The Nexus Newsletter

A place of shackles and of oppression closing in around us. The word evokes a feeling that there is no way out and no way forward.

This week, Nexus produced a wave of original analysis. From Jonathan Jacoby’s op-ed in The Hill on the antisemitic chain reaction sparked by the Iran war, to NCAR’s first published piece on Tucker Carlson’s influence among young Americans, to a new explainer on the manosphere as a pipeline to antisemitism, we are working to break down how antisemitism actually operates right now.

The attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, struck at the heart of Jewish life in America. We are blessed beyond measure that no one was killed.

The U.S. is at war alongside Israel in Iran. Antisemites are blaming Jews. Critics of the war are being falsely labeled antisemitic. Members of Congress are posting open hatred of Muslims.

A CAIR official told the Ohio Senate that Israel is skinning Palestinian bodies. AIPAC called a congressman’s question about Gaza a “blood libel.” One is the real thing. The other drains the term of meaning. Both happened the same week.

The DOJ sued UCLA after the university refused to pay a $1 billion antisemitism fine. Rep. Randy Fine compared Muslims to dogs. And the administration continues to gut the very civil rights office responsible for protecting students.

This week we tracked the Epstein amplification in real time, corrected the record on hate crime stats in New York City, and called out a weaponization stunt in Congress. Here's what you need to know.

This week, antisemitism appeared in two familiar forms. In Minneapolis, it showed up as a conspiracy theory, with protests against federal violence linked to George Soros by American political leaders. In Miami, it showed up even more overtly, with far-right influencers singing “Heil Hitler” and flashing Nazi salutes in public.

A synagogue burned in Mississippi. Protesters chanted support for Hamas outside a Queens shul. Swastikas appeared in schools from New York to Arizona. A Jewish family's Hanukkah decorations made them a target in California.

Antisemitism continues to surge, no longer at the margins but in the open and at scale. Antisemitism moves fastest when it can hitch itself to something bigger: war, elections, institutional distrust, or a fight over who gets to define the terms.

The entire Jewish community is in mourning. Gunmen opened fire on Jewish families at a public menorah lighting at Bondi Beach.

Today, Nexus hosts a live conversation on how antisemitism fuels authoritarianism and how authoritarian power fuels antisemitism.

This week’s newsletter examines how antisemitic movements build political power by forging alliances between establishment figures and extremist voices from the margins.

Across the country, the mask is slipping. Antisemites are gaining influence in politics, the far right is rebuilding its militias, and extremist rhetoric is being rewarded with power.

Tucker Carlson gave a Hitler-praising Holocaust denier two hours of unchallenged airtime this week. The Heritage Foundation, the same institution behind Project 2025 and Project Esther, defended it.

Tucker Carlson gave a Hitler-praising Holocaust denier two hours of unchallenged airtime this week. The Heritage Foundation, the same institution behind Project 2025 and Project Esther, defended it. This is what mainstreaming antisemitism looks like.

Two stories this week show how antisemitism is no longer confined to the political fringe. President Trump’s nominee for a senior federal post was exposed for racist and antisemitic texts, while a Democratic Senate candidate admitted to having a Nazi symbol tattoo and a history of hateful posts.

The past two weeks have revealed a surge of antisemitism coming directly from within American power structures. Federal agencies have shared antisemitic content. Republican leaders and staffers have been caught using Nazi imagery and language.

This week shows how antisemitism spreads when systems meant to stop it collapse. Jews murdered at prayer in a horrific attack in Manchester. A rabbi was attacked outside his home. And as hate surges online, the U.S. government is cutting ties with the very organizations built to track and fight it.

The Justice Department is investigating the Open Society Foundation, George and Alex Soros’s foundation for alleged ties to “terrorism.” Vice President Vance used the term “blood libel” to attack political opponents. And a new report from the Jewish Council for Public Affairs shows Elon Musk’s X is profiting from antisemitism.

After Charlie Kirk was assassinated, conspiracy theories surged. A Jewish philanthropist was blamed by name. Israel was accused of orchestrating the killing. And the Vice President amplified it all. Meanwhile, a member of Congress mocked a Jewish colleague’s nose. A national watchdog smeared two actresses as “modern-day Nazis.”

Once again, recent events expose the dangerous reality of weaponized antisemitism accusations: while the government prosecutes universities, it employs officials with Nazi sympathies. Meanwhile, real antisemitism escalates: from death threats against synagogues to conspiracy theories spreading across political lines.

From George Soros conspiracy theories about corporate AI systems quietly redrawing the boundaries of debate, the fight against antisemitism is being reshaped on multiple fronts. Add to that coordinated campaigns targeting individual students and Trump’s rhetoric weaponizing antisemitic tropes, and it is clear: we are living in a moment where emerging technologies and old hatreds collide.

The relationship between anti-Zionism and antisemitism remains hotly debated. Meanwhile, the Trump administration's handling of antisemitism accusations has raised concerns, and artificial intelligence is creating new complications in the fight against hate.

We know that Jews are safest under a vibrant and healthy democracy. But at the same time, it’s no secret that American democracy is under attack. We are seeing assaults on American universities, the override and systematic dismantling of key Department of Education programs, arrests of legal residents, and infringements on civil liberties and core American values.

In the past two weeks, antisemitism and its weaponization have shown up in starkly different ways. When it comes to true antisemitism, we’ve seen a Holocaust museum defaced with swastikas, and a Twitch streamer went viral for calling Jewish identity “demonic.”

The same actors weaponizing antisemitism accusations to silence critics often spread or rationalize actual antisemitism within their own circles: An education official who defended Holocaust denial as "viewpoint diversity" while celebrating antisemitism settlements as political victories.

These are not symbolic debates. They are institutional shifts. They are choices about who is trusted, who is silenced, and what power is allowed to hide behind Jewish safety. There is still time to respond clearly and collectively. That starts by refusing to confuse compliance with protection, or silence with security.

For months, our expert team has been tracking antisemitism that often goes unnoticed while simultaneously calling out the growing weaponization of antisemitism accusations on social media. Drawing on our extensive experience as watchdogs in this space, we now offer you a comprehensive analysis that provides a clear understanding of the full picture in one place.