We are living through one of the most dangerous moral moments in modern history. The world has seen the revival of an age-old hatred that many thought was buried forever. In America and throughout the West, anti-Semitism is not only rising, it is spreading. And if history has taught us anything, it is that when anti-Semitism spreads unchecked, it does not stop with the Jewish people. It threatens the foundations of civilization itself.
We recently traveled to Israel together – one of us was the son of Holocaust survivors who rebuilt his life by restoring Torah scholarship to the heights it reached before the war; the other is the president’s nominee to serve as America’s next ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom. What we saw there and what it revealed about this moment should trouble the conscience of anyone who values ​​freedom and faith.
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The authors, Ambassador-designate Mark Walker, center, and Rabbi Dovid Hofstedter, right, visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem in October 2025. (Warren Cohn)
Throughout the Western world, Jews are once again afraid. In Paris, London, New York and Los Angeles, the scenes are eerily familiar. Jewish students hide their identities on college campuses. Synagogues are guarded like military bases. Businesses are boycotted because they have Jewish owners. Families whisper before sending their children to school.
Eight decades after the Holocaust, ‘Never Again’ has become more of a plea than a promise. How can it be that within the lives of survivors, the same toxic hatred is once again socially acceptable – shouted in the streets, trending online and rationalized by those who should know better?
We must face a hard truth: when hatred of Jews is tolerated, it is not just a Jewish problem. It is a crisis of civilization. The West’s moral architecture—its belief in the sanctity of life, freedom of conscience, and the inherent worth of every human being—rests on Judeo-Christian ethics. When that ethic is abandoned, when we allow the dehumanization of one person, it quickly spreads to others. Anti-Semitism is the oldest hatred in the world, precisely because it is the most flexible. It hides under new slogans, wraps itself in political rhetoric and finds new justifications – but its essence is always the same: the denial of human dignity.
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Anti-Semitic hatred on display during an anti-Israel protest in London. Anti-Semitism in Britain has reached record levels since the Hamas terror attacks on October 7 (Campaign against anti-Semitism on X)
In Israel we stood in places that remind the world of both its lowest and highest capacities. At Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial, we saw what happens when humanity’s moral compass is lost. For Rabbi Hofstedter, whose parents survived this horror, it was a deeply personal moment – ​​a reminder that evil can flourish when good people remain silent. Hours later we stood together at the Western Wall, our hands on the cold stones, praying for wisdom, courage and strength. That wall – scarred but standing – embodies the story of the Jewish people and the moral truth of history: that faith can survive even the greatest destruction.
That lesson came alive again that evening at a gathering of thousands of Torah scholars who devote their lives to mastering sacred texts. As we looked at it, we were reminded that light persists, but only if it is protected. The world cannot take for granted that the moral light will burn forever. It must be maintained, defended and revived by every generation. The same goes for freedom.
This is why leadership is important. The American voice – clear, principled and unapologetic – is needed now more than ever. We are proud to see a president and an administration that has made confronting anti-Semitism and defending religious freedom a central priority. The fight against hate should not be a topic of conversation; it must be a policy imperative. Silence and neutrality are not options. History does not look kindly on those who stood by and watched.
An anti-Israel sign with the phrase “from the river to the sea Palestine will be free” at a protest near Tulane University in New Orleans. Jewish organizations have called the slogan anti-Semitic. (Credit: Ryan Zamos)
We are at a turning point. The world is being tested again – not in theory, but in practice. Will we face the hatred that rages in our midst, or will we turn our eyes away until it is too late? Rabbi Hofstedter’s parents could just see what would happen if the world failed that test. Their generation paid the price in blood. We have the privilege – and obligation – to prevent this from happening again.
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Allowing anti-Semitism to grow unchecked is not just a threat to Jews; it is a threat to the moral survival of the free world. The hatred that starts with the Jews never ends there. It undermines the values ​​that sustain Western democracy: truth, justice, freedom and faith itself.
We know where this road leads. We’ve seen it before. The only question is whether we have the courage to stop this before history repeats itself. Faith demands it. Freedom depends on it. And civilization itself may depend on it.
Mark Walker is President Donald Trump’s nominee for Ambassador at large for International Religious Freedom and a former Republican congressman from North Carolina.
