At the annual forum of the National Sheriffs' Association in Omaha, Nebraska, the Combat Antisemitism Movement delivered a critical warning regarding the escalating dangers of violent antisemitism in the United States. Speaking before an audience of over eleven hundred sheriff deputies, police chiefs, and state troopers, Alyza Lewin, President of U.S. Affairs for the Combat Antisemitism Movement, made an impassioned plea for immediate, systemic law enforcement collaboration. The address comes at a pivotal juncture where Jewish communities across America face unprecedented levels of harassment, physical assault, and institutional discrimination. This historic presentation marks a major escalation in efforts to equip front-line officers with the practical tools necessary to identify and neutralize modern ideological extremism.
The Surge of Contemporary Extremism
The initiative to brief the nation’s top county law enforcement officers is a direct response to a terrifying spike in domestic hate crimes targeting Jews. Since the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023, anti-Israel agitation has metastasized from elite university campuses into municipal streets, public transport networks, and suburban neighborhoods. This hostile mobilization is heavily fueled by radical Islamist propaganda networks and aligned far-left extremist groups seeking to undermine the democratic West. Traditional definitions of Jew-hatred, which often focus exclusively on classic far-right white supremacist symbols, have proven inadequate to capture this multi-pronged threat landscape.
To fill this critical intelligence gap, the Combat Antisemitism Movement has pioneered specialized educational seminars across the country over the last two years. These forums have already trained hundreds of state troopers, local police, and sheriff departments in multiple states. For instance, over one hundred New York State Troopers were trained at a specialized police academy forum in Albany, alongside similar campaigns in Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Virginia. This specific briefing in Nebraska represents the largest single assembly of law enforcement leaders addressed by the organization to date.
Key Facts in the Confrontation of Hate
- During the June 2026 National Sheriffs’ Association Annual Conference in Omaha, Nebraska, Alyza Lewin addressed a plenary of approximately 1,100 law enforcement officers to demand specialized training on contemporary antisemitism.
- Over the past two years, the Combat Antisemitism Movement has successfully expanded its localized police seminars, training state troopers at police academies and municipal officers in Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Virginia to recognize modern ideological extremism.
- National crime statistics and independent audits indicate that American Jews represent the target of the vast majority of religiously-motivated hate crimes in the United States, prompting the urgent demand for law enforcement to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism.
Dismantling Narrow Definitions of Hostility
The core of the presentation centered on how contemporary antisemitism is defined and understood by law enforcement. As reported by the Jewish News Syndicate, Lewin argued that defining antisemitism too narrowly prevents law enforcement from recognizing and stopping ongoing harassment and violence. In many modern instances, perpetrators of antisemitic crimes do not carry traditional neo-Nazi insignia or shout explicit racial slurs. Instead, they target individuals for their Zionist identity, vandalize Jewish institutions under the guise of geopolitical protest, and organize aggressive blockades of synagogues.
This systemic failure to identify modern Jew-hatred often leads police to misclassify targeted harassment as protected political speech. When anti-Israel agitators blockade Jewish neighborhoods or terrorize patrons of Jewish-owned businesses, they are actively engaging in civil rights violations. By training law enforcement to look beyond archaic caricatures of bigotry, the Combat Antisemitism Movement is establishing a clear framework for identifying hate crimes. This methodology is outlined in detail on the official Combat Antisemitism Movement platform, which emphasizes that targeting the connection of Jewish people to Israel is a primary facet of contemporary antisemitism.
Restoring Security to Vulnerable Communities
The significance of addressing over one thousand sheriffs lies in the unique constitutional role that county sheriffs play in American civil society. Unlike municipal police departments, county sheriffs are directly elected officials who maintain deep structural ties to their local constituencies and oversee regional jails and court security. When a sheriff is equipped to recognize the signs of extremist radicalization, they can protect synagogues, community centers, and day schools far more effectively. The explicit warning that American Jews are currently living in fear serves as an urgent wake-up call to restore deterrence against lawlessness.
Ultimately, securing Jewish communities is not merely a localized concern, but a fundamental test of the rule of law and Western democratic values. When a democratic society permits a minority group to be systematically intimidated, the foundational principles of personal liberty and public safety are severely compromised. By fostering a close partnership between law enforcement and Jewish civic organizations, communities can build a resilient defense against the destabilizing forces of radical extremism. The mobilization of American sheriffs represents a vital step toward reclaiming public spaces from intimidation and ensuring equal protection under the law.