Many of my readers and former students have expressed frustration in the “depressing” manner in which I have interpreted current Jewish political news. Indeed, my messaging is often framed in a problematic context, sadly reflecting the state of Jewish and public affairs.

In so many ways, two articles have defined my take on the current realities. The themes in these publications speak to the deeper sense of anguish that we are feeling and seek to describe the “unsettled” character of the Jewish condition.

Since releasing these essays, the events, beginning with October 7th and involving the most recent anti-Israel campus mobilization, have so clearly brought into perspective this moment. In this essay, I am moving this troubling scenario forward.

When considering the current crisis, folks often begin with the question of, “So why now?” In some measure, as Simon Montefiore has suggested in his new volume, “The World, A Family History of Humanity,” we as a civilization are reverting to an earlier, more traditional, political timeline of defined and minimized roles, where minorities, such as the Jews, will be returning to their former status as marginalized petitioners. His argument confirms the end of a distinctive but non-normal period of Western and Jewish liberalism and acceptance.

During these past 75 years, and more generally, over these last 150 years, Jews have held a fundamentally different political status and economic place in Western societies than in previous times. Both the collective and personal achievements that have defined the modern Jewish condition were without precedent, and in turn, Western societies have exhibited a more open tolerance, allowing for a Jewish renaissance of power and influence.

The factors now contributing to the undoing of this unique era are at hand. Five elements explain this moment.

First, even as Jews may have contributed to the world of new technologies, the advent of the internet and the presence of social media platforms have been the staging areas for much of the adverse messaging now being directed against Israel and global Jewry. This has been the seedbed for creating the new antisemitism that is today serving to marginalize Jews and undermine the State of Israel.

Second, beginning in the 1970s, political scientists began to note the decline of trust in core Western institutions, and with such a loss of confidence and belief in the infrastructures of our democracies came a corollary pushback directed against the central actors and decision-makers associated with these centers of power. Jews are seen as being a part of an elite class of influencers who helped to shape contemporary culture, the economic marketplace, and the political agenda. This assault on the status quo not only sees Jews as fellow travelers contributing to the “white” dominated political and economic order but also as the architects of many of its core policies that have ensured their positions of power.

Since the onset of this century, accompanying this assault on trust, we have encountered an environment where public discourse and conduct have given way to conspiracy theories, racist messaging, and antisemitic rhetoric and action. This new level of incivility has been fueled by social media and the expanded possibilities of creating “fake” news and alternative outcomes. We are living in a political culture in which public debate is being reduced to a base level of distrust, where alternative viewpoints are often labeled and minimized, and where one’s opponents are marginalized. All these countercultural expressions led to such transformational moments as Charlottesville’s Unite the Right Rally (2017), the antisemitic attack at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue (2018), and the January 6th civil insurrection (2021).

In this period, we are experiencing a changing generational dynamic. In connection with the Gen Z phenomenon, we are being introduced to a cohort whose educational orientation and socialization experience are fundamentally different from prior generations. Minimally exposed to classroom civics and American history, this age group has been far less connected to the rhythm and traditions of the earlier periods of this nation’s social and cultural evolution. In its place, this is the first generation to be raised on the internet, with all its problematic realities. As a result, our newest and largest generation is entering the world with a highly limited but distorted view of history, culture and politics, driven and shaped by the platforms of social media.

As these Gen Zs move forward, they are being exposed to the full imprint of post-modernism, with its critique of Western culture, democracy and the economic order. Intersectionality, Critical Race Theory and Woke Culture are all being layered onto the mindset of this new emerging constituency.

Beyond these individual factors, we are observing how the cultural artifacts of institutions are being debased and, in some instances, minimized. We are observing that younger constituencies are prepared to minimize history, reject culture, and dismiss a group’s storyline.

Today’s language of the street, with its distortions of Zionism, misrepresentations of Judaism, and its outright dismissal of the Jewish people, is both unsettling and troubling, as these players are attempting to rewrite the Jewish narrative concerning who we are and what we represent. As with the Nazis and other enemies of our people, the messages being conveyed by these activists seek to deny both our presence in the land of Israel and our historic connection to this holy space. Our opponents in this moment are calling for our genocide, comfortably aligning themselves with those in prior periods who were committed to seeking our demise.

Our opponents in this moment are calling for our genocide, comfortably aligning themselves with those in prior periods who were committed to seeking our demise.

A new American alliance appears to be emerging that is comprised of an alignment of minority religious, ethnic and racial voices, many of whom we once considered our allies. This new coalition is directing its messaging and organizing itself against Israel and American Jewry, with support from a cadre of academic groups, a coalition of national organizations, and a core of political elites. In turn, this effort is being supported by a collection of foreign interests.

The dismembering of the American Jewish political story is designed to weaken the United States’ support for Israel, question American Jewish policies and behaviors, and seek to undo the influence and status of Jewish Americans. This displacement is well underway.

As we awaken to our new political reality concerning our changing status and position, we will be undergoing a degree of communal shock and a profound sense of political dislocation. In moving forward, we must employ our resources wisely, refine our core objectives, and rethink our messaging to maximize positive outcomes as we enter this new day in America.

Dr. Steven Windmueller is an Emeritus Professor of Jewish Communal Studies at HUC-JIR, Los Angeles. His writings can be found on his website, www.thewindreport.com.

In the past few weeks, I have visited numerous college campuses and watched the antisemitic madness grow. I have also spoken to many groups about how the progressive ideologies that have been ascendant in higher education have left campuses and have permeated the mainstream, now heavily influencing the media, corporate culture, and many facets of our nation’s government. Jewish students are now under extreme threat and duress.

In response, various donors, groups, professors, and leaders have spoken out against this Jew hatred. Most recently, major Columbia donor Robert Kraft suspended his giving. And Jewish communal organizations like the American Jewish Committee have been calling on universities and their leaders to keep Jewish students safe on their campuses. As AJC CEO Ted Deutch said: “We will not accept conditions that are so fraught for Jewish students that they rightfully fear attending classes or going to the library on campus.”

But even with all this valuable pushback and more, the critically important localized responses have been remarkably weak, poorly coordinated, and ineffective. What we need now is on-the-ground tactical training for Jewish student activists and leaders. This strategy has been neglected and is something that must be corrected if the Jewish community is going to push back against this madness and protect college students.

I share this idea now because I am regularly asked what can be done to address the dangerous post-October 7 environment on many campuses as many have noticed that the elite level responses and attempts to help put an end of the violence and intimidation are simply not working in the short run, and the dangers are increasing as schools cancel classes, change finals, and cancel graduation ceremonies. Fortunately, there are some concrete and powerful steps that the Jewish community can take on the campus or local levels that can complement the various legal and Title VI claims that are mounting along with varied lobbying attempts.

Immediately, the many Jewish institutions that have established campus outreach initiatives or programs to address antisemitism need to coordinate and collaborate effectively. Jewish students do not need or want numerous online pages and “helpful” literature or guides. There is constant talk of various top-heavy initiatives and education to teach about the history of Jews, as well as Jewish leaders and organizations releasing statements about campus troubles or debating narrow-minded, antisemites on major mass media.

But none of this is effective—not if we want to help students on campus right now.

Students report to me that while they appreciate the various efforts, they remain confused about how the organized community’s actions and statements asking for help and intervention will actually change anything for them. For weeks if not months, Jewish students have been worried about the calls for their extermination and most recently, many feel they can no longer safely set foot on their own campuses.

In reality, Jewish students want and need on-the-ground support, real legal and practical guidance, and the reassuring conviction that they are not alone. Despite not being widely seen in the public, calls for Jewish harm are widespread and known to Jewish students. A now former Columbia student was expelled after a video surfaced showing this student stating, “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists.” Sadly, students also know that he is far from being the only one harboring such sentiments.

Since October 7, Jewish students have been managing calls for their death and various other threats along with numerous instances of antisemitism from many administrators and professors in dining halls, dorms, and even classrooms. Far too many Jewish students have been assaulted and attacked; they understandably feel unsafe. With good reason, Jewish students at Columbia were told by Rabbi Elie Buechler, Director of the Orthodox Union-Jewish Learning Initiative on campus, to “return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved.”

But as sound as his advice may have been, the many students who have stayed on campus have too often been left to fend for themselves. It is critical that students and collegiate Jewish communities have the tools and backing to manage this crisis. Unfortunately, off-campus Jewish groups are not focused on supporting the students directly. This needs to change.

It is critical that students and collegiate Jewish communities have the tools and backing to manage this crisis.

They can help students in many ways. As one example, students need legal counsel and professional and practical help to know that their rights and legal protections are intact. They need the proper support and services to hold others who are committing hate crimes against them accountable.

A second critical area of need now involves improving the Jewish community’s media performance and messaging. Tragically, the Jewish community has lost control over the narrative. The false narrative that Israel is committing genocide is being disseminated at too many campuses. These same players also work to delegitimize the Jewish state’s right to exist.  Campus Jewish community leaders would benefit from media training along with preparation on conflict diffusion and crowd management tactics.

Over the years, I have experienced absolutely unhinged student protestors in my face, spitting at me, screaming, and calling me a host of things from a rapist to a genocidal maniac; some even threatened to murder my children. I have learned how to react and not to give them the rise that they seek.

Regrettably, we now need to train our Jewish community leaders and our students to contend with similarly hate-filled crowds. Jewish students need to take control of the narrative and present well in print, online, in public actions, and protests. While one of the most effective ways to push back and change the narrative. The Jewish campus leaders need clear talking points and must know how to respond to lies and misinformation. We need to train the students and leaders to debate in uncomfortable situations and to demonstrate that Israel has the right to exist and that it is not committing genocide. This is a ground game and rather than debating progressive ideologues on podcasts and an TV, the Jewish community must support the students and community organizations that are on the front lines of this tragedy.

A powerful and instructive video at UCLA shows a student handling a purported professor who appears unhinged and maniacal, incapable of reasoned thought and dialogue. The student however is calm, reasonable, and holds the professor accountable for her claims that Israel has been committing genocide. The professor cannot handle the student’s impeccable logic and the video shows her becoming increasingly agitated, angry, and frustrated, eventually screaming for help because she was not able to answer basic questions about what she was protesting.

And then there’s the matter of local support. Our nation’s colleges and universities are not isolated. Schools like Columbia, Northwestern, and the University of Pennsylvania that have seen incredible hate are embedded in areas with large Jewish populations. Local Jewish communities need to come to campus and show support for the Jewish students. This does not mean being aggressive or behaving in ways that are unethical or dangerous. But it does mean making it known to both Jewish students and the campus communities at large that Jews are here to support one another. I know that the experience of solidarity when hundreds of pro-Israel supporters recently showed up outside Columbia’s gates was deeply appreciated and affirming to many students last week.

Without question, the Jewish community has every right to be outraged, scared and anxious since October 7th. But the time for shock and confusion is over. Truths have been revealed and we know just how deep the antisemitic rot is in our institutions of higher education. It is now time to fight this madness on the ground and not only in the halls of Congress, the national mass media, and alumni associations. It is time to change tactics and equip Jews on campus and in the surrounding communities with the requisite tools and training. Certainly, Jewish communal actions and impending federal intervention will help as will the avalanche of litigation coming. But Jewish students need support immediately and with the right help, can be more knowledgeable, mobilized, organized, competent and effective.

Truths have been revealed and we know just how deep the antisemitic rot is in our institutions of higher education.

With so many school terms ending in the next few weeks, Jewish students will have a moment of peace and a second to pause. But the Jewish community should see the summer break as an opportunity to prepare for the long run. The fall term may be quieter than the spring, but there is no reason not to prepare for the worst and help train our younger Jewish community members in how to manage the far too frequent calls for their destruction.

Organizations can and should work on top level change and reform. But they cannot continue to overlook the ground game that students are facing. The time is now for the Jewish community to step up and provide this care. For we as Jews are commanded (Shavuot 39a) to care for our own community as we are all interconnected, share a linked fate, and must be prepared to help each other. Or as Hillel famously commented (in part): “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if not now, when?”

Samuel J. Abrams is a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.