On Thursday, October 31, nearly 300 people met at the Yale Club in New York City to discuss a topic that has been on top of mind for the past year: the rise in global antisemitism in a post-October 7 world. Attendees participated in an all-day conference aptly named “Rage Against the Hate,” complete with panels, training and keynote speakers focused on fighting back. The program was organized by Shurat HaDin—a Tel Aviv-based legal center litigating on behalf of Israel and Jewish communities worldwide—in partnership with over 40 other activist organizations.
The day’s events moved through a variety of topics, including an exploration of how rhetoric has evolved since October 7 in an address given by pollster Dr. Frank Luntz, as well as a conversation between law professor Alan Dershowitz and attorney Benjamin Brafman on the legal aspects of ongoing antisemitism. A panel of leaders and activists then spoke about university antisemitism, leading into captivating presentations from organization leadership about how they have each implemented plans to fight the hate—whether on college campuses, at rallies or just on the street. The morning was capped by a social media training session led by Michael Dickson of StandWithUs before attendees broke for lunch.
The afternoon featured a series of keynote speeches, including one from the mastermind of Shurat HaDin and the Rage Against the Hate conference, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner. The founder and president of the legal center began her address with a moment of silence for the 101 hostages still being held in captivity by Hamas, before she explained the many cases currently litigated by Shurat HaDin.
“We want to clean the streets of antisemitism,” she shared with the crowd. “We want to show the world that Israel fights back and that Jews fight back. We are going to show that Am Yisrael chai!”
Darshan-Leitner highlighted two ongoing lawsuits: one on behalf of Harvard alumni against the university and its failure to address campus antisemitism; and another against Students for Justice in Palestine, the organization behind most, if not all, protests on university campuses in North America. On the latter, Darshan-Leitner explained how SJP is being used as a proxy of Hamas to win favor in the eyes of the American people, something that is critical for winning this war. In turn, Shurat HaDin is taking legal action to reveal the “true face” of SJP—a pro-Hamas tool being used to dismantle support for Israel.
At the end of her address, Darshan-Leitner revealed a “surprise” she had teased earlier in the day: an official statement drafted at the conference urging the newly elected U.S. president to address ongoing antisemitism and continue the United States’ support for Israel. The statement outlines a list of key demands from the broader Jewish community as follows: (1) providing Israel with necessary arms to protect itself; (2) assuring that Israel is protected from the “extreme bias” exhibited in the United Nations; (3) condemning the efforts of the International Criminal Court to take legal action against Israeli politicians and military officers; (4) stopping funding to U.N. agencies, such as UNRWA, that either directly or indirectly support terrorist organizations; (5) endorsing the IHRA definition of antisemitism; (6) investigating any foreign funding to American academia; (7) planning and implementing an emergency program to counter the surge of antisemitism in American schools; and (8) designating SJP as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Other keynote speeches included Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, international human rights lawyer Anne Bayefsky of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, Prof. Gerald Steinberg of NGO Monitor and Robin and David Lubin, the parents of IDF soldier Rose Lubin, HY”D.
A surprise appearance was made by Shai Davidai, the Columbia University professor who has become the face of fighting campus antisemitism after being targeted by students and other faculty. In the most recent development, Davidai was suspended from Columbia’s campus. Davidai described the current social climate in North America as a place where “hate is normalized,” and encouraged attendees to continue fighting back.
The speeches concluded with two very powerful addresses from Dennis Prager, noted conservative author and talk show host, as well as Michael Rapaport, the actor-turned-activist who has captured the attention of millions on social media using a humorous, unfiltered tone to call out anti-Zionists.
“I can’t stand these events,” Rapaport said, without a hint of sarcasm. “It’s so frustrating that we have to have them, that this is what brings us together. I just want to be done with them. I want [the terrorists] gone!”
After a speech scattered with jokes and profanity, the actor then joined a panel on how to combat hate on social media along with several other key leaders in the digital space. The day’s events concluded with a conversation between noted journalist Douglas Murray and Darshan-Leitner, before attendees headed to a networking event with influencer and Israeli activist Rudy Rochman.
“I know we all walked away having learned something innovative and feeling a strengthened sense of responsibility and confidence in our fight for Israel and the Jewish people,” wrote Rachel May Weiser, chief development officer and senior attorney at Shurat HaDin, in an email to attendees containing the conference’s official statement. “We need to dismantle the hate! Never Again has never been closer or more important!”
“The conference was […] an astounding success,” said Darshan-Leitner. “The momentum we created needs to keep going. There are a great number of takeaways; let’s capitalize on this opportunity and keep up the fight the best we all can.”
Channa Fischer is digital editor of The Jewish Link and the resident 20-something in the office. She resides in Washington Heights.
