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. And a DOGE staffer testified under oath that a Holocaust documentary was “DEI” because it focused on Jewish women.
Moments like this are when clarity matters most. Nexus is here to provide it: to name what’s real, to reject what’s weaponized, and to defend the democratic foundations that keep all of us safe.
Since the U.S.-Israel war with Iran began, antisemites have pounced on the opportunity to blame Jews. Legitimate criticism of the war’s timing and goals has been labeled antisemitic. And well-intentioned debate has fallen into dangerous traps of antisemitic tropes.
Blaming “Jews” for the war, using dehumanizing language about Jews in Israel, and saying “Jewish imperialism” requires “goyim” to die are all explicitly and unquestionably antisemitic. Discussing the geopolitical role of Israeli actions and decision-making in this conflict is a legitimate and important part of the conversation. We laid out a fuller framework on Bluesky, Instagram and an explainer on our website.
New deposition testimony reveals that DOGE staffer Justin Fox used ChatGPT to screen thousands of NEH grants for “DEI.” A documentary about Jewish women forced into slave labor by the Nazis was flagged for termination. Under oath, Fox explained why: it was “specifically focused on Jewish cultures” and “amplifying the marginalized voices of the females in that culture.” He called focusing on women during the Holocaust “inherently discriminatory.”
When you build a machine to target people based on gender, race, or any other identity, it ends up targeting Jews too. We broke down the full story on Instagram.
At J Street’s Convention, Nexus Fellow Emily Tamkin in conversation with Stacy Burdett discussed the importance of weighing context, impact, and intent when assessing whether language is antisemitic. As she put it: “If you reach first right away every time for punishment, you’re going to miss some of the nuances of the situation.” The question of when to weigh intent and when to weigh impact has no quick answer. That’s the point.
Activists staged another blood libel performance on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House. Actors wore masks of Jeffrey Epstein, Netanyahu, and Trump, tore apart a fake blood-covered baby, and drank mock blood from wine glasses. Signs read “Satanic elite” and “Zionist World Plan.” These are the same organizers who staged a similar display in November.
The blood libel is one of the oldest and most dangerous antisemitic conspiracies in history. Conspiracy-laden actions like this do nothing to protect victims of Epstein’s crimes and are designed mainly to foment hatred against Jews.
With Rep. Tony Gonzales dropping out of the race due to scandal, the path is wide open for Brandon Herrera to take the GOP nomination in Texas’s 23rd Congressional District. Herrera is a YouTuber and firearms manufacturer with an unhealthy fascination with Hitler and Nazis and a total disregard for those who suffered during the Holocaust.
In a 2022 video, Herrera tested the MP-40 submachine gun, widely used by Nazi soldiers, which he referred to as “Hitler’s street sweeper” and “the original ghetto blaster”—an allusion to Jews being murdered in ghettos under Nazi occupation. The video also shows Herrera goose-stepping to the Nazi marching song “Erika.” The runoff is May 26. Read more in our Bluesky thread.
Three Republican members of Congress have posted openly anti-Muslim statements in recent weeks, each one escalating. Rep. Randy Fine compared Muslims to dogs. Rep. Brandon Gill asked how many Americans need to be attacked “before we realize Islam is a problem.” And Rep. Andy Ogles declared: “Muslims don’t belong in American society. Pluralism is a lie.” He has since doubled down and started sharing promotional images of himself next to that statement.
All three have positioned themselves as champions of the fight against antisemitism. But dehumanizing Muslims is not fighting antisemitism. It’s using antisemitism as a shield for bigotry. Fighting hatred means fighting all of it, not trading one form of hate for another.
As our friends at Jewish Council for Public Affairs said, “When members of Congress feel emboldened to engage in blatant Islamophobia and hate, it must be called out. Anti-Muslim bigotry has no place in our politics, our country, or our society.”
Rob Eshman wrote in the Forward about the danger of the administration’s failure to explain the war with Iran, noting that pundits like Tucker Carlson are filling the void by blaming Jews—and Chabad specifically. Eshman cited Nexus’s framework for how to have a robust debate about the war without veering into antisemitism.
Nexus National Director Jonathan Jacoby joined Rabbi Sharon Brous at IKAR for a conversation on how antisemitism fuels authoritarianism and how authoritarian power fuels antisemitism. They discussed Project Esther, the distinction between legitimate protest and actual threats, and why democracy remains the single most important factor in Jewish safety. Full video and transcript on our site.
This is what we do: track real antisemitism, call out when it’s weaponized, and make clear the difference. If you’d like to support this work, you can donate here. We’d love to connect.
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.
