Antisemitism in the United States has surged to unprecedented levels, according to Elan Carr, CEO of the Israeli-American Council (IAC) and former U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. In an interview with ynet Global, Carr said the rise is not a passing phenomenon but “a deeper shift in American society” that has been building for more than a decade.
Since the Hamas attacks on October 7, he noted, “it’s been unhinged attacks on Jews—physical, verbal and institutional—aimed at pushing Jews out of the public square.”
Israeli-American Council (IAC) CEO and former US special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism Elan Carr
(Video: Yaron Brener)
Carr emphasized that the Jewish community in America is feeling more unsettled than ever. “The Jewish community isn’t accustomed to this level of open, unvarnished Jew-hatred,” he said. “We’re seeing hostility in middle and even elementary schools, not just on college campuses. It’s unnerving for students and families.”
The IAC, he added, is mobilizing Jewish Americans nationwide to counter antisemitism “in schools, on campuses and in the streets.”
When asked whether an end to the war in Gaza might reduce antisemitic incidents, Carr rejected the notion. “Israeli military operations are an excuse, not the cause,” he said. “What helps the world Jewish community is Israel’s strength—its victories on the battlefield. The question is whether we will leverage Israel’s strength to achieve our own victories in the Diaspora.”
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Pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York
(Photo: Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images / AFP)
Carr stressed that defeating antisemitism requires both unity and determination. “Unity is critical. The Jewish community must present a united front,” he said. “And we have to be relentless—zero tolerance for antisemitic expression. When it’s protected speech, it must still be condemned unequivocally. When it crosses into harassment, discrimination or violence, it must be prosecuted.”
He warned that antisemitic rhetoric by public figures—such as New York mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani—represents “a profound danger to Jews and to Americans alike.”
Concluding his visit to Israel, Carr urged solidarity between Jews in Israel and abroad. “We are one people with one beating heart,” he said. “Israel has achieved miraculous victories. Now it’s time for the Jewish people around the world to achieve victories of our own—because this is a fight for the soul of the United States and for the soul of Western democracy.”