In the wake of the deadliest antisemitic attack on U.S. soil—the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh—the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism was formed. Now, with hate crimes against Jews at historic highs, the group is rallying behind new legislation to stem the tide.
The task force, which now includes more than half the Senate in equal numbers from both parties, has already secured funding for house of worship security, pushed for stronger civil rights enforcement on campuses, and passed laws supporting Holocaust education. But since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, antisemitic incidents have spiked to an average of 17 per day, with physical assaults reaching record levels. Nearly three-quarters of American Jews report experiencing or witnessing antisemitism online, and over 40 percent of Jewish college students say they've faced bigotry on campus.
To address this, Senators have introduced the bipartisan Jewish American Security Act. The bill would create an Antisemitism Coordinator at the Department of Education to lead federal efforts against campus antisemitism, requiring colleges receiving taxpayer funds to adopt clear nondiscrimination policies and reporting procedures. It also mandates the disaggregation of campus hate crime data to pinpoint who is being targeted.
Beyond campuses, the measure would authorize a record $1 billion annually for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, helping synagogues, churches, mosques, and other at-risk institutions fortify their facilities. As online radicalization fueled the Tree of Life attack, the bill would empower the Federal Trade Commission to hold social media platforms accountable for monitoring and handling antisemitic content, demanding transparency on how such material spreads.
Recent attacks underscore the urgency. In Washington, a couple leaving a reception at the Capital Jewish Museum was fatally shot. In Colorado, a man used Molotov cocktails and a flamethrower against a group advocating for hostages, killing an elderly woman. These incidents, the senators argue, are a direct assault on religious freedom—a core American value.
Yet despite the surge, no standalone federal antisemitism legislation has passed since October 7. The Jewish American Security Act aims to change that, building on a legacy that dates to the nation's founding. Jewish Americans have long been integral to U.S. history; the first foreign government to recognize the fledgling United States was the Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius, whose Jewish residents provided critical supplies during the Revolutionary War. President George Washington later affirmed Jewish religious freedoms in a letter to Moses Seixas, a principle the bill seeks to uphold.
The task force's work continues as it presses for passage, emphasizing that unchecked discrimination escalates into violence. With bipartisan support and a clear mandate, the bill represents a concerted effort to protect Jewish communities in the spaces where they are most vulnerable—campuses, institutions, and online.
