We are writing today, in the final weeks of this election, because our communities are hoping our leaders will stand up to rising hateful rhetoric and actions, no matter where they exist. As candidates and political leaders, you have a responsibility to help ensure all Americans are safe and to make clear that hate and extremism have no place in our politics.
Over the past decade, we’ve seen hate and extremism become increasingly normalized in American politics, media, and society, threatening our communities and undermining our democracy.
When neo-Nazis with torches descended on Charlottesville, VA in August 2017, it was shocking. Yet, today, such hate has become far too common — and that deadly weekend was, in many ways, a harbinger of the broader cycle of violent extremism targeting so many of our communities, from Pittsburgh to Poway to El Paso to Buffalo to January 6th and beyond. Central to this violence are conspiracy theories about “replacement” and “invasion” that are deeply rooted in antisemitism and ideas of Jewish control and power.
At the same time — especially as we mark three years since October 7th — we’ve seen conspiracy theories about Jewish or “Zionist” control and power become increasingly common across the political spectrum, leading not only to harassment and marginalization of Jews in certain spaces but also rising violence. When Jews are targeted under the guise of protesting Israel, that is antisemitism. This includes the firebombing of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home, and the attacks at the Capital Jewish Museum, in Boulder, and at a Michigan synagogue.
At its core, antisemitism is a conspiracy theory, intended not only to demonize Jews but to also divide our communities and sow distrust in our institutions and democracy itself. As the (il)logic of antisemitism goes: if our government, our economy, our foreign policy, our borders, or our elections are controlled by a shadowy cabal, how can we trust that they’re working for us — and what other choice is there but to resort to violence?
So, as we head into the final month of the 2026 midterm elections, and as our communities already face record levels of hate-fueled and political violence, it is vital that candidates and other political leaders do not use their platforms to reinforce these divisions and conspiracy theories.
At the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, we call on public officials and those seeking office to speak clearly, act consistently, and ensure that their campaigns, supporters, and public platforms do not normalize antisemitism, political violence, intimidation, or hate of any kind. We urge public officials to consider the following principles as they campaign and seek the trust of the communities they hope to represent.
These commitments are not partisan tests; they must apply to candidates of all parties and are basic standards for inclusive leadership that seeks to protect the Jewish — and all — communities at this pivotal moment.
There is no strong American democracy without Jewish safety.
When Jews are threatened, excluded, or otherwise singled out and targeted, all communities are at risk, and our very democracy is threatened.
White supremacy, Christian nationalism, political violence, and conspiracy theories about Jewish power all serve to feed distrust of our institutions, divide our communities, and undermine our democracy. This includes litmus tests that exclude Jews from political or civic spaces — often falsely claiming that Jews are responsible for the Israeli government’s actions or that “Zionists” are controlling our institutions, or that Jews are somehow behind plots to “replace” Americans with immigrants or steal/undermine our elections.
Candidates and all political leaders should make clear that people who promote these ideas do not speak for them and have no place in the coalitions they seek to build.
There is no Jewish safety without a strong democracy.
Jewish Americans have experienced extraordinary opportunity and safety because of the democratic values and institutions that have enabled religious minorities and other historically marginalized communities to thrive.
Preserving that promise requires defending the rule of law; freedom of worship, speech, and assembly; academic freedom and the strength of our academic institutions; collective bargaining rights; the freedom to challenge our government; free and fair elections; and the equal rights and dignity of all people, regardless of faith, ethnicity, national origin, race, gender, sexual orientation, or other identity. It is also crucial to recognize the diversity of the Jewish community itself in understanding why inclusive, pluralistic democracy is so inherent to our safety — including Jews of Color, LGBTQ+ Jews, immigrant and refugee Jews, and beyond.
Jewish safety and American democracy are not competing priorities. They are inseparable.
We reject violence, intimidation, and harassment.
Political violence has no place in our democracy. Neither does celebrating, excusing, or threatening violence against civilians because of their identity.
We have seen the deadly consequences of white supremacist antisemitism in Charlottesville, Pittsburgh, Poway, and in other attacks on Jewish — and many other — communities. We have also seen increasing harassment and intimidation of Jews outside synagogues and other Jewish institutions — including demonstrations that celebrate Hamas or glorify violence against Jews or Israelis — as well as increasing direct acts of violence.
Protest is not only appropriate, but also deeply important to our democracy. However, doxxing, harassment, intimidation, threats, physically blocking Jews from entering public or civic spaces — and of course violence itself — are wrong and dangerous. Public leaders should reject these tactics unequivocally, regardless of who employs them or what political cause they claim to advance.
We reject symbols and slogans of hate.
Symbols intended to invoke histories of racial and antisemitic terror have no place in our politics. Swastikas, Totenkopf imagery and other Nazi insignia, Nazi salutes and chants, nooses, and similar symbols and slogans are not provocative political expression to be embraced or excused. They are celebrations of movements responsible for persecution, terror, and mass murder.
The same principle applies to rhetoric deliberately deployed to threaten Jewish communities as it relates to Israel. Criticism of Israel, including sharp criticism of the Israeli government, is of course not inherently antisemitic. But context matters. Appearing outside a synagogue to chant “globalize the intifada,” celebrate Hamas, or otherwise invoke violence against Jews is not simply criticism of Israeli policy. When these tactics are directed at Jews and not at policy makers, it can function as deliberate intimidation of the Jewish community.
Public officials should refuse to normalize rhetoric or imagery that threatens, dehumanizes, or celebrates violence against Jews or any other community.
We reject conspiracy theories, collective blame, and the singling-out of any community.
Antisemitic conspiracy theories have repeatedly inspired violence. Claims that Jews secretly control governments, the media, financial institutions, or other centers of power, as well as conspiracy theories such as the “Great Replacement,” draw on a long history of antisemitic scapegoating with deadly consequences. Public officials should not invoke coded versions of these conspiracies by blaming society’s problems on shadowy “globalists,” Jewish influence, or other traditional antisemitic tropes.
Nor should Jewish Americans — including Jewish candidates — be held collectively responsible for the actions or policies of the Israeli government or required to meet litmus tests applied to no other community. Doing so subjects Jews to a double standard and reinforces the antisemitic dual loyalty trope that Jewish Americans are inherently more loyal to Israel than to their own country.
In particular, it is vital that candidates and political leaders do not reinforce the “Good Jew” vs. “Bad Jew” narrative some have promoted — whether it’s claims that Jews who do not support the President are “disloyal” or efforts to exclude Jews who have any connection to Israel.
Relatedly, criticism of AIPAC (or any other organization) or debate over U.S. aid is not inherently antisemitic, and there are certainly those using blanket accusations of antisemitism to stifle such debate. However, there are also ways in which these conversations have veered into dehumanizing rhetoric or tropes and conspiracy theories related to Jewish money or power or disproportionately singled out Israel or AIPAC.
There are some basic ways to engage in important debate on these topics without causing harm: Focus on policies and tactics rather than identity. Ensure critiques apply to all organizations and entities, not just one. Keep an ear out for dual loyalty or disloyalty claims, antisemitic caricatures, and other harmful tropes.
We invite public officials across the political spectrum to stand with us and affirm that antisemitism, political violence, intimidation, and hate — no matter where they come from — have no place in our politics.
At a time when public discourse too often rewards division and dehumanization, leaders have a responsibility to set a higher standard — not only through the positions they take, but through the language they use, the alliances they form, and the conduct they encourage among supporters. This commitment should extend beyond statements of principle; it should be reflected in public appearances, coalition-building, and responses to moments of crisis.
Regardless of party or ideology, every official seeking the public trust this election season and beyond should make clear that threats, harassment, conspiracy theories, and hate targeting Jewish communities or any vulnerable group are unacceptable and incompatible with democratic leadership. Our communities’ safety demands no less.