VIDEO: Rosen Calls on Senate Colleagues to Support Legislation to Fight Rising Antisemitism in the United States

Watch the full speech HERE.

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen called on Senate colleagues to address rising antisemitism in the country and support her bipartisan Jewish American Security Act (JASA). According to a report by the ADL, 2025 represented the third-highest year for antisemitic incidents in the U.S. since the ADL began collecting data. The report also found that physical attacks against the Jewish community were higher in 2025 than they have ever been. To combat these troubling trends, Senators Rosen and James Lankford (R-OK), co-founders and co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, introduced JASA to strengthen federal efforts to fight antisemitism - including in academic settings, at Jewish communal institutions, and online.

Below is a transcript of the speech:

I rise today to speak once again about a crisis that demands the ongoing attention of the Senate: the disturbing rise of antisemitism in America.

Across our country, Jewish Americans are continuing to face unspeakable acts of hate, threats, violence, and discrimination that are happening at record levels.

Unfortunately, this is not anything new.

In fact, for more than a decade, antisemitism has been on the rise, setting record numbers year after year - particularly since the October Seventh terrorist attack on Israel.

According to an ADL report, 2025 was the third-highest year for antisemitic incidents in the United States since the ADL began collecting data, and physical assaults against Jews were higher in 2025 than ever before.

So, I want everyone to just think about that. Physical assaults against Jews were the highest since ADL began tracking this data nearly 50 years ago.

And FBI data has shown that Jewish Americans are the target of almost 70% of religiously motivated hate crimes in this country, despite making up only 2% of the population. Think about that: 70% of crime against 2% of the population.

Just this past year:

A historic synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi was firebombed.

Jewish congregations were defaced in Austin, Texas; Alburquerque, New Mexico; Hot Springs, Arkansas; and Oak Park, Michigan.

And, in West Bloomfield, Michigan, a man actually drove his car into a building housing a synagogue and preschool and then opened fire.

Even beyond these specific incidents, we're witnessing worrying trends in how Americans are thinking about Jewish communities. Last week, the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate released a poll that found that nearly one-third of people 18 to 44 viewed Jews as, I'm going to quote here, "a threat to the unity of American society." 2% of the population - a threat to the unity of American society.

Let that sink in.

The same poll found that one in eight young adults said Jewish people, I'm gonna quote again, "cause problems in the world." And around one in five younger Americans did not consider slurs against Jews to be harmful to Jewish people.

I really wish these findings were hard to believe. But for many around this country, they aren't surprising.

For some, they will point to the war in the Middle East and U.S. policy in the region as a driver of these spikes in antisemitism. And of course, we can and we must have open, frank discussions on how the U.S. should handle our foreign policy. But we cannot stand idly by and allow those disagreements to become excuses for turning a blind eye on attacks towards Jewish Americans.

When we return from the August state work period, it will be September and the High Holidays will be in full swing. From Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, this is the holiest time of the Jewish year.

And many Jews - including those who may not go to synagogue any other time of year - will be preparing to attend religious services in observance of these holidays.

But it is the unfortunate reality that these holidays are now marked by a palpable fear. Because large gatherings make communities vulnerable to attacks.

Sadly, what should be a season of reflection, prayer, worship, and renewal is a source of now fear and anxiety for too many American Jews.

As a result, one in four Jewish Americans have skipped Jewish events and Jewish religious observances due to the fear of being targeted.

It's not right. They don't go to temple for fear of being targeted, something must be done.

Before I came to the Senate, I was the president of the largest reform synagogue in Nevada, and I know firsthand the preparation that synagogues undertake to keep their congregations safe, especially during the High Holidays.

No one should have to worship behind a barricade. No one should have to go through a police check, and police surrounding your entire building in order to go pray. But as antisemitic harassment and violence continue to be a real threat, heightened security measures are a fact of life for Jewish communities.

Every synagogue leader in this country has to think about hiring professional security, installing cameras, and doing everything they can to protect their congregation. Security the largest line item on the budget now.

And this heavy burden isn't only an emotional and logistical one. Robust security comes with a steep financial cost, too.

There's a highly successful federal grant program at FEMA that helps at-risk institutions - including houses of worship like synagogues, churches, and mosques - well it lets them make the security upgrades they need so that Americans can worship peacefully and safely.

And this is why we need to robustly fund the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.

In fact, authorizing one billion dollars for this program - nearly three times its current funding level - is a key component of the Jewish American Security Act, my comprehensive bipartisan bill with Senator James Lankford to address antisemitism and threats to the Jewish community.

But this program can only help institutions if the grant money is actually accessible, and if there's enough money available for the applicants who need it - all across this country, communities large and small.

Unfortunately, many institutions had less than a month to apply for grants through the NSGP this year…sometimes they only had days to review the program, develop proposals, and gather the necessary documents and supporting assessments. In past years, the application window has been as long as eighty days.

It's why, in addition to making this historic investment in NSGP, our bipartisan bill would make important reforms to streamline how the program is implemented and allow grant funding to be used to hire security services so that the program truly matches the needs of the congregations it must support.

And it won't just stop there.

Our bipartisan Jewish American Security Act would also create a new federal grant program to support local police who protect at-risk houses of worship.

I often say antisemitism is the canary in the coal mine. It's a warning sign.

A warning sign for all other forms of hate and discrimination to come.

Tackling antisemitism sends a strong message that we do not tolerate hate and discrimination in our country - in the United States of America.

If we don't draw this line now, if we don't stand up, if we don't say enough is enough, then when will we? Who's next?

Jewish Community - Canary in the coal mine.

We must draw the line, we must pass this bill. The Jewish American Security Act is so critical to our safety and security

When will we say enough is enough? Let's hope it's now.

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