Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, the Jewish community has faced an unprecedented rise in antisemitism across the United States. In Colorado, we have seen this hostility from unexpected places, including groups and individuals we once considered allies. Hateful statements from elected officials and political organizations not only betray our shared values, but also perpetuate the very marginalization we have worked tirelessly to combat. This deepens the trauma we continue to carry a year after that horrific day.

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The Jewish community is diverse, and our feelings about the state of Israel and Zionism are varied and complex. Criticism of the Israeli government or advocacy for Palestinian civilians is one thing, but when this rhetoric echoes and elevates age-old anti-Jewish tropes and conspiracies it crosses the dangerous line into antisemitism. This toxic hate has polluted our public discourse and politics, uniting extremists from both the far right and the far left in their hatred of Jews.

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We will not be silenced. We cannot be erased. Over the past year, we have stood together, using our voices to call out harmful rhetoric, challenge disinformation, and condemn those using the Israel-Hamas war as a pretext to espouse antisemitism. We have shown time and again, that we can — and will — overcome those who seek to divide and harm us.