The Nexus Newsletter

Antisemitism keeps surfacing inside movements that believe they are incapable of it. This week it wore the language of liberation, and the test that matters stayed the same: not the politics of the speaker, but the tropes coming out of their mouth.

The conspiracy theories that recruit people into antisemitism rarely announce themselves as hate. They show up as history you were never taught, a war you have every right to question, a death that feels too clean.

Antisemitism is getting easier to say out loud, and easier to invoke when it’s convenient.

Join The Nexus Project tomorrow for an important conversation about the ongoing fight for American democracy and civil rights — how far we’ve come, how far we still need to go, and what the next 250 years can look like.

Comment-section codes, a decades-old conspiracy theory on the House floor, a Senate primary shadowed by antisemitism allegations. What connects this week’s items is language: who’s using it, what it’s actually saying, and whether the people hearing it can tell.

As America approaches the 250th anniversary of its independence, the ongoing fights for democracy and civil rights are facing some of the greatest challenges we’ve seen in decades. We invite you to join The Nexus Project for an important conversation about how far we’ve come, how far we still need to go, and what the next 250 years can look like.

The news Nexus tracks is usually grim, and this issue has its share. But it isn't all dark.

The word “antisemitism” is being stretched so thin it’s starting to tear. Actual Jew-hatred is finding its way into congressional primaries and left-wing coalition politics.

Antisemitism is not a feeling, and fighting it is not a vibe. It is concrete work. It looks like enforcing a content policy you wrote.

Six months ago, the FBI cut ties with the ADL and Southern Poverty Law Center. This week, the Justice Department indicted the SPLC.

The same week Hungarians voted out a sixteen-year authoritarian, the world’s richest man revived the Soros conspiracy to explain it away. That sequence captures where we are: democratic resistance still works, and the people who fear it reach for the oldest playbook they have, antisemitism.

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.

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, Nexus took a major step forward in our mission to confront antisemitism and the forces that weaponize it. We launched the Nexus Center for Antisemitism Research (NCAR), a new initiative dedicated to improving the quality of research, data, and analysis on antisemitism.

I have some very exciting news to share with you. Today, the Nexus Project is launching the Nexus Center for Antisemitism Research (NCAR). This exciting new effort will work to advance a clear, evidence-based understanding of antisemitism in contemporary America.

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. It was the deadliest antisemitic attack in Australian history.

ARPA takes a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to combating antisemitism by investing in what actually works.

Sunday’s attack at Bondi Beach was a terrorist attack targeting Jews as Jews, gathered openly and peacefully to celebrate Hanukkah.

The Nexus Project is heartbroken by the horrific terrorist attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, where gunmen opened fire on Jewish families gathered to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah.

Thank you for joining us Tuesday evening for this essential conversation with Ambassador Susan Rice and Ambassador Rabbi David Saperstein.

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

Antisemitism and authoritarianism are both rising. Each strengthens the other. To stop either one, both must be confronted.

The Nexus Project will host a conversation with Ambassador Susan Rice and Ambassador Rabbi David Saperstein, two leaders who have shaped America’s response to hate and human rights for decades.

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.

Hope all is well and that you’ve had a good Tuesday. I wanted to flag my email from Friday regarding Yehuda Kaploun’s nomination to Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism see if the Representative would join their colleagues in urging the Senate to oppose Mr. Kaploun’s confirmation.

At a time of surging antisemitism globally, this position requires a nominee who commands trust across party lines, demonstrates sound judgment in confronting hate in all its forms, and possesses the moral authority to credibly represent the United States.

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.

For years, an alarming number of politicians and elected officials have claimed to fight antisemitism while actually using it as a weapon to silence dissent, divide communities, and erode democracy. Enough is enough. The Jewish community will not be used as a tool for undermining democratic values. We will not have our concerns exploited in ways that harm us. The Shofar Report is our response. It’s the Nexus Project’s new blueprint for how to confront antisemitism without abandoning the values and institutions that make us safe. Written by scholars and leaders in the Jewish, civil rights, and academic communities, it directly answers the Heritage Foundation’s destructive “Project Esther,” which seeks to turn the fight against antisemitism into a partisan tool to target and silence others.

Today, as Jews celebrate Simchat Torah and welcome yesterday's news of hostage releases from Gaza, we write with both relief and renewed purpose. The challenge before Congress is urgent: How do we combat real and rising antisemitism while protecting the democratic institutions that have historically kept Jews - and all Americans - safe?

Today, as Jews all over the world celebrate Simchat Torah - rejoicing in the completion and renewal of the Torah reading cycle - and in the wake of yesterday's deeply welcome news of hostage releases from Gaza, we write with both relief and renewed purpose. Every family reunited reminds us what truly matters: the safety and dignity of every human life. Today, as we celebrate this moment of hope, we also recognize our responsibility to ensure that concern for Jewish safety is never exploited for political ends.

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.

This is your reminder to join The Nexus Project for a timely conversation on how Congress and policymakers can safeguard democratic institutions and address the rise in antisemitism. Protecting democratic values while combating antisemitism during this critical period in American politics, Actionable approaches for strengthening both democratic norms and community safety, and The Nexus Strategy.

At Nexus, we’re engaging that conversation head-on. From the New York mayoral race to Project Esther, we’re working to bring clarity to the most critical challenges we face. It’s easy to feel discouraged, but we believe this work is building a stronger, more honest movement. One that refuses to be divided and insists on something better.

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.

The conversation with Rep. Raskin will be followed by a discussion on The Nexus Strategy — Policy in Practice. Judy will be joined by Nexus Washington Director, Kevin Rachlin, and Public Policy Strategist Stacy Burdett for an in-depth discussion on the Nexus Strategy, examining how policy frameworks can address the interconnected challenges facing our communities and democratic institutions.

Thank you for joining Protecting Jews, Protecting Democracy with Congressman Nadler, Hannah Rosenthal, Eric K. Ward, and moderator Jonathan Jacoby. Your presence helped make this conversation what it was: urgent, focused, and deeply important.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Tuesday’s webinar, Protecting Jews, Protecting Democracy. The conversation was urgent, grounded, and clear-eyed. Panelists, Congressman Nadler, Hannah Rosenthal, and Eric K. Ward explored how accusations of antisemitism are increasingly used to suppress free speech, undermine civil rights, deflect from real threats to Jewish safety, and advance authoritarian agendas like Project Esther.

Accusations of antisemitism are being used in ways that threaten the very democratic values they claim to protect. From attacking higher education to action plans like the Heritage Foundation’s Project Esther, antisemitism is increasingly being weaponized to silence dissent, suppress civil rights, and divide allies.

This is your reminder to join The Nexus Project for a timely conversation on how accusations of antisemitism are being weaponized to undermine civil rights, suppress dissent, and erode democracy. This conversation comes at a critical time. We hope to see you there.

Hope you are well and having a great week. I wanted to remind you of a special webinar The Nexus Project is having next week with Congressman Nadler, Former Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Hannah Rosenthal and EVP of Race Forward Eric Ward to discuss the rapid weaponization of antisemitism to erode democratic values. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, June 17 at 12 PM ET.