According to a recent survey of Shorecrest students (83 students surveyed), 70% believe antisemitism is an issue in the United States. Another 20% “didn’t know enough to say,” and 10% simply said “no.”
This data shows that two Shorecrest students out of every 10 are not sufficiently educated to form an opinion on the heavy, divisive topic that is antisemitism. While Shorecrest ensures that students are educated about the Holocaust, at times, present-day antisemitic issues seem to go unrecognized.
Danger lies in this lack of awareness surrounding such a hateful issue, especially considering the recent antisemitic speech spewed by influential celebrities.
Last October, rapper Ye—formerly known as Kanye West—tweeted, “I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” in reference to the United States defense readiness program, DEFCON. His tweet suggested Ye would personally harm Jewish people based on the Jewish community’s “agenda.”
Ye’s comment was the first in a renewed wave of antisemitism.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, 20% of Americans—a 9% increase from 2019—believe in anti-Jewish tropes, such as Jews being “more willing than others to use shady practices to get what they want.” This 20% translates to approximately 52 million Americans. With 5.8 million Jews in America, according to the Pew Research Center, there are around 10 people who believe antisemitic tropes for every one Jewish person. Every Jew, in theory, could be subjected to hate by up to 10 people.
The magnitude of hate Jews receive is perpetuated by ignorance within society—people not knowing Jews, not learning about them, or choosing to follow antisemitic influencers blindly. The fault often does not lie in individuals, but rather in a lack of awareness and education surrounding antisemitism.
Senior Taylor Register said, “How many people in the U.S. believe the Holocaust didn’t happen, that alone, is very concerning.” Her statement is backed by a survey done in 2020 by the Claims Conference. It showed that between 20 and 50% of young people in America have been exposed to Holocaust denial propaganda, believe Jews incited the Holocaust, or are unsure about “definitively hearing about the Holocaust.”
The Nazis murdered 6 million Jews during the Holocaust and left the surviving Jewish community devastated. The lack of awareness and blatant disinformation required to create this degree of ignorance is incredible.
Shorecrest must do more to address this. In the same survey of Shorecrest students, about 30% of respondents said they didn’t know about Ye’s tweets. Freshman Scout Brummett said, “No [I didn’t know], I don’t really have social media or anything. It’s not something I seek out to learn about.” Such ignorance persisted despite national reverberations of Ye’s antisemitism, including banners in LA reinforcing his beliefs.
Despite not having social media, Brummett could have heard about Ye’s remarks through word of mouth or from educators. The fact that she didn’t illustrates a severe lack of awareness about antisemitism, a pressing modern-day issue.
Register said, “I don’t hear about [antisemitism] often, so I would assume that [education about antisemitism] is not great.” Brummett echoed Register’s conclusion, saying, “We all learn about the Holocaust, but not anything else with Jewish history and modern problems.”
The wave of antisemitism that seems to consistently plague the United States—and the world—has a clear solution: awareness. This is a call to action, not a calling out. A renewed wave of antisemitism demands a renewed wave of awareness.
