WASHINGTON—Today, a new coalition of Jewish, Christian, and conservative nonprofits announced the formation of the National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, dedicated to combating antisemitism at home and abroad and to supporting the state of Israel. 

“There is no place for antisemitism in our society, and this task force is committed to doing its part to root out this evil. Following the savage attack by Hamas against Israel, the world has witnessed an increasing number of acts of hatred against Jews. We are coming together as a coalition to take action and combat antisemitism,” said James Carafano, senior counselor to the president and E.W. Richardson fellow at Heritage. 

The coalition will facilitate information-sharing and crisis response efforts between the groups and establish working groups dedicated to developing action plans to combat the recent wave of antisemitism in America and worldwide. The coalition will identify, highlight, and combat the malicious groups behind antisemitic activity while working to bolster Americans' physical safety, religious liberty, civil society, and vital interests abroad, particularly relations with the state of Israel. 

The initial members of the task force include America First Policy Institute, Coalition for Jewish Values, Concerned Women of America, Family Research Council, The Heritage Foundation, In Defense of Christians, Independent Women's Forum, Latino Coalition for Israel, National Association of Scholars, Philos Project, Regent University, and The Steamboat Institute. 

After its first meeting on Nov. 20, the task force released a statement of purpose: 

“We, the National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, hereby commit ourselves to combating hatred of the Jewish people today—in our country and around the world.  

“We affirm the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities. 

“We denounce antisemitism in a spirit of compassion and friendship, aware that education about the evils of this hatred is a moral responsibility for people. Antisemitism in our community demands condemnation.  

“We recognize any attempt to delegitimize, boycott, divest, or sanction the modern of Israel or bar Jews from participating in academic or communal associations must be condemned.   

“We recognize that anti-Zionism and antisemitism are the different manifestations of the same hatred against Jewish people.  

“We recognize the right of the Jewish people to live safely and securely in their ancestral homeland, and recognize that modern Israel is essential to that security.”