Jews feel less safe in America than they did a generation ago, and for good reason. As my colleagues have documented, we are living through a disturbing surge in anti-Semitic violence. The reason, I suspect, is a change in the ideological climate, one that represents a grave threat to the American experiment.
Other nations, throughout their histories, have scorned the Jewish people. But it was George Washington who asked that “the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.” Since then, America has welcomed the Jewish people. In return, it has reaped enormous rewards, as the extraordinary achievements of Jewish scientists, doctors, lawyers, artists, businesspeople, and statesmen have helped make America the most dynamic, productive, and creative nation in the world.
