Fox News ‘Antisemitism Exposed’ Newsletter: Jewish Americans arm up, class of '28 rejects Harvard

Gun ownership in California's Jewish community spikes, students reject their early acceptance to Harvard amid rising antisemitism

Rabbi leads push to arm, train Jewish community amid high tensions

Gun ownership in California’s Jewish community is spiking as Jews take self-defense into their own hands while the war in Israel continues raging, according to a rabbi who trains the community on gun safety. (Credit: NRA)

Fox News' "Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world.

IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:

- Gun-toting rabbi leads push to arm, train Jewish community amid high tensions
- Students rejecting early Harvard acceptance as antisemitism runs rampant
- Jewish Americans of all ages forced to "make a choice" on embracing heritage amid rising antisemitism

Magen Am gun training

TOP STORY: Gun ownership in California’s Jewish community is spiking as Jews take self-defense into their own hands while the war in Israel continues raging, according to a rabbi who trains the community on gun safety. A Los Angeles rabbi behind the effort told Fox News Digital his "mission is to train and empower the [Jewish] community to deter and respond to security threats." He said, "We're trying to give everybody the tool to be empowered to protect themselves."

VIDEO: A college admissions consultant is in "complete shock" as students are rejecting their early acceptance to Harvard for the first time in his career. The elite Ivy League institution also reported last week that its early application total took a 17% decline from last year, receiving 7,921 early applications compared to 9,553 applications in 2022. The Nov. 1 application deadline came before Harvard President Claudine Gay's congressional testimony that ignited discussions about institutional leaders' reluctance to adequately condemn antisemitism.

HISTORY LESSON: "Real Time" host Bill Maher closed his final show of 2023 with a blistering takedown of the pro-Palestinian movement parading the "myth" that the slogan "From the river to the sea" can be achieved. "No one knows more about being pushed off land than the Jews, including the almost holy kicked out of every Arab country they once lived in. Yes, TikTok fans, ethnic cleansing happened both ways," Maher said while showing a chart of the shrinking Jewish population in Arab countries.

"INNOCENT PEOPLE AT RISK": A record number of Jewish institutions in the U.S. were targets of swatting incidents over the weekend, and the FBI believes they were coordinated attacks that originated outside the country. "Swatting" involves calling 911 and faking an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement – usually a SWAT team. Per an internal FBI memo, more than 30 of the FBI’s 56 field offices are investigating the string of false reports.

Hoboken Police guarding synagogue

ANTISEMITISM AT HOME: There is a rise in antisemitism in America and worldwide after the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 terrorist attack on innocent Israeli civilians and the Jewish nation's retaliation. Now, young American Jews have to choose whether to identify their heritage in public. A young Jewish woman from Seattle, who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital she wears a Star of David "every single day." But since the attack, she and her husband have trepidation about allowing their daughters to identify as Jewish at school.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "These colleges have become indoctrination camps for cultural Marxism, and they view the world as oppressor versus oppressed. And depending on how you score on the oppression matrix will define if you're right or wrong, what truth is," Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. tells Fox News Digital.

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This article was written by Fox News staff.

Authored by Fox News Staff via FoxNews December 21st 2023