by Arianna Yoder
Within the busy melting pot of a city, silence runs rampant, thick with a tension most can’t describe. Though alive with laughter and conversations, the streets are decorated with a history that cannot be forgotten.
A group of friends sits together, sharing the stories of their lives, yet a shadow of recent events targeting their community is still at the forefront of their minds.
They’re plagued with vandalized synagogues, swastikas graffitied on a local school, and remarks from random strangers that have been heard, but not directly said.
One shares their experience with being outwardly targeted because of their heritage, being yelled at and shamed for being a Jew.
Another talks about how they see their experiences as normal even if it shouldn’t be.
In this city, once seen as a place of acceptance for all, the actions of antisemitism rise again.
As they navigate their complex histories and identities, they each confront the question that is hidden in this silence: What does it mean to belong in a world where prejudice still thrives?
Antisemitism has a long history
Jews have been persecuted throughout history for their religious beliefs and ethnic background, as antisemitism has been commonly termed the world’s “oldest hatred.”
And it's easy to see why.
In the Roman Empire, Jews were dispersed from Jerusalem due to Jewish rebellions.
This dispersion caused them to become a diaspora, feeding into the antisemitic idea that Jews are the reason bad things are happening in their specific part of the world.
This hatred continued happening and grew worse during the 19th century with the Russian pogroms which were government-accepted massacres against the Jews.
The deep hatred toward Jews was nowhere more obvious than in the Holocaust of the early 1900s when German chancellor Adolf Hitler orchestrated the genocide of six million Jews between 1933 and 1941.
The backdrop to World War II, Hitler deemed Jews and millions of other minority groups undesirable by his administration, the Third Reich, and sought to murder Jews with unprecedented cruelty.
Ultimately the Holocaust intensified the global awareness of antisemitism, both for better and worse.
Despite much greater acceptance of Jewish people since the Holocaust, many violent events in recent history are proof that antisemitism is still very strong, even in the United States.
In 2018, a gunman opened fire at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh during Shabbat services, killing 11 worshippers and injuring many more. This horrific act of violence remains the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, leaving a community shattered and the nation in shock.
Another gunman opened fire during a Passover service at Chabad of Poway in California in 2019, targeting the congregation in a devastating act of violence. The attack left one congregant dead and three others injured, including the rabbi, marking a painful reminder of the dangers faced by communities of faith.
That same year, a machete-wielding assailant attacked worshippers at a Hanukkah party in Monsey, New York, injuring five people and killing one. This horrific act of antisemitic violence sent shockwaves through the community and underscored the urgent need to address rising threats against Jewish individuals.
The Israel-Hamas war started when the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel at the Gaza border on Oct. 7, 2023. The attack was a culmination of growing dissatisfaction from Hamas leaders over Israel’s refusal to consider their demands for land. The ongoing conflict is complex, deeply entrenched, and marked by cycles of violence, territorial disputes, and clashing national aspirations. The war that has lasted more than a year with no end in sight has resulted in severe humanitarian consequences and significant political and social ramifications throughout the Mideast region.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has increased antisemitism in the United States, specifically on college campuses.
One incident occurred at the University of Minnesota where chalk art and posters circulated that show hateful rhetoric following protests on campus, further creating a sense of hostility felt by Jews in response to what’s happening in Israel.
How hate affects identity
According to recent statistics put out by the U.S. Department of Justice, around 52.5% of all reported hate crimes are race/ethnicity/ancestry-based.
An additional 22.5% of hate crimes are religiously motivated,
The FBI also reported an increase in hate crimes toward Jews by 63% from 2022 to 2023. Even though Jews only make up 2% of the U.S. population, the FBI report found that Jews were the target of 68% of religiously motivated hate crimes in 2023.
As a result, many Jewish people worry then that they will be targeted in hate crimes specifically because of their Jewish heritage and identity.
Since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out over a year ago, outward hate speech against Jews has become more widely accepted, teetering on severely antisemitic threats.
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), anti-Jewish trope beliefs continue to increase from 20% in 2020 to 24% in 2024.
Joshua Gibbs, a Jewish studies professor at the College of Charleston, who studies in-depth antisemitism throughout history, discusses his experience with hearing hate speech directed towards Jews.
While walking through Downtown Charleston, Gibbs says that he saw a rally take place. During this rally, one of the participants was chanting “from the river to the sea.”
The “river” in question is the Jordan River, which is the eastern border of Israel, while the “sea” alludes to the Mediterranean.
“And if you say from the river to the sea out loud, and you really understand what it means, it would mean a complete ethnic cleansing of nine million Israelis,” Gibbs says.
Gibbs further established how this sentiment, to him, was too reminiscent of his field of study.
With the rise of social networks, citizens as well as political figures have an easy platform to express and spread their antisemitism to a much broader audience.
Joshua Shanes, a Jewish studies professor who specializes in modern antisemitism, says there has been a resurgence of antisemitism as a result of the rise of social media.
Shanes then gives a broader understanding of how Jews are viewed worldwide in a lot of social media.
“Jews are this global puppet master conspiracy who are, you know, bringing in all these non-white people to undermine whiteness.”
This view of Jews has led to a normalization of antisemitism, which Shanes explains is a detrimental type of behavior.
Shanes further discusses how this normalization can lead to further development with how people act antisemitically, and eventually, someone will act on this ideology violently.
“It leads to the potential of revolution of a force in government, like we've seen in Europe and like we're seeing in America, that could really undermine safety of people and can create real dangerous conditions, but also stochastic terror… If I shout something, and I don't know who or when, but I know that statistically, some number of listeners are going to act on it violently,” Shanes states.
And as hate speech directed toward Jews becomes normalized, the danger grows for Jews in America. Shanes explains that it’s more or less a domino effect; if one person feeds into antisemitic rhetoric, others will follow suit.
Rabbi Erik Uriarte, a clergyman at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Columbia, South Carolina, has had many experiences with antisemitic rhetoric used against him.
“When I was serving in the Marines, there were many times people would say the most heinous things about my Jewish identity,” Uriarte said. “From being called the ‘K-word’ to being told the Nazis were right, all of these things, and these people were barely punished.”
Antisemitic speech affects Jews in many different ways.
Rebecca Gundershall, a student at the College of Charleston, has experienced antisemitism but has taken strides to impact the way others outwardly speak out about Jews. She used to ignore antisemitic comments, but now she won’t let them slide.
“I used to just sit back and let it happen. Like I always thought ‘what harm is one comment’ ya know?” Gundershall said. “But over time I’ve realized that it’s never just one comment. It’s kind of like a domino effect. I feel like even still though I have to dance around what someone’s said to me. I’ll still address what they’re saying, but I’ll do it in a way that won’t offend them.”
Consequences of the cycle of hate
The hatred of Jews has been a constant throughout history, and even with more education about this, there are still several people who believe that Jews are the reason for all of the world’s issues.
From conspiracies to propaganda, Jews are constantly blamed for all that is wrong.
Jews have been a diaspora for at least 2,600 years, leading them to be a widespread group.
It is because of this dispersion of one specific ethnic group that allows for antisemitism to be a widely produced hatred
“If Jews find their way into some relative form of success and then someone goes looking for an explanation for their own failures, that generally means that the Jews end up in a bad position to be made into the excuse for that failure,” says Gibbs.
Even in recent history, we see this being the case.
Shanes noted that Robert Bowers, the man convicted in the Pittsburgh synagogue attack, was acting on conspiracy theory propaganda that George Soros and his international Jewish conspiracy were bringing non-white people from Central America to undermine the "great white American nation."
“And [Bowers] murdered these random people in a synagogue in Pittsburgh because from his mind Jews are a conspiracy,” says Shanes.
Shanes adds that rhetoric is not harmless.
“We can learn that from history as well,” Shanes said. “And I think we can also learn from history what it takes to fight these things, which is a coalition.”
Even on college campuses, antisemitism is still a persistent problem but is often included with other hate speech.
“I’ve seen instances where antisemitic remarks happen at times that also include stereotypes about other minority groups,” Gundershall said, adding that it proves how ignorance is a primary driver of hate. “I haven’t seen much discrimination of other minorities on campus, but I know they happen in probably the same ways that antisemitism happens on campus. I know most people that aren’t Jewish aren’t seeing what others say the same way I am.”
The situation in Israel is only making antisemitism grow stronger.
Even though less than half (41%) of the world’s Jewish population lives in Israel, Jews all across the globe are finding themselves victim to antisemitic comments thanks in large part to Israel’s continued strikes on Palestinians in Gaza.
Gibbs believes that the declining popularity of the State of Israel can harm all Jews across the globe.
“I think it can in some ways make everyday Jews everywhere less safe, because the image of the State of Israel, whether everyday Jews want it to be true or not,” Gibbs states.
Rabbi Stephanie Alexander from Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim in Charleston, South Carolina, is concerned about the increase in antisemitic rhetoric but is encouraged by the number of groups speaking up against it.
“Antisemitism remains a persistent issue, and we are seeing an uptick in incidents both locally and nationally,” she said. “This is concerning, but I also see a growing awareness and willingness among various communities to address it.”
Photograph of a KKBE Hanukkah celebration
Though the current violence toward Jews is not nearly as bad as it was during the Holocaust in Germany, it is still rampant among many people with over one billion people harboring antisemitic attitudes.
What now?
Many Jews have become disheartened by their experiences with antisemitism but there are also things they are doing to combat such hatred.
“I’ve had several congregants come up to me in the past year to tell me how they sometimes can’t stand being Jewish because they always become the end of the stick for so many people. And that’s the way it’s been throughout history,” Uriarte said. “I think all I can do is continue engaging with my community and assure them that everything will eventually be okay, even if it might not feel okay right now.”
Education has become a quintessential part of putting an end to antisemitism.
“I think that educating the public about antisemitism is an important step to ending what has been harming our community for lifetimes,” Gundershall says.
If educating the public is important, educating Jewish people is as well. This is mostly done through the Jewish teachings of the Tanakh, the Jewish holy book.
Especially with Jewish religious sects like Reform, these teachings are an important catalyst for expressing empathy towards all.
Uriarte reminds that Reform Judaism is based on a lot of different principles, such as inclusion and that everyone has a place in the eyes of God.
"We believe and encourage 'Jews-by-choice,’ meaning that we’re choosing this path rather than having this life pushed on us, as well as having an acceptance of interfaith families," Uriarte said. "We believe fully in changing the world for the better through things like taking action, showing compassion, and justice."
Reform Judaism also is an advocate for educating its community.
“Our synagogue takes an active role in education, not just for our members but for the broader Charleston community. We host interfaith events, educational seminars, and lectures that focus on Jewish history and the realities of antisemitism today,” says Rabbi Alexander.
Professors like Gibbs and Shanes are continuing their education about the history of antisemitism as a way to stop the spread of these actions and to enable change within their communities.
“It'll be all of my students that have been in one of my classes, who raise kids who don't want to put up with antisemitism either,” Gibbs states.
Most Jewish people are turning to their communities for support.
“The teaching of “Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Bazeh” — all of Israel is responsible for one another — reminds us that we need to stand together,” says Rabbi Alexander. "Not only for our own community, but for every single community in our country."
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