Is Americas Jewish leadership failing American Jews?

The murder of a young Israeli couple outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, last month traumatized Jews nationwide — leaving many asking tough questions about the state of Jewish leadership in America.Their concern is understandable.While the Hamas attack on Israel two Octobers ago thrust the Jewish nation into its longest war ever, it also ushered in unprecedented levels of antisemitism in the US.

There were nearly 10,000 antisemitic incidents nationwide last year, according to the Anti-Defamation League, a 5% increase over the record-breaking numbers in 2023 sparked by the war in Gaza. Those figures, while startling, fail to capture the endless examples of Jews being blacklisted, ostracized or targeted in sectors ranging from medicine to the arts.Indeed, according to the newly released 2025 blacklisted, ostracized or targeted in sectors ranging from medicine to the arts.

Indeed, according to the newly released 2025 Jewish Landscape Report from the Israel-based Voice of the People Initiative, Jews worldwide now believe rising antisemitism is the most important challenge facing their communities.Amid this surge of hate, American Jews have begun questioning whether major Jewish groups like the ADL are doing enough — and have done enough — to keep Jews safe.The answer for many — once unspoken and now increasingly reaching fever pitch —  is a resounding no.“I see the same problem that we had in the 1930s with the rise of Nazis,” said former Harvard University professor Alan Dershowitz.

“Jewish leaders have been misallocating their resources, focusing on the wrong people, and are now a part of the problem.” In the wake of the Oct.7 attacks and subsequent antisemitism surge, American Jews were expecting accountability — and change.

Instead, it’s been business as usual for major groups like the ADL, the Jewish Federations of North America and many Jewish Community Relations Council chapters: Glitzy galas, pricey celebrity appeara...