WASHINGTON. D.C. (Press Release) – A year into the second Trump administration, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) on Tuesday released a detailed assessment of its actions and policies as it relates to antisemitism and anti-democratic extremism.
The report, “One Year In: A Look at the Administration’s Approach to Antisemitism,” enumerates instances of the government’s move to curtail or dismantle federal agencies and programs that combat antisemitism and hate; empower white nationalists and other antisemitic extremists in senior government roles and in other manners; and normalize antisemitic and extremist rhetoric, among other actions.
The full JCPA report is available online for download.
“While a commitment to countering real and rising antisemitism is laudable, this administration has repeatedly exploited our community’s legitimate fears to undermine our democracy and institutions, while gutting vital programs and further normalizing extremist conspiracy theories and voices,” said Amy Spitalnick, JCPA CEO.
“From eviscerating the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Education to appointing avowed extremists to senior roles and pardoning perpetrators of the January 6 insurrection, the Trump administration has left the Jewish community, and countless others, vulnerable.”
She also said that the cumulative impact of the administration’s policies, actions, and rhetoric has been “to weaken democracy, the rule of law, law enforcement and hate crimes prevention programs, civil service, and academic institutions.”
This report follows Spitalnick’s testimony at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights last week on the inextricable link between Jewish safety and democracy.
The new JCPA report also lays out an extensive legislative and policy alternative to advance the fight against antisemitism at this critical moment of rising hate. These include boosting security, hate crime prevention, and civil rights funding; strengthening investigations into domestic terrorism; investing in media literacy and online accountability; and restoring support for cultural and humanities programs that preserve and promote Jewish heritage and Holocaust remembrance.
“Speaking out about this increasingly normalized extremism must not be considered political. We know that antisemitism fuels broader extremism and hate, and that Jewish safety is strongest in inclusive, pluralistic societies where everyone’s rights are protected. The safety of all of our communities requires us to act right now,” Spitalnick added.
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Preceding provided by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.