FBI director Christopher Wray testified Tuesday that antisemitic threats are reaching “historic levels” across the U.S. in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel.
“I will say that this is a threat that is reaching in some ways sort of historic levels, in part because, as you know all too well, the Jewish community is targeted by terrorists really across the spectrum,” Wray said before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “In fact, our statistics would indicate that for a group that represents only about 2.4 percent of the American public, they account for something like 60 percent of all religious-faith hate crimes.”
The FBI director added his agency is doing its part to tackle the rise in antisemitism, particularly through its Joint Terrorism Task Forces and hate-crime investigations. He assured the committee that “we’re seeing the full landscape and doing our best to be proactive in this space.”
Wray’s comments come amid a significant uptick in antisemitic threats on college campuses and in cities across the U.S. following Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
The rise in antisemitic bigotry also prompted the Virginia governor to act. On Tuesday, Governor Glenn Youngkin (R., Va.) signed an executive directive designed to combat antisemitism in Virginia and the state’s schools.
Executive Directive Six allows the Commonwealth to coordinate with educational institutions, both K-12 and higher-education, and law enforcement entities to fight threats of violence against any religious community. The governor signed a similar directive on his first day in office.
Youngkin said on national television he has received mounting concerns from both the Jewish and Muslim communities due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
On @CBSMornings, I announced Executive Directive Six to combat threats of violence against Jewish people and other religious communities. Virginia is the birthplace of freedom of religion in America and it is paramount that we protect our houses of worship.https://t.co/nD5ey0V6Xu pic.twitter.com/73aTdYH9Q8
— Governor Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA) October 31, 2023
“Hatred, intolerance, and antisemitism have no place in Virginia,” Youngkin said in a statement announcing the new state order. “As Governor, the safety and security of all Virginians is my paramount concern. Virginia is the birthplace of the freedom of religion in America, and protecting the community centers and houses of worship of the Jewish people is paramount. But this commitment extends to all religions, including those of the Muslim faith, who are increasingly concerned about backlash.”
In response to the rise of antisemitism on campus, Harvard University announced last week the creation of an advisory board to “disrupt and dismantle” efforts to threaten or intimidate Jewish students.
“Antisemitism has a very long and shameful history at Harvard,” Harvard president Claudine Gay said Friday at a Hillel Shabbat dinner announcing the body’s creation. “For years, this University has done too little to confront its continuing presence. No longer.”