Challenging Anti-Semitic Protests Threaten Both Jewish Community and America’s Future

Here are some excerpts from a speech given on Sunday by Eric Cohen, CEO of Tikvah, a Jewish educational think tank, in response to the antisemitic protests at US colleges.

The contrasting scenes unfolding at universities across our nation reveal a significant battle for the soul of America.

It is a story of two cultures, with Jews and Israel at the heart of the narrative.

At Columbia, a group of students, faculty, and activists rally for the destruction of Israel.

Meanwhile, at the University of Florida, Jewish people come together in solidarity, filling an entire university arena for a Passover seder, where President Ben Sasse proudly joins in the celebration of Israelite freedom.

While Rutgers and Northwestern universities cater to extremist demands for more pro-Hamas activities, the campus of Southern Methodist University is adorned with hundreds of Israeli flags.

At Yale, a vocal Jewish student is assaulted, whereas at Hillsdale College, students honor the Jewish people as their “elder brothers in faith” and view Israel as a brave defender against evil.

Once again, Jews are bearing the weight of deeper civilizational issues, as has often been the case in history.

Our challenge is not solely to ensure the safety of Jews or fight against antisemitism by simply treating Jews as another marginalized group in need of protection.

Mere safety is a weak aspiration for a great people and nation, and the hatred towards Jews is not merely discrimination but an extreme ideology aimed at eradicating the Hebraic essence from Western civilization by delegitimizing the Jewish people and obliterating the Jewish state.

Recently, the Jewish experience has been a stark demonstration of the brokenness of many elite American cultural institutions.

These institutions prioritize mob rule over ordered liberty, revolution over civic respect, appeasement over principle, and idealistic notions of social justice over the substantial work of safeguarding civilization.

Since October 7, American Jews have been confronted with harsh realities, and now we must decide how to respond, both as Jews and Americans. Will we give in to the pressure to abandon our Jewish and Zionist connections as a progressive requirement at prestigious universities, or will we stand up against these deteriorating establishments?

Should we proclaim the end of the golden age of American Jewry, or should we, as proud Jews, take responsibility in revitalizing the American experiment?

The case for a departure from the corrupted campuses of Columbia and Harvard seems pressing and evident.

The question then becomes: where should we go and for what purpose? Are we leaving to save ourselves as Jews or to help rescue America from those who aim to destroy it?

For Jews concerned about America’s future, the best approach is to mobilize Jewish resources, skills, and funds to establish centers of excellence within institutions that uphold Jewish values, support Israel, and cherish the Hebraic heritage of America and the West.

We can establish new honors programs at supportive institutions that prioritize Jewish ideals.

We can create scholarships to attract talented young Jewish individuals to these new environments.

We can educate a new generation of professors who grasp the Jewish essence of the West and the crucial lessons from Jewish history.

Lastly, we can establish new Jewish educational institutions that equip young Jews with the vital task of preserving American liberties.

The stakes are high.

The current assault on Jews on college campuses is not merely rooted in irrational biases.

It runs deeper and holds a more deliberate intent.

Jews embody everything the adversaries of American civilization seek to dismantle—the moral framework of the Hebrew Bible, which anti-Jews intend to substitute with woke secularism or radical Islam; the culture of meritocracy, which anti-Jews aim to replace with the false justice of the new diversity, equity, and inclusion protocols; and the belief in national sovereignty, which anti-Zionists endeavor to dismantle in favor of UN-style utopianism.

The fate of the West mirrors that of the Jews. The radical activists and their academic supporters comprehend this profound civilizational truth—and so should we.

American Jews are a people chosen twice—by God and by history.

If we, as Jews and Americans, still believe that America plays a crucial role in humanity’s destiny—and that America’s own fate now hangs in the balance—then we must commit to the task of renewing America.

We must focus not only on our safety in America but also on our responsibility for America.

Are we willing to face this challenge?