4 | AUGUST 26 • 2021 

essay

The Young Must ‘Disrupt Antisemitism’
S

ix years ago, the two of 
us met as bright-eyed 
junior staffers working 
at American Jewish Committee’s 
office in Washington, D.C. We 
were fresh out of college, brim-
ming with ambition and eager 
to help the Jewish 
people.
Fast-forward to 
today, we are two 
of the youngest 
members of AJC’s 
leadership team. 
While we still 
believe in a bright 
Jewish future, we 
are now confront-
ed with a much 
darker reality than 
we have ever expe-
rienced and, like 
many American 
Jews, we are deep-
ly concerned.
We grew up in a United States 
in which antisemitism existed 
but had been relegated to the 
fringes of public discourse. 
Modern-day antisemitism was 
not a regular topic of discussion 
in our synagogues or Jewish day 
schools, and fear of antisemitic 
attacks was not on our radar.
Since we began working at 
AJC, we have seen that paradigm 
shift. Antisemitism has emerged 
in new forms and is permeating 
more and more areas of our 
lives. We’ve seen a rapid growth 
of incidents, including, in recent 
weeks, the stabbing of a rabbi in 
broad daylight.
The demonization of Israel 
and Zionism has not only 
increased but become part of 
many progressive circles and has 
become a normalized experience 
on college campuses.
Likewise, the far-right is 
emboldened and far too com-

fortable in perpetuating antise-
mitic conspiracy theories like 
QAnon. And Jew-hatred has 
gone viral online through the 
ever-growing rise and expansion 
of social media. 
Many young Jews on these 
platforms are on the frontlines, 
under attack, daily, for their 
identities as Jews and their sup-
port for the State of Israel in a 
way that our parents never expe-
rienced.
We aren’t the only ones who 
feel this way. AJC’s “State of 
Antisemitism in America” 
report found that nine out of 
10 American Jews believe that 
antisemitism is a problem in the 
U.S., and more than four out of 
five believe that it has increased 
over the past five years. 
Looking at our peers, 39% 
of 18- to 29-year-olds think 
antisemitism in the U.S. is a very 
serious problem and 50% some-
what of a problem. A significant 
82% of the youngest cohort says 
it has increased since 2015.
On the bright side, these con-
cerning trends have led to a cul-
tural awakening among young 
Jews around antisemitism. In 
our personal and professional 
lives, friends and peers increas-
ingly are coming out of the 
woodwork, ready to call out and 
confront Jew-hatred.
These newly minted young 
Jewish activists are tired of sup-
pressing their full Jewish iden-
tities in certain spaces. They’re 
no longer staying silent in the 

face of antisemitic comments 
and social-media posts made by 
those on the far-right, far-left 
or in their own social circles. 
They’re passionate, they’re fired 
up, and they have innovative 
ideas.
Antisemitism has existed 
for millennia. On Passover, we 
recite from the Haggadah, vehi 
sheamda — “in every generation, 
they rise up to destroy us.
” And 
in every generation, courageous 
Jews — often young people — 
summon the courage to fight 
back.

THE TIME IS NOW
The time has come to couple 
the tenacity and perseverance 
of the Jewish people with the 
innovative spirit and drive of 
millennials and Gen Z to disrupt 
antisemitism.
While the arc of Jewish his-
tory is rooted in the notion of 
holding onto our traditions 
and iterating slowly, in our 
professional work and in many 
disciplines, young Jews are at the 
forefront of innovation. Silicon 
Valley is propelled by the mantra 
of “move fast and break things.
” 
Too often, the Jewish commu-
nal world shies away from this 
approach, but given the enormi-
ty of the challenge, it’s time for a 
new path.
At AJC, we’re humble enough 
to acknowledge that when it 
comes to addressing antisem-
itism, we must be open to all 
ideas, no one has the monopoly 

of wisdom, and listening to all 
viewpoints is critical.
Our peers know that big 
challenges call for big ideas. We 
know the value of empowering 
young Jews, and the need to take 
seriously their ideas and per-
spectives.
To do just that, AJC 
has launched “Disrupt 
Antisemitism,
” a new initiative 
that is the first-ever incubator for 
young American Jews focused 
solely on developing bold ideas 
to combat antisemitism. Inspired 
by the incubators of Silicon 
Valley, we are calling on young 
Jews from around the country 
to submit bold ideas to take on 
antisemitism locally, nationally 
or virtually. 
We are looking for impact-
ful ideas developed by and for 
young people. Winning propos-
als will receive up to $10,000 in 
seed funding from AJC, along 
with access to AJC expertise and 
mentorship from leaders in the 
fields of advocacy, finance and 
tech as they bring their ideas 
into reality.
None of us alone can 
end antisemitism, but with 
fresh thinking, our genera-
tion can bring about change. 
Antisemitism is a hatred com-
mitted by non-Jews, but it is 
incumbent on us — the Jewish 
future — to take action. If we 
don’t make fighting antisemitism 
a priority, then who will?
It’s time to move fast and 
break things.
So, how will you disrupt 
antisemitism? 

Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman is the 

American Jewish Committee’s director 

of the Alexander Young Leadership 

Department. Belle Etra Yoeli is the AJC’s 

chief communications and innovation 

officer.

Meggie 
Wyschogrod 
Fredman and 
Belle Etra 
Yoeli
JNS.org

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