Nexus In The News
Significant news articles that mention Nexus, including Op-Ed articles written by Nexus Board Members and Advisors.
Project 2025’s Other Project
Opinion: Trump’s claim of fighting antisemitism at UCLA is a dangerous charade
Most American Jews say Trump is using antisemitism as an 'excuse' to silence free speech at universities
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.”
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,”
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.”
Most American Jews say Trump is using antisemitism as an ‘excuse’ to silence free speech at universities
A newly released Impose poll conducted in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Rochester, showed that 72% of Jewish Americans are concerned about antisemitism on campus and nearly 60% disapprove of the Trump administration’s decision to withhold federal funding from Harvard and UCLA over allegations of antisemitism.
GOP Rep. Nancy Mace to Jewish progressive: ‘I have a good surgeon if you ever want to get your nose done’,
After GOP Rep. Nancy Mace made a hateful comment to Jewish Congresswoman Sara Jacobs reflecting antisemitic stereotypes, the Nexus Project swiftly condemned Mace’s remark, calling on Mace and all members of Congress to refrain from “antisemitic, schoolyard bullying about [Mace’s] Jewish colleagues’ noses generally, and especially in a post about respecting women’s bodies.”
UCLA’s Jewish community unites against Trump’s $1-billion demand: ‘Misguided and punitive’
Professor David Myers, a Nexus Project Task Force member and professor of Jewish history at the University of California, Los Angeles, highlighted that universities settling litigation related to antisemitism claims with the Trump administration could set a “dangerous” precedent. Myers told the Los Angeles Times
GOP probes UCSF on claims of ‘hostile environment’ for Jewish students
After House Republicans requested that three universities produce detailed documentation of their responses to allegations of antisemitic behavior on their campuses, Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby warned that the Trump administration was once again using antisemitism as a guise for cracking down on civil liberties.
A pro-Palestinian activist came to Oakland to practice medicine. An outrage campaign followed
Nexus Project’s Washington Director Kevin Rachlin spoke with the San Francisco Chronicle about Project Esther and other organizations that dangerously weaponize antisemitism to target free speech and harass students on college campuses. While Project Esther has gained the most recognition, Rachlin shared: “Project Esther is actually stealing from [Canary Mission, Accuracy in Media, Physicians Against Antisemitism]. They were doing these doxxing campaigns first.”
Opinion: Trump’s claim of fighting antisemitism at UCLA is a dangerous charade
Professor David Myers, a Nexus Project Task Force member and professor of Jewish history at the University of California, Los Angeles, co-wrote an op-ed for the LA Times calling the Trump administration’s lawsuits around antisemitism on college campuses a “dangerous charade.” After the Trump administration announced it would suspend $584 million in federal research grants to UCLA, Myers wrote the suspension is a “shallow and disingenuous plot
American Jewish support for Israel is cracking. Occupying Gaza may break it
After Prime Minister Netanyahu’s announcement of a planned Israeli occupation of Gaza City, The Forward reported on perceptions among American Jews toward the war. Nexus Project National Director Jonathan Jacoby warned that Israeli military action can have negative repercussions for American Jews, “When Israel takes over Gaza, kills innocent people, starves babies and kills journalists, it creates conditions that lead to violence against Jews.” He continued, “I
American Jews’ Support for Israel Is Near Its Breaking Point
The New Republic reported on waning support for the ongoing war in Gaza among American Jews, particularly following reports of mass starvation of Gaza. Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby spoke on the trend saying, “This is more than a crisis in the relationship between Israel and American Jews. It’s a turning point. And nobody really knows in which direction we’re headed.”
After Boulder attack, American Jews are afraid
Professor Joshua Shanes, a Nexus Project Task Force member and professor of Jewish history at the University of California, Davis, spoke to JTA about antisemitic conspiracy theories related to the Jeffrey Epstein files. He shared: “Whenever you have this notion of collectivizing all Jews as this global nefarious force, that’s the most dangerous thing. It’s not about Israel, per se. It’s about this global Jewish conspiracy. And
What is Project Esther? Unpacking the effort to curb pro-Palestine activism
Investigative reporting outlet Snopes reported on Project Esther, a blueprint for silencing pro-Palestinian protests under the guise of countering antisemitism. The article extensively cited Nexus Project’s analysis on Project Esther, stating that though the project claims to be a strategy to combat antisemitism, it blurs “the line between legitimate protest and hate speech, while simultaneously ignoring and obscuring right-wing antisemitism.”
Trump’s Student Arrests, and the Lawsuit Fighting Them, Tread New Ground
As a Boston court weighed the legality of the Trump administration’s efforts to deport foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, Nexus Project National Director Jonathan Jacoby spoke with The New York Times about how the White House’s campus policies reflect Project Esther, a Heritage Foundation blueprint for silencing pro-Palestinian protestors under the guise of countering antisemitism. Jacoby said: “These are examples of the Trump administration weaponizing legitimate
Project 2025’s Other Project
The New York Times’ podcast, The Daily, released an episode discussing Project Esther, a blueprint developed by the Heritage Foundation, and embraced by the Trump administration, that laid the groundwork for deporting pro-Palestinian students under the guise of combating antisemitism.
To appease Trump and retain grants, UC bars student governments from boycotting Israel
The San Francisco Chronicle reported on measures universities are taking to avoid retribution over their handling of antisemitism by the Trump administration. The article highlights Nexus Project’s work as an antisemitism watchdog, and Nexus’ concerns that the Trump administration is exploiting “false accusations of antisemitism for political gain.”
Federal pressure on Harvard over antisemitism echoes conservative attacks on higher ed
After the Trump administration told Harvard University it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act over antisemitism on campus
About That New York Times Editorial
The New York Times’ June 14, 2025, editorial on antisemitism made some important points. It called attention to the significant surge in antisemitism and the importance of calling it out. It accurately noted that “the political right, including President Trump, deserves substantial blame” for rising antisemitism, including Trump’s use of antisemitism for political purposes and his normalization of hatred.
Jewish groups in US line up to oppose Trump anti-Semitism strategy
Nexus Washington Director spoke to AFP about Project Esther and attacks on higher education institutions, “[t]here is anti-Semitism on those campuses… But to give the broad claim that the thrust to fight anti-Semitism is to go after higher education is just absolutely ridiculous.” Rachlin continued, “We as Jews are safer when we’re in coalition with other groups and other minorities.”
How Oct. 7 has changed antisemitic attacks in the U.S.
Nexus Washington Director Kevin Rachlin told The Washington Post, “since Trump came [into office, the Trump administration is] weaponizing Jewish fear to advance a very specific agenda.” Rachlin noted that the Trump administrations endanger Jewish Americans, questioning, “What will you do to protect us? Shutting down and defunding schools, deporting people? That doesn’t protect Jews.”
After Boulder attack, American Jews are afraid
In the wake of the violent attack on Jewish and Israeli advocates in Boulder, Colorado, Jonathan Jacoby, National Director of the Nexus Project told Religion News Service, “there’s a correlation between the violence in Gaza and the violence against Jews,” noting that when there is a major military operation in Gaza which leads to Palestinian casualties, there is a pattern of “surges of antisemitic incidents and hate
The Group Behind Project 2025 Has a Plan to Crush the Pro-Palestinian Movement
The New York Times published an investigative article on the Heritage Foundation’s Project Esther, a divisive plan to counter antisemitism on college campuses that laid the groundwork for deporting students and defunding universities. Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby was quoted saying, “Project Esther changed the paradigm by associating anyone who opposes Israeli policies with the ‘Hamas Support Network.’ It’s no longer about ideology or politics; it’s about
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
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.”
Trump Fires Doug Emhoff, Other Biden Appointees From U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council
Following President Trump’s targeted firings of Democratic nominees to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Board of Directors, Nexus said, “the Holocaust Museum, of all places, should not be used by the president as a vehicle for retribution.”
Harvard antisemitism and Islamophobia task forces find widespread fear, bigotry
Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby told Reuters, “By taking a strong stand against antisemitism and Islamophobia without criminalizing dissent and the right to peaceful protest, the report demonstrates what we know: combating antisemitism and protecting democratic freedoms go hand-in-hand.”
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.”