Whatever happened to “Never Again?” Since the Holocaust, Jews have clung to this phrase as a talisman and a pledge. But “Never Again” has become “Not Again.” The Jewish community watches as violent extremists wage a war against our people, our culture and our homeland.
Jewish bodies are littering our nation as pundits dither and pontificate away over definitions of terrorism and, ignoring the blood on the ground. It’s time to operationalize the phrase “Never Again.”
Just days ago, at least eight Jewish victims lay on the ground, burned and bleeding, after an attacker screaming “Free Palestine” blasted them with a homemade flamethrower. One of the victims, an 88-year-old woman, had survived the Holocaust. She avoided the ovens of concentration camps in 1945, only to be set aflame in Boulder, Colorado, in 2025.
In the immediate aftermath, the media and security pundits ignored the victims and the intent behind the violence. Instead, they focused laser-like on semantics: whether the FBI was right to call it terrorism. Some went so far as to publicly discredit the FBI preliminary assessment—even as live video and firsthand accounts clearly showed the suspect’s intent and ideology in real time.
Less than two weeks before, a bright young couple working at the Israeli Embassy—who were about to get engaged—were mercilessly gunned down outside the Capital Jewish Museum. The young woman was shot in back multiple times as she tried to crawl away, as the shooter shouted, “Free, free Palestine.”
What has become of our society that somehow killing for political motives has become acceptable? The disquieting response is deplorable. Not everyone is standing by quietly. As hate crimes rise across our nation, police executives are not only concerned, they are heartbroken, outraged, and determined to act.
March of the Living
Recently, I had the profound honor of leading the Transnational Law Enforcement Delegation on the International March of the Living.
We were 60-strong—60 proud, steadfast police leaders from around the world, united by a shared purpose: to confront hate, to honor memory, and to ensure history never repeats itself. We walked not only to remember the victims of the Holocaust, but to draw a clear moral line between those who once wore the uniform to enforce state-sponsored hate, and those who wear it today to protect the vulnerable and uphold justice. We carry that responsibility with humility and with resolve.
Nearly ten years ago, I stood outside the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in Paris, where members of the French Jewish community had just been brutally murdered. I could not have imagined then how deeply relevant that moment would become to the challenges we now face here in the United States and Canada.
By coincidence, I was in Paris that day with my friend and colleague, former New Jersey Attorney John Farmer, then director of the Rutgers University Miller Center on Policing, at the request of the French Jewish community. I had traveled there to assess the relationship between the Jewish community and French National Police, amid a disturbing rise in antisemitic violence.
Just a month later, intelligence warned of another possible attack in Copenhagen. We went again, only to arrive hours after the Great Synagogue had been attacked and more lives had been lost.
Make no mistake
During my career, I’ve worked closely with the American Jewish community both as a police official and then as a founding member of the Secure Community Network, as the first Chief of the Office of Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism in New Jersey and as a sworn member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Advisory Council.
I’ve had the honor of shaping national strategies on targeted violence, extremism and the protection of faith-based communities. My biggest fault was believing that what I had witnessed in Europe would never happen here. I was so wrong.
Who would have thought that Boulder, Colorado—with its welcoming and vibrant environment—would see Jews nearly burned alive while participating in a peaceful march bringing attention to the remaining hostages in Gaza?
The alleged attacker reportedly overstayed his visa and acted out of unfettered hatred. The assault was as brazen as it was horrifying, fueled by the toxic cocktail of extremist propaganda and misinformation. It’s a chilling reminder of how easily outrage, when stoked and sustained, can turn into violence and attempts at murder.
Make no mistake: We are at an inflection point. When Americans—regardless of race, religion, or identity—begin to question whether it’s safe to attend their synagogue, church, temple, or mosque, we are no longer operating as a healthy democracy. Safety and freedom of worship are foundational premises and promises of our republic. They are now under dire threat.
As donation requests from Jewish organizations arrived just hours after the attack, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the timing. While funding is undeniably important, it cannot replace the need for sustained, meaningful action.
We need more than metal detectors, bollards, and armed guards. We need policies that recognize and confront domestic extremism for what it is—a growing and emboldened threat.
And above all, we need a clear and unwavering message from every level of leadership: These acts of hatred will not be tolerated in the United States of America or Canada. Lastly, we must fully support our heroic law enforcement agencies, so they have the tools, training, and resources necessary to protect our communities and confront threats before they turn to tragedy.
This is not a partisan issue. This is not only a Jewish issue. This is a North American issue—one that speaks to the core of who we are and who we choose to be.
We cannot afford to become desensitized. We cannot keep turning away from the warning signs or treating them as someone else’s problem.
The time to act is now—decisively, urgently, and together. It’s not enough to say “Never Again.” We must give those words meaning through our actions, our leadership, and our unwavering commitment to justice, dignity, and humanity. The need to operationalize the words “Never Again!” has never been more urgent!
Michael Gips, a security executive with extensive experience protecting Jewish institutions, assisted with this article.