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STANDING UP TO
ANTISEMITISM

In the wake of October 7, antisemitism — already on the rise in America — has been fully unleashed on campus, on the streets, and online.

And we’re taking action.

Download UJA’s Comprehensive Strategy

The Facts

  • Antisemitic incidents in the U.S. have seen a

    200%
    increase

    since October 7.

  • Last year had highest number of

    antisemitic
    incidents

    in U.S. on record.

  • 62% of
    American Jews

    experienced antisemitism online in the last year.

  • 44% of
    hate crimes

    in New York City were anti-Jewish.

YOUR SUPPORT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

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OUR IMPACT

  • COMMUNITY-WIDE SECURITY

    THE CHALLENGE: Jews are targeted and feel unsafe.

    OUR RESPONSE: As a direct response to the Tree of Life massacre, in 2019, with our partner JCRC-NY, we created the Community Security Initiative (CSI), now an indispensable 20-person team focused on safeguarding the New York Jewish community. Security will always remain our top priority.

    • CSI oversees the physical security of 2,400 local Jewish institutions, provides staff trainings, shares threat intelligence, assists with security assessments and grant applications, operationalizes a real-time communication system, and maintains strong ties with law enforcement.
    • CSI’s regional security directors are all former law enforcement officers assigned to cover a specific region in New York State.
    • CSI’s intelligence desk analysts track and monitor the dark web, social media platforms, and public protests 24/7 to alert CSI’s security directors and local law enforcement of a threat.

  • College Campuses

    THE CHALLENGE: Anti-Israel incidents on campus have grown 477% since last year, including an explosion in pro-Hamas protests.

    OUR RESPONSE: We’re ensuring the physical safety and well-being of Jewish students, empowering them to proudly and publicly express their Judaism and Zionism. This is about meeting acute needs, fighting misinformation, and instigating lasting change.

    Safety
    • The CSI team now includes a campus security director, serving 25 campuses.
    • CSI engages in regular conversations with senior administrators and security directors at multiple universities, local and federal prosecutors, and outside consultants regarding protest activity on campus.
    • A new joint-campus security program will allow us to offer a security app to all Jewish students on campus. If a student feels unsafe, they can activate the app to be immediately connected to security.
    • The Community Security Service (CSS), a UJA grantee, will be training Jewish college students on self-defense and situational awareness.
    Advocacy
    • UJA and JCRC-NY are directly engaging college leadership, making it clear that they must create and transparently enforce appropriate campus rules regarding protests and demonstrations.
    • UJA actively participates in Governor Kathy Hochul’s Postsecondary Anti-Hate in Education Working Group to address rising antisemitism on college campuses.
    LEGAL SUPPORT
    • UJA funds the Brandeis Center for a full-time attorney dedicated to local campuses, focusing on Title VI claims and defending Jewish students against baseless misconduct allegations.
    BRIDGE-BUILDING
    • Through our support of Interfaith America, faculty and administrators from six New York campuses are participating in a yearlong program to equip their schools in strengthening civil discourse across differences.
    ON CAMPUS NEWS
    • Our communications partners are working with school newspapers to encourage more accurate coverage of Israel-related stories.

  • The Workplace

    THE CHALLENGE: Significant numbers of Jewish employees continue to feel isolated and alone after October 7, and not adequately supported by colleagues and company leadership.

    OUR RESPONSE: We’re working to ensure that Jewish employees feel safe expressing their identities and that corporate leaders foster a positive environment for their Jewish employees.

    EDUCATING CORPORATE LEADERSHIP
    • Together with the Shine A Light initiative, we’re convening and providing resources to HR and DEI professionals to educate them on contemporary antisemitism and Jewish identity.
    • We’re connecting corporations with the Brandeis Center and Project Shema to train employees on antisemitism, Jewish identity, and the rights of Jews in the workplace.
    KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
    • We’re connecting over 70 Jewish Employee Resource Groups with the Brandeis Center’s Corporate Initiative so that employees can better understand their rights and receive legal counsel.
    COMMUNITY-BUILDING
    • We’re building materials for Jewish Employee Resource Groups to offer additional and dynamic Jewish programming.
    RESEARCH
    • We’re offering our research expertise and, with other national funders, sponsoring research to better understand the needs of Jews in the workplace.

Other Key Areas of Focus

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

Convening and sitting at the most influential tables, we are making it clear that antisemitism will never be tolerated. That silence is complicit acceptance. We’re strongly advocating at the federal, state, and local levels for funding and support.

BUILDING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE

Recognizing the fear and anxiety that some are feeling, we’re supporting initiatives that foster community resilience and well-being in schools, workplaces, Hillels, JCCs, and more.

GROWING JEWISH LIFE

We’re investing an additional $25 million over three years — above and beyond the tens of millions we already spend each year to strengthen Jewish life. With these funds, we will support opportunities to further inspire, lift up, and connect the Jewish community. On college campuses. At JCCs. At summer camps. In all the places Judaism comes alive.

Strengthening Hillels

A Safe Haven for Jewish College Students

STRENGTHENING HILLELS

A SAFE HAVEN FOR JEWISH COLLEGE STUDENTS

UJA has allocated more than $13.7 million to meet emergency needs in New York resulting from the war in Israel.

  • $6.8 million

    to enhance security at New York Jewish institutions

    Since the start of the war, antisemitic incidents in the United States have spiked by 200%. Given the significantly increased threat to Jewish schools, synagogues, Hillels, Jewish community centers, and other Jewish institutions, we are allocating additional dollars to the 22 JCCs in our network and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York for the Community Security Initiative (CSI) to support physical security upgrades, increased security guards and patrols, and expansion of overall CSI capacity.

  • $4.3 million

    to support community-based activities

    • Funding Israel education groups to provide thoughtful content and facilitation about what is happening in Israel for Jewish community members.

    • Planning and supporting 10/7 commemorations.

    • Creating meaningful ways for the community to gather to show their support for Israel.

    • Supporting trips to Israel for educators, young adults, and others.

    • Bolstering advocacy efforts on behalf of the hostages in NY.

    • Supporting Israel education at camp.

    • Strengthening connections between Jewish young adults in Israel and New York.

  • $2.6 million

    to respond to antisemitism in K-12 schools, on campus, in the workplace, and in the broader community

    • Supporting 11 Hillels (serving over 20 campuses) to provide legal protection to students and faculty, strengthen health and wellness support for students and staff, and offer additional opportunities for Jewish students to gather.

    • Developing curricula materials for K-12 classrooms.

    • Working with the DOE to train middle and high school principals about antisemitism and Israel education.

    • Promoting pro-Israel voices in traditional and social media.

    • Supporting trips to Israel for non-Jewish leaders, including elected officials and social media influencers.

Global Security

$925,000

to support smaller Jewish communities around the world that have little to no resources to address growing antisemitism.

Think you’ve been a victim of antisemitism?

We’ve put together this resource page so you can be educated and prepared, understanding how to respond if you experience incidents of antisemitism.

Learn more >

Major Moments in Recent History

Synagogue Attack Thwarted

In 2022, UJA’s Community Security Initiative (CSI) played a critical role in thwarting a potentially deadly attack on the New York Jewish community. While monitoring the web, CSI’s threat intelligence analyst discovered a tweet threatening to “shoot up a synagogue.” CSI staff alerted the FBI and local law enforcement, who apprehended two suspects carrying a gun, ammunition, a large hunting knife, and a Nazi armband at Penn Station. What might have been a terrible tragedy was thankfully prevented.

Read an in-depth report on what happened that day in Vanity Fair.

NO HATE. NO FEAR.

Almost four years ago, on January 5, 2020, we mobilized 25,000 people — Jews and non-Jews — to march across the Brooklyn Bridge under the banner of "No Hate. No Fear." The historic march and the rally were conceived and funded by UJA, and planned along with JCRC-NY. A parallel rally took place in Jerusalem, and nearly 200 organizations participated nationwide — including our senior-most political leaders from the state, city, and Congress.