Every week in this newsletter, we spotlight incidents of antisemitism from all over the world. It’s a necessary and important way of taking the temperature of our society, and of telling a story about what is happening to Jewish life in the West. That story is often not a happy one, and all too often can seem like one in which the Jews are victims of, rather than participants in, their own societies.
There is no consensus about how to deal with these threats—even within the Jewish community. There are some who think we’re still operating in a world in which the old rules apply. Who have hope that the liberal order that has seen Jews flourish in America might yet prevail. That the war in Israel will drop from the headlines; that we’ll soon be able to go back to the pre–October 7 world.
Then there are those who believe that projecting strength is the only option for ensuring Jewish survival. That antisemitism can’t be argued or ignored out of existence, that Jews cannot live with their heads down, and that sheer might is the only way to keep Jews safe in a world in which hatred reemerges time and time again.
Jews disagree about most matters, even those that are much more trivial than our safety and security, so it’s no surprise that there is very little agreement on one of such weight. But the ways that this lack of consensus manifests are important.
Some Jews are happy to contribute to ever-increasing bills for synagogue security teams, but would never carry a gun. Others believe the Jewish community should take a Christian approach and turn the other cheek, and rely on law enforcement to restore order. Others still seek comfort in guns or self-defense classes, resigned to the idea that they may one day have to stop an attack on themselves or their families.
To a certain extent, all of these solutions are Band-Aids; they are ways to treat the symptoms of Jew-hatred while the disease itself continues to spread. But while they may feel like a drop in the bucket compared to the tsunami of radicalization and hate that many Jews are facing, they also signify something important: that Jews are not only unwilling to take it lying down, but that they have more resources to fight back than ever before—especially in America.
This week, we’re bringing you a story about Jews doing just that. Over the last few months, my colleague, video journalist Tanya Lukyanova, has been delving into the burgeoning network of Jews in New York City who are responding to the rise in antisemitic hate crimes by taking up arms. First, she visited a Brooklyn gun store that opened less than two years ago—the first in the borough in nearly four decades. There, she spoke with owner Michael Bergida, who estimates that roughly 60 percent of his new clients are Jewish first-time gun owners.
Elsewhere, Tanya found that enrollment in Israeli self-defense classes has doubled since October 7. She later met with a firearms instructor who calls himself the Tactical Rabbi and has amassed thousands of social media followers teaching defensive shooting to Jewish Americans.
Tanya also spoke to Jewish New Yorkers who are skeptical that gun ownership will solve the societal problem of Jew-hate, saying that their gun control views trumped their feelings of personal safety. Historically, Jews have the lowest rate of gun ownership of all religious groups in America. But in a post–October 7 world, is that beginning to change?
You can watch Tanya’s full video here:
UNITED STATES
DOJ Opens Title VI Investigation Into University of Washington
Assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon announced on April 20 that she had ordered a federal investigation into the University of Washington after the student group Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return University of Washington (SUPER UW) held a fundraiser calling on supporters to materially support “the Lebanese resistance.” Dhillon noted the group “has a history of violent antisemitic activity” on campus, including a 2025 building occupation in which protesters ignited dumpster fires and 21 students were arrested. The group is also scheduled to host Raed Abduljalil, a Palestinian terrorist released from prison last February after serving 23 years for participating in attacks that killed and injured Israelis.
UCLA Student Government Condemns a Former Hamas Hostage’s Testimony
The UCLA Students Associated Council formally condemned a Yom HaShoah event featuring Omer Shem Tov, 23, who was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, and held in Hamas captivity for 505 days. The council called the decision to highlight his testimony “selective platforming of narratives that obscure the broader reality of ongoing state violence” and said it “serves to legitimize and normalize ongoing atrocities.”
