\u201cGlobalize the intifada!\u201d \u201cResistance, you make us proud, take another settler out!\u201d\u00a0\u201cWe need to make them scared!\u201d<\/p>\n
These were the chants<\/a> I heard as I made my way through a crowd of hundreds of protesters outside Manhattan\u2019s Park East Synagogue on Nov. 19, 2025.<\/p>\n I had come to attend an information session about moving to Israel because my fianc\u00e9 is Israeli and I wanted to better understand what that future might look like. Instead, I pushed through a volatile crowd of protesters. Only a handful of police officers attempted to control the scene.<\/p>\n Last week, the New York City Council passed a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d bill designed to protect houses of worship from aggressive protests. It is a meaningful and necessary step. But legislation alone cannot address the deeper reality confronting many Jewish Americans: antisemitism is reshaping how we live, where we feel safe, and whether we see a future for themselves in this country.<\/p>\n When I finally got to the front of the crowd, I told an officer I was trying to attend the event.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me see your ID,\u201d he said, overwhelmed. He glanced quickly at my New York State ID \u2014 he didn\u2019t check it against a list \u2014 and waved me through.<\/p>\n I hurried into the synagogue and realized I hadn\u2019t gone through a metal detector. If someone with dangerous intentions had wanted to enter, they could have done so easily.<\/p>\n I went into the bathroom and, unnerved, started to cry. The chants and drumbeats echoed through the walls. I called my fianc\u00e9, shaking.<\/p>\n Downstairs, about 150 attendees had gathered in the basement to learn about moving to Israel. Sitting in the dark basement, I couldn\u2019t help but think of the ships that carried Jewish immigrants to America.<\/p>\n My Eastern European great-grandparents met in Palestine in the 1920s but chose New York, believing America offered a safer future. What would they think of their great-granddaughter considering moving to Israel? Had my family\u2019s American dream failed?<\/p>\n As I left that night, I watched an elderly Jewish couple ahead of me. The wife quietly told her husband to hide his kippah under his hat.\u00a0<\/p>\n That moment has stayed with me because it represents a broader shift among American Jews \u2014 a move towards fear and hiding.<\/p>\n In my work at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, I see Jews struggling with antisemitism daily. I\u2019ve met a business owner<\/a> forced to partially shut down her restaurant due to antisemitic harassment, and a teacher chased<\/a> by students for supporting Israel. These are not isolated incidents, but part of a larger pattern.<\/p>\n Data reflects this shift. According to the FBI, Jews account for nearly 70%<\/a>\u00a0of religion-based hate crime victims in the United States, despite making up about 2% of the population. In New York City, antisemitic incidents made up more than half <\/a>of all reported hate crimes in 2025, according to NYPD data.<\/p>\n A recent survey by the American Jewish Committee found that 91%<\/a>\u00a0of American Jews say they feel less safe in the United States because of rising antisemitism. More than half reported hiding or downplaying their identity.<\/p>\n In 2025, Jewish organizations received more than $100 million<\/a> in federal funding to address rising security threats. Many American Jews hide our identities in order to feel safe. Most synagogues now have security guards or are looking to hire one.<\/p>\n My great-grandparents came to America believing Jews could live openly and safely. I never wanted to consider moving to Israel out of fear.<\/p>\n Yet here we are.<\/p>\n