Antisemitisms rise after Oct. 7 should scare us all

A new study released on the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Israel finds that an astonishing 3.5 million American Jews say they have experienced some form of antisemitism in the year since.Just a few data points from the study by the National Opinion Research Council at the University of Chicago, one of the most prestigious social-science institutions in the world:It’s not just feelings.According to the Anti-Defamation League, there have been at least 150 instances of physical assaults on Jews because they are Jews in the US over the past year.

And more than 8,000 incidents of verbal or written harassment targeting Jews.And 1,840 incidents of vandalism.That means nearly 10,000 explicitly antisemitic crimes have been committed against Jewish people in the US.

In the year prior, there were 3,300 such incidents.That number was already cause for profound concern, but an increase of 200% in a single year should be the stuff of nightmares for all.And it just isn’t.If it were, Kamala Harris would mention it in every speech, because her entire campaign is premised on her being a caring person.

But apparently her support for American Jews is best expressed in the oft-retailed fact that she cooks a mean brisket.We Jews don’t just feel like we’re in danger.We are in danger.

And there’s something distressingly familiar to me about the response this is generating.During the crime wave from the 1960s to the 1990s, New Yorkers who were robbed or attacked or even raped often unexpectedly found themselves on the defensive.After initial expressions of sympathy or concern, friends and acquaintances — even the cops who were called to deal with the offense — might begin to ask some odd questions.Questions like: Why were you walking alone on a dark street late at night where there aren’t any doormen? Were you drunk? Did you make eye contact with your attacker in a way he might have found disrespectful or threatening? Why were you carrying so much money? A...