Submitted
On Wednesday, March 11, AJC Dallas held a briefing for staff representing congressional offices across Texas, as well as both U.S. Senate offices. The hourlong session focused on findings from the organization’s “State of Antisemitism in America 2025” report, released in mid-February. The briefing was co-convened by U.S. Reps. Randy Weber, R-Texas, and Marc Veasey, D-Texas, two of the seven co-chairs of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism.
Veasey opened the program by emphasizing the importance of bipartisanship in addressing antisemitism.
“I’ve never seen speaking out against antisemitism as a Democrat or Republican issue,” Veasey said. “It should be about always speaking out against antisemitism. Whether it’s the antisemitism we’ve seen on college campuses after October 7th, or inappropriate jokes, a shooting at a synagogue or the tropes we hear online. We should always condemn antisemitism when we see it in any form — even when we see it from within our own circle.”
Veasey cited recent remarks from Senator Ted Cruz noting noted the increasing frequency of influential voices in the Republican party as a laudable example of this.
The timing of the briefing proved notable: The following day, an antisemitic attack occurred at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
“AJC was gratified that congressional offices throughout the state — from DFW to El Paso, Austin to Houston — attended the briefing,” said Joel Schwitzer, AJC Dallas regional director. “It was alarming that barely 24 hours later, the events in Michigan unfolded. We ended the program with specific legislative asks that will keep Jewish communities safer, and we look forward to continuing our work with legislators to ensure that Jews everywhere can thrive.”
Those requests included support for between $500 million and $1 billion in fiscal year 2027 funding for the FEMA Nonprofit Security Grant Program; co-sponsorship of the Pray Safe Act (H.R. 5645 / S. 2947); and support for the Platform Accountability and Transparency Act (S. 3292).
The AJC “State of Antisemitism in America 2025” report analyzes responses from both American Jews and the general public to better understand perceptions of and experiences with antisemitism. The report is available at ajc.org/antisemitismreport2025.
