I grew up surrounded by Jewish educators and clergy. My grandfather was a rabbi. My grandmother was a Hebrew school principal. Other family members are cantors, educators, and Jewish professionals. I’ll spare you the full list.          

I was always around people who were driven by their faith and who embodied the belief that we have a profound responsibility to protect our neighbors and our communities.

This week, the FBI released its 2025 Hate Crimes Report, the most important annual snapshot of hate in America.

I invite you to read NCJW’s statement responding to the state of hate in our country. 

The report shows an overall decline in hate crimes across the country, including a decline in anti-Jewish hate crimes, but that doesn’t tell the full story. 

Hate reportedly went down, but my community and other targeted communities do not feel any safer.

Hate reportedly went down, but I still worry about my family serving their congregations up on the bimah.

We know we’re living in an environment where antisemitism is rampant — just this past Shabbat, we witnessed an attack at Central Synagogue in New York, and earlier this year, someone drove their car into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, and started shooting. But we also know that we are not alone: across the country, minority and marginalized communities continue to be targeted every day. 

We have to look at what is missing — what the numbers do not reflect — in order to protect communities from hate. Every year, thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country fail to report, or accurately report, hate crimes to the FBI. 

The Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act offers a bipartisan answer: it would require law enforcement agencies to accurately report hate crimes to the FBI every year. You can take the next step right now and call on Congress to pass the Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act. 

My family instilled in me that words and actions have consequences, and that when our neighbors are being targeted and scapegoated, we have a responsibility to speak up and take action.

This is that very moment where you can take action against antisemitism and hate in all forms — please, tell your members of Congress to pass the Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act.