Nexus Project Releases “Shofar Report”: New Blueprint for Defending Democracy, Combating Antisemitism

Jewish Response to Destructive “Project Esther,” Trump Admin’s Weaponization of Antisemitism

The Nexus Project, a Jewish watchdog organization working to combat antisemitism, uphold democracy and protect free speech, has released a major new report featuring expert recommendations and ideas on how to confront antisemitism – and its weaponization against democracy. The Shofar Report is an answer to “Project Esther,” the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint that the Trump Administration has used to weaponize claims of antisemitism to target democratic institutions and political opponents.

Nexus’ Shofar Report emphasizes that protecting democracy is an essential strategy for fighting antisemitism. The report offers concrete policy recommendations to overcome the Trump administration’s authoritarian attempts to weaponize antisemitism against democracy- and to confront antisemitism’s true sources.

The Nexus Project calls for strengthened protections for civil rights and democratic institutions; greater investment in education about antisemitism; and the building of stronger cross-community alliances to confront hate and threats to democracy. The report also includes essays from a range of renowned Jewish communal leaders, experts and scholars – weighing in key issues of Jewish safety, democracy, academic freedom, civil society, and much more.

The full Shofar Report can be viewed here. A PDF can be downloaded here.

“Instead of taking their cues from the dangerous extremism of “Project Esther,” policymakers should heed the call of the Jewish leaders whose recommendations and ideas make up the Shofar Report,” said Jonathan Jacoby, National Director of the Nexus Project. “Project Esther's goal is not to make American Jews safer – it is to dismantle American democracy. With the Shofar Report, we’re making absolutely clear that the Jewish community rejects this approach – and putting forward our own alternative to confront both antisemitism and authoritarianism.”

Leading experts contributing essays to the report include former U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism Hannah Rosenthal, JCPA’s Amy Spitalnick, Race Forward’s Eric Ward, PERIL’s Rabbi Seth Limmer, J Street’s Jeremy Ben-Ami, NYU’s Professor Lila Corwin Berman, UCLA’s Professors David Myers and Dov Waxman, UC Davis’ Professor Joshua Shanes, University of Haifa’s professors Itamar Mann and Lihi Yona, and more.

The Shofar Report calls on policymakers to:

• Ensure vigorous enforcement of existing civil rights laws by providing adequate funding for the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the Department of Justice’s civil rights programs, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s activities.
• Focus enforcement on clear cases of discrimination and harassment while protecting political expression and academic freedom.
• Fully fund comprehensive education initiatives that teach about diverse Jewish contributions to American society and the history of antisemitism
• Secure funding for nonprofit security grants and ensure that grantees and sub-grantees are not beholden to an administration’s ideological whims on issues like diversity or immigration.

“Undermining our country’s democratic foundations in the name of Jewish safety ultimately leaves all of us more vulnerable,” said Jacoby. “We need to boldly resist efforts that use Jewish Americans as pawns while harming our safety.