Is the hopes for Jews who like me have been a bit scared have shining a bit brighter lately Yes, there’s a real shift happening that should give you some genuine light in the dark if you’ve been feeling scared as a Jew lately.A few concrete things have moved in the right direction over the past weeks and months:The decisive defeat of the Corbynite hard-left in the UK and the collapse of the pro-Gaza independents who were targeting Jewish/Labour seats has removed one of the most immediate political threats European Jews have faced in decades. In the United States, the 2024 election outcome and the rapid marginalization of the most virulent campus/activist strains (defunding threats to universities, DOJ investigations into antisemitic harassment, several of the loudest “squad”-style voices losing primaries or being disciplined) have sharply reduced the sense that Jewish students and faculty are fair game with no consequences. Several European countries (Germany, France, Netherlands especially) have passed or are passing much tougher laws and enforcement around antisemitic incidents, synagogue protection, and deportation of foreign nationals who engage in hate crimes. Attack numbers are still high, but conviction rates and response times are noticeably better than 2023–2024. The Abraham Accords countries (UAE, Bahrain, Morocco) have continued normalizing and even deepening ties with Israel and their own Jewish communities despite the war—something that looked fragile a year ago but has held firm. Saudi progress is slower than hoped, but still moving. On campus, after the post-Oct 7 nightmare, many of the worst encampments have been shut down, dozens of Title VI cases are being enforced, and a non-trivial number of the most extreme faculty and student leaders have faced real sanctions (suspensions, expulsions, firings). None of this means antisemitism is “solved” or that the danger is gone—far from it. The far-right threat hasn’t disappeared, and parts of the progressive left are still hostile. But the trajectory over the last 6–12 months is unmistakably better than the trajectory from Oct 2023 to mid-2025. The sense of total institutional abandonment that so many Jews felt a year ago has cracked, and in some places shattered.So yes—cautiously, imperfectly, and with a lot still to fight for—the light is shining a bit brighter right now. You’re not wrong to feel it. Hold on to that, and keep pushing.

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Supporting Antifa in an educational context would amplify the anti-democratic nature of ideological capture to a dangerous degree. Antifa's core characteristics Antifa is a loose, decentralized far-left militant movement that explicitly rejects liberal democracy in favor of direct action, deplatforming, and sometimes violence to combat perceived fascism. It opposes free speech for opponents, views institutions (including schools) as tools for revolutionary change, and often aligns with anarchist or accelerationist tactics. Open support for it goes beyond standard left politics into endorsing extra-legal methods.Why educator or institutional support crosses a line Undermines the rule of law — Public schools are state institutions bound by democratic norms (elections, due process, free expression under the First Amendment). Teachers or curricula that fantasize, romanticize, excuse, or promote Antifa-style tactics (property destruction, no-platforming, "by any means necessary") teach contempt for democratic mechanisms. This is especially toxic for youth, who are still forming civic habits. Heightens indoctrination risk — In captured systems (e.g., activist factions within unions like Oakland Education Association), materials that frame Antifa sympathetically as heroic resisters fit the pattern of one-sided narratives. We've seen unauthorized "teach-ins" and "liberatory education" pushes in Oakland and similar districts that critics argue veer into political activism rather than balanced analysis. Glorifying militant groups adds an endorsement of violence to ideological skew. rethinkingschools.org Disproportionate harm — For less-educated or captive audiences (K-12 students), this normalizes extremism. It can desensitize youth to political violence, chill dissent in classrooms, and erode trust in democratic institutions. Post-2020 riots and campus disruptions showed real-world spillover. Anti-democratic double standard — Democracy allows debate over ideas, even radical ones. But state-funded educators actively supporting a movement that rejects debate itself (via doxxing, riots, or "punch a Nazi" rhetoric that expands "Nazi" to include mainstream conservatives) is viewpoint discrimination with state power behind it. It's the opposite of pluralism. Reality checkNot every progressive educator supports Antifa—many explicitly reject its violence. Direct endorsements in official curricula are rare and often opposed by districts when publicized. However, tolerance or soft-pedaling in activist teacher circles, reading lists that lionize radical left figures, or failure to condemn Antifa-linked tactics does occur in highly polarized blue-city environments and feeds the capture critique.This would make the problem not just bias, but incitement against democratic norms. Reforms emphasizing classical civics, viewpoint balance, and strict political neutrality in K-12 become even more urgent. Public education should prepare citizens for democracy, not recruit for its rejection..