35 Fall 2024 56. “The State of Antisemitism in America 2022: AJC'S Survey of American Jews,” AJC, http://www.ajc.org/ AntisemitismReport2022/AmericanJews 57. “S.4091 – Countering Antisemitism Act,” Introduced by Senator Jacky Rosen (April 9, 2024), available at https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senatebill/4091/text 58. Marc Rod, “Across political and religious spectrum, 61 Jewish groups urge House to take up antisemitism bill,” JEWISH INSIDER (May 22, 2024), available at https:// jewishinsider.com/2024/05/jewish-groups-housebipartisan-countering-antisemitism-act/ 59. Chris Jackson and Negar Ballard, “Over Half of Americans Report Feeling Like No One Knows Them Well,” IPSOS (May 1, 2018), available at https://www. ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/us-loneliness-index-report; see also Daniel Cox, “The State of American Friendship: Change, Challenges, and Loss,” AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE (June 8, 2021), available at https://www.aei. org/research-products/report/the-state-of-americanfriendship-change-challenges-and-loss/ 60. “Millennials in Adulthood,” PEW RESEARCH CENTER (March 7, 2014), available at https://www.pewresearch. org/social-trends/2014/03/07/millennials-in-adulthood/ versus 64%), and say it has increased over the past five years (62% versus 44%).56 These cross-community relationships and partnerships to prevent antisemitism are imperative. 8. The strategy describes the necessity of resource allocation and sustainability of actions. The strategy calls on Congress to fully fund the President’s budget requests, including funding for the Department of Education, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security, among others. Increased resources will help accelerate the time it takes to process complaints of antisemitic discrimination and ensure that antisemitism is prosecuted with greater consistency and to the fullest extent of the law. The strategy also calls on Congress to pass new laws (such as giving the Department of Justice enhanced tools to address the bias-motivated violence or requiring social media companies to enable timely and robust public interest research) and reform current laws, such as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to remove special immunity for online platforms. A Path Forward Despite these best efforts, sustainability of the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism is not yet guaranteed. As of July 2024, the White House is updating the strategy to include new and continued actions for the federal government, but what will happen after the 2024 U.S. presidential election is uncertain. The strategy must not be tied to one administration, thus ensuring the continuity of the strategy and associated initiatives beyond the Biden Administration for lasting impact. Congress is the most important entity to ensure the strategy’s implementation is an ongoing, multi-year, whole-of-government effort with proper funding. Currently, the best legislative attempt to institutionalize the strategy is the Countering Antisemitism Act (CAA), which calls for the establishment of a National Coordinator to Counter Antisemitism. This coordinator will serve as the principal advisor to the President on countering domestic antisemitism, coordinate federal efforts, and conduct a biennial review of the implementation of federal government strategies to counter antisemitism for a period of ten years. The legislation would also create a permanent Interagency Task Force to Counter Antisemitism that will include representatives from the relevant agencies, create and implement interagency procedures for collecting and organizing data, brief Congress, and evaluate progress on both education about antisemitism and protection and assistance to individuals and communities targeted by antisemitism. It would also mandate the submission of a report to Congress with detailed descriptions of any programs, activities, or policies established to carry out the strategy by federal agencies, identification of the obstacles to implementation, and opportunities for improved coordination.57 The majority of American Jewish organizations are advocating for the passage of this legislation to ensure the sustainability of government action against antisemitism.58 Obstacles remain. One pervasive obstacle is that antisemitism is a symptom of a much deeper societal issue. Antisemitism feeds on loneliness and distrust. In recent decades, the U.S. has become a significantly lonelier, lowtrust society. Americans are spending much more time alone (and online). In a 2018 study, 54% of Americans reported “they always/sometimes feel as though no one knows them well,” and a 2021 report found the percentage of Americans who said they have no close friends quadrupled between 1990 and 2020.59 Two generations ago, roughly 60% of Americans said most people can be trusted. By 2014, only 30% felt this to be the case and the number declined to only 19% of millennials according to Pew.60 Low-trust societies break down.
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