This Passover, as Jewish families sit down to retell the Exodus, one fact stares back at us from the text: Hatred of Jews has never needed a reason. Pharaoh ordered every newborn Jewish boy drowned in the Nile simply because they were Jewish. That same blunt, no-exceptions evil runs through history: Haman in Persia, the Farhud pogrom in Iraq and Hitler’s fantasy of a Judenrein world, among others. Today, in 2026, the pattern regrettably holds.
Just this month, synagogues and Jewish institutions faced violent attacks in Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States.
From arson on Jewish ambulances in London to synagogue shootings and explosions across Europe, the targeting is blunt. Last May, a terrorist gunned down two young Israeli embassy staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. The killer didn’t pause to check their passports or their politics. He believed he saw Jews, and that was enough for him to shoot.
Antisemitic violence continues to surge: from Australia to France and Spain, hitting the observant and secular, left and right alike.
For years, the official Jewish community response has been the usual script: more conferences, more NGOs, more billions from philanthropists and governments funneled into “fighting hate” through dialogue and failing multilateral institutions. The results speak for themselves: incidents keep climbing. In other words, the status quo is a failure.
Perhaps Passover can be seen as a juncture at which to consider a better model.
When the Israelites faced Pharaoh, God delivered them without preconditions. The Haggadah declares: “In every generation they rise against us to destroy us, and the Holy One, blessed be He, saves us from their hand.” The threat was collective. So was the salvation. We don’t need more seminars or cringe-worthy slogans. We need a unified, unapologetic defense of Jewish life.
Our founding fathers understood these principles when, guided by their faith, they championed religious freedom for all. Today, we must reject the toxic politicization pushed by the radical left that divides our community and confront all the sources of hatred head-on. That includes radical Islamism that spurs chants of “Death to America”; an uncontrolled system of mass migration that floods the West with ideologues who hate the Jewish faith; and radicals who excuse, celebrate or cheer on violence against Jews. Like all children in America, Jewish children should be raised proud of their heritage, not brainwashed into apologizing for existing. Our history must be taught plainly and truthfully, using every modern tool available, without the sanitization that rewrites facts to protect false narratives.
Last year at the seder, we prayed for the hostages in Gaza. We are profoundly grateful to U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and their teams for their relentless pressure that secured their return and helped end the war. This year, we honor the courage of our American heroes who, alongside Israel, are destroying the ability of the modern “Haman” to wreak havoc in the Middle East and to plot against innocents around the world.
That model from the Passover story is instructive. Antisemitism’s collective threat can be countered only by a collective response in turn. As the Israelites did in Egypt, we must overcome the division that too often weakens our community and unite with a single voice. We must get back to the basics by teaching the world not to hate. We must encourage Jewish children to be proud of being Jewish. And we must educate about our own shared history, using fresh approaches with modern technologies and modern techniques.
As we break the matzah—the “bread of faith and healing”—let us resolve to face this moment with real strength, not empty slogans. Jewish unity means survival, honesty and standing firmly behind leaders who actually deliver.
The president’s actions to punish campus antisemitism, enforce civil-rights laws without fear or favor, and go after the perpetrators—from holding accountable elite universities that shielded radicals to stripping federal funding from those who allow “Jew-free zones”—have sent one unmistakable message: Enough is enough. The threat is ancient, but it remains with us.
This Passover, let us channel the defiance of our ancestors and commit to protecting our people: without apologies and without waiting.
Have a happy Passover!
