What All the Jew Haters Share

by Melissa Steinberg Brodsky 

substack:  https://substack.com/@thelionesswrites

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/melissabrodsky

In the United States antisemitic incidents have broken their own record four years in a row. That’s not even taking into consideration recent international incidents such as Bondi Beach, synagogues across the globe, and more.

Nearly 70% of all religion-based hate crimes here target Jews. Physical assaults are up 21%. On college campuses, incidents jumped 84% in a single year. Globally, antisemitic incidents are up 340%. The UK, 450%. France, 350%. Canada, 562%. This isn’t a spike. This is a war on Jews, and the world is losing it on purpose.

Islamic radicalized terrorism is real, it’s documented, and we need to be done tiptoeing around it. But simultaneously there’s a massive growing volume of inciting rhetoric targeting Jews that’s coming from Americans, radicalized right here at home. That's in addition to those on the left who are anti-Israel and/or also buy into the resurgent tropes that Jews have too much money, power and influence.

Increasingly, those Christians who believe in Replacement theology, or supersessionism, the view that the Christian Church has replaced or superseded national Israel as God’s chosen people, inheriting the biblical covenants, are gaining ground. At the same time, on a secular level, they are invested in buying into conspiracy theories and internet memes about all of the evil that Jews supposedly believe in and do. Those with violent instincts are increasingly deciding those instincts are righteous, as they spread an ideology that says Jews worship Satan, eat children, and are enemies of God. The segment of Christian nationalism, often identified by “Christ is King,” has sent a loud and metastasizing faction into replacement theology and apocalyptic antisemitism wrapped in scripture. Some aren’t particularly religious at all - Hitler was not - and like him, subscribe to his ideology and applaud his methods, while lamenting his failure to “finish the job.” These aren’t bots or trolls. They have audiences, they have reach, and they’re radicalizing each other faster than anyone seems to be tracking. You see them constantly in comment sections with a variety on a theme of ovens, lampshades, and more vileness.

What all these movements share is the same ancient structure. “Jews are the new Nazis.” For the ACTUAL neo-Nazis, it’s more that Jews deserve it for all the reasons. Diaspora Jews are personally responsible for a foreign government’s decisions. Israel as the singular source of all evil on earth. And although they argue Israelis are not real Jews (Khazars, etc.,), all Jews are evil as well. Whatever combination of these ideologies is in play, these are medieval kill orders wrapped up in shiny new packaging, and they’ve ended the same way every time. This rhetoric doesn’t just describe bad behavior; it green-lights violence against us.

Jewish life in the freest country on earth looks like this…cameras, armed guards, locked doors, drills for children who are also learning their letters. Every dollar spent on defense is a dollar that can’t go toward teaching, music, or the life a community is supposed to live. This has become our new normal, and we need to name it for what it is. There’s an ongoing, multi-front attack that our leaders have decided is an acceptable cost of doing business.

Our haters aren’t fragmented. They don’t agree on pretty much anything. But they’ve arrived at the same target and they’re acting on it or calling for their followers to act on it. News stories about these issues garner more support for the hate and act of violence than sympathy. The haters are literally enjoying the fallout.

Meanwhile, our leaders, organizations, communities…they’re holding committee meetings, protecting donor lists, letting turf wars splinter what should be an iron wall. Not to mention they’re writing statements nobody reads. Lighting candles that don’t protect anyone. Sending thoughts and prayers to all impacted. It’s embarrassing, and it’s deadly.

The kumbaya around a campfire must be over. It was performative. Soft language and interfaith dinners haven’t stopped a single attack. While we were busy being palatable so we don’t offend, they were busy being effective. That needs to end. They don't care if they offend, maybe it's time we stop caring, too.

Every Jewish organization, federation, synagogue, campus group, and advocacy body needs to be in the same room, with the same message, with the same force. Not a coalition of press releases. Not another vigil forgotten by Monday. A wall. Unified, unapologetic, unmovable and preparing to do what is needed to protect ourselves.

To every Jewish organization that’s been too cautious, too fragmented, too worried about the wrong people’s feelings, the community you claim to represent is under attack and they’re watching what you do next. Not what you say. What you do. We are being targeted at unprecedented levels. We’re running out of time for anything else.

Thank you to Craig Berlin for this collab. He kept me on a path where I wanted to meander.

(c) 2026 Melissa Brodsky Creative Property of Melissa Brodsky