Three Years Later: The Mission Behind Antisemitism Watch Has Never Been Clearer

Today marks the three-year anniversary of Antisemitism Watch, the nonprofit Gerald Posner and I founded to address what we viewed—even then—as an accelerating global crisis. We announced our launch in a Newsweek article explaining why another watchdog was not only justified but necessary.

We noted that antisemitism—history’s oldest hatred—was experiencing an unparalleled post-Holocaust resurgence. Across the United States, Canada, and Europe, antisemitic incidents had broken records for two consecutive years. Jews were, by available data, two and a half times more likely to be victims of hate crimes than Black Americans, and twice as likely as Muslims.

The rhetoric fueling this surge came from all directions. Ancient tropes about Jewish control and dual loyalty persisted, while social media accelerated new conspiracy theories that assigned Jews responsibility for everything from the slave trade to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kanye West’s widely broadcast antisemitic statements underscored how mainstream and normalized this hatred had become.

And all of that was before October 7 poured gasoline on anti-Jewish hatred worldwide.

Why We Created Antisemitism Watch

We launched Antisemitism Watch because the mainstream Jewish organizations tasked with confronting antisemitism—especially the Anti-Defamation League—had, in our view, developed a dangerous ideological blind spot. Their institutional focus remained firmly fixed on antisemitism from the political right, while manifestations on the left were too often minimized or excused.

In several cases, the ADL even partnered with or endorsed initiatives that contained antisemitic elements. Worse, the organization had pulled back from its once-vigorous oversight of antisemitism festering on college campuses. Anti-Jewish bigotry increasingly hid behind the veneer of anti-Zionism, and too often the ADL declined to act.

We supported these concerns with data. A study we conducted found that in just a two-week period, the ADL’s online tracker missed reporting two-thirds of antisemitic incidents worldwide. Even before October 7, this gap was troubling. Today, it reads as ominously predictive.

Three Years On: Our Work and Our Focus

From the outset, we pledged that Antisemitism Watch would be a nonpartisan volunteer initiative committed to exposing anti-Jewish prejudice and violence across the political spectrum. That remains our guiding principle.

This year, one of our major initiatives has been pressing the U.S. Department of Justice to apply the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act—originally enacted to stop racist mobs—to pursue foreign-funded, pro-Hamas groups operating in the United States that intimidate Jewish communities, glorify terrorism, and incite violence. We expect meaningful developments early next year.

With Gratitude

Gerald and I remain deeply grateful to everyone who has supported this work from our inception. When we launched, we wrote that combating antisemitism requires an all-hands-on-deck effort. That remains true. And we will continue doing our part—steadily, unapologetically, and with the same sense of urgency that compelled us to form Antisemitism Watch three years ago.

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PS The audio is a stock voice from Substack, I had trouble uploading my audio voiceover.