Vitriolic antisemitic violence – driven by hate and ignorance – is becoming commonplace in American society, and far more must be done to confront it.
Within the past two weeks, two cowardly criminal acts of violence aimed at Jews occurred within the "safety" of our borders. On June 1, 2025, a group of Americans in Colorado were attacked while marching to raise awareness about hostages held by Hamas for the last 20 months. Twelve Americans, including one who is reportedly a Holocaust survivor, were wounded when Mohamed Soliman targeted them with a makeshift flamethrower and incendiary devices while yelling "Free Palestine."
On May 21, 2025, two young Israeli Embassy staff members were fatally shot outside a Jewish museum in our nation’s capital. The victims – a man and a woman who were planning to get engaged the following week – were attending a "Young Diplomats Reception" hosted by the American Jewish Committee when Elias Rodriguez, shouting "Free Palestine," shot the two of them 21 times.
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Metropolitan Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation officers stand guard at a perimeter near the Capital Jewish Museum on May 22, 2025 in Washington. D.C. Two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot after attending an event at the Capital Jewish Museum earlier in the evening. (Tom Brenner For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Tragically, there is nothing new about Jew-hatred. For millennia, Jews have been targeted with false accusations of greed, deicide and dual loyalty – just to name a few. Unfortunately, we are now witnessing the rise of a new trend of antisemitism that ironically appeared shortly after Hamas’ terror attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. On that day, Hamas – a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization – crossed into Israeli territory and murdered 1,200 innocent victims and abducted 251 others. Fifty-eight of those abductees remain in Hamas captivity today. Forty-five of those killed and 12 of those abducted were American. Four of the Americans abducted were already dead when their bodies were taken hostage – and their bodies remain in Hamas captivity to this day.
After Oct. 7, antisemitic rhetoric and acts of violence throughout the world increased dramatically, and American Jews have not been spared from experiencing this horrific trend. Statistics from the Anti-Defamation League show antisemitic incidents in the U.S. reached over 10,000 from October 2023 to September 2024. This is an increase of more than 200% in the year immediately following the tragedy of Oct. 7.
Police work at the scene after an attack that injured multiple people in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1, 2025. (Boulder Police Dpt.)
In both recent attacks, the attackers shouted, "Free Palestine." According to witnesses at the scene of the murder in Washington, D.C., the attacker also shouted, "There is only one solution, intifada revolution." Encouraged by some university faculty members and praised by Hamas and Iran, thousands of American students have been chanting these exact phrases at protests and rallies on campuses across the country since Oct. 8, 2023.
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For many, these chants are not innocuous calls for Palestinian self-determination or a vision for a two-state solution. For some, the chant "Free Palestine" promotes the idea that the entire country of Israel should be only a Palestinian state, free of Jews – a call for genocide. The chant, "There is only one solution, intifada revolution," glorifies violence, as it refers to the first and second intifadas – or uprisings – in Israel and the West Bank/Gaza in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, when hundreds of terror attacks, including suicide bombings, resulted in thousands of civilian casualties for both Israelis and Palestinians. This chant implies a call for this type of violence to reoccur, targeting Israelis and Jews everywhere.
Elias Rodriguez, the 31-year-old suspect accused of shooting two Israeli Embassy staffers on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 in Washington D.C. (Instagram/@shinewithIsrael)
President Donald Trump has vowed to combat antisemitism and has demonstrated his commitment by signing multiple executive orders, cutting federal funding to universities that fail to address campus antisemitism, deporting visa holders who are engaged in antisemitic activity and creating a multi-agency task force to combat the issue.
After two recent shocking examples of post-Oct. 7 acts of antisemitic violence here at home, clearly more needs to be done to combat antisemitism in America. Hatred, lies and threats are rampant on social media and tech companies have an obligation to do more to ensure users comply with online terms of service. Law enforcement must be trained to understand symbols and phrases that are dog whistles for antisemitic violence.
An anti-Israel sign with the phrase "from the river to the sea Palestine will be free" at a protest near Tulane University in New Orleans. The phrase has been criticized as calling for the destruction of Israel. (Credit: Ryan Zamos)
Hate speech is protected speech, but incitement to imminent violence cannot be ignored. Universities must ensure both students and faculty comply with campus policies regarding antisemitism – and they must be held accountable. Urgent action is needed – a much brighter spotlight must be aimed at the antisemitic poison flooding into our society.
Jews in America fear what will happen next. They continue to ask why they are being targeted simply for being Jews. Is this any way for an American citizen – or a citizen of any country – to live?