including Op-Ed articles written by Nexus Board Members and Advisors.
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.”
‘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.”
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
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.”
Democrats Face a Series of Tests Over Support for Israel
“Their goal is to make the Democrats the anti-Israel, anti-Jewish party,” said Jonathan Jacoby, the director of the Nexus Task Force, a national effort to combat antisemitism while making space for political criticism of Israel. “The question the Democrats need to ask is how to stop that without playing into a game of political football underway.”
Trump’s election puts greater pressure on universities to crack down on antisemitism
“Trump will use the idea of fighting antisemitism as a way of suppressing free speech and breaking up coalitions. One of the most important things to ensure Jewish safety is to have strong coalitions with people who are also fighting hatred,” Jonathan Jacoby, director of the Nexus Task Force, told JI. “By exacerbating division, Trump is only going to make us less safe.”
Letters to the Editor: When do campus protests on Israel cross the line into antisemitism?
The report by UCLA’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias underlines the urgency of developing effective strategies for countering antisemitism on college campuses in the wake of the horrific Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and its aftermath. The Nexus Task Force’s Campus Guide to Identifying Antisemitism in a Time of Perplexity, created by a leading group of academic experts on antisemitism, provides
US colleges failed to hold students accountable for antisemitic harassment, House committee says
“Republican leaders are exploiting the very real danger of antisemitism to advance their own hyper-partisan agenda and to suppress free speech, instead of doing the difficult but important work of building responsible bipartisan coalitions to help students and fight hatred,” Jonathan Jacoby, the National Director of The Nexus Project, a research group dedicated to countering antisemitism, told CNN.
We asked Jewish leaders about their priorities under a second Trump term
The administration and its Republican congressional allies will use last month’s House Education Committee report on campus antisemitism as a platform to target federal funding for higher education and academic freedom. The Nexus Project will continue to advocate for robust funding for the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
A time for reflection and renewal: Countering antisemitism in the wake of October 7th
Hannah Rosenthal, a member of the Nexus Task Force and a former US Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, reflects on this period of profound reflection as we commemorate the Jewish High Holidays and the anniversary of the horrific events of October 7, 2023.
Can legitimate campus protest be distinguished from antisemitism? This guide aims to help
Writing in The Los Angeles Times, David N. Myers and Nomi M. Stolzenberg discuss how university administrators, faculty and students can understand when terms and calls for action in college protests should and should not be considered antisemitic – using the Nexus Task Force’s “Campus Guide to Identifying Antisemitism in a Time of Perplexity.”
Netanyahu confronts his critics by exploiting antisemitism
Writing an opinion for the Boston Globe, Jonathan Jacoby discusses how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will come to America armed with familiar tactics: casting himself as a victim of unjust persecution, portraying his critics as enemies, and labeling Israel’s detractors as antisemites.
The GOP antisemitism bill harms more than it helps
In an opinion piece for The Forward, Alan Solow writes that the Antisemitism Awareness Act handicaps our ability to fight anti-Jewish bigotry. Alan Solow serves on the board of the Nexus Leadership Project and is a former chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. He is also a member of the Forward Association.
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
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.”
Democrats Face a Series of Tests Over Support for Israel
“Their goal is to make the Democrats the anti-Israel, anti-Jewish party,” said Jonathan Jacoby, the director of the Nexus Task Force, a national effort to combat antisemitism while making space for political criticism of Israel. “The question the Democrats need to ask is how to stop that without playing into a game of political football underway.”
Trump’s election puts greater pressure on universities to crack down on antisemitism
“Trump will use the idea of fighting antisemitism as a way of suppressing free speech and breaking up coalitions. One of the most important things to ensure Jewish safety is to have strong coalitions with people who are also fighting hatred,” Jonathan Jacoby, director of the Nexus Task Force, told JI. “By exacerbating division, Trump is only going to make us less safe.”
Letters to the Editor: When do campus protests on Israel cross the line into antisemitism?
The report by UCLA’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias underlines the urgency of developing effective strategies for countering antisemitism on college campuses in the wake of the horrific Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and its aftermath. The Nexus Task Force’s Campus Guide to Identifying Antisemitism in a Time of Perplexity, created by a leading group of academic experts on antisemitism, provides
US colleges failed to hold students accountable for antisemitic harassment, House committee says
“Republican leaders are exploiting the very real danger of antisemitism to advance their own hyper-partisan agenda and to suppress free speech, instead of doing the difficult but important work of building responsible bipartisan coalitions to help students and fight hatred,” Jonathan Jacoby, the National Director of The Nexus Project, a research group dedicated to countering antisemitism, told CNN.
We asked Jewish leaders about their priorities under a second Trump term
The administration and its Republican congressional allies will use last month’s House Education Committee report on campus antisemitism as a platform to target federal funding for higher education and academic freedom. The Nexus Project will continue to advocate for robust funding for the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
A time for reflection and renewal: Countering antisemitism in the wake of October 7th
Hannah Rosenthal, a member of the Nexus Task Force and a former US Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, reflects on this period of profound reflection as we commemorate the Jewish High Holidays and the anniversary of the horrific events of October 7, 2023.
Can legitimate campus protest be distinguished from antisemitism? This guide aims to help
Writing in The Los Angeles Times, David N. Myers and Nomi M. Stolzenberg discuss how university administrators, faculty and students can understand when terms and calls for action in college protests should and should not be considered antisemitic – using the Nexus Task Force’s “Campus Guide to Identifying Antisemitism in a Time of Perplexity.”
Netanyahu confronts his critics by exploiting antisemitism
Writing an opinion for the Boston Globe, Jonathan Jacoby discusses how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will come to America armed with familiar tactics: casting himself as a victim of unjust persecution, portraying his critics as enemies, and labeling Israel’s detractors as antisemites.
The GOP antisemitism bill harms more than it helps
In an opinion piece for The Forward, Alan Solow writes that the Antisemitism Awareness Act handicaps our ability to fight anti-Jewish bigotry. Alan Solow serves on the board of the Nexus Leadership Project and is a former chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. He is also a member of the Forward Association.
Why we should all support the Countering Antisemitism Act
This article appeared in the April 17, 2024 edition of The Hill, Civil Rights Section summarizes the Legislative bill introduced by Senators Jacky Rosen, James Lankford, and Reps. Kathy Manning and Chris Smith and calls for vigorous bipartisan support from all who cherish democratic values and human dignity. The author is Kevin Rachlin, Washington Director of the Nexus Leadership Project.