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'Bringing the full arsenal': Trump admin. to launch antisemitism campaign in 15 cities - interview

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Interview Named sources New plan
  • The Trump administration will launch a nationwide campaign against antisemitism in 15 cities starting in September.
  • Senior Justice Department officials will visit cities deemed to have inadequately protected their Jewish communities.
  • The campaign aims to educate Jewish communities on their rights and highlight alleged failures by local governments to enforce hate crime laws.

The Trump administration is preparing to launch a significant nationwide campaign against antisemitism, dispatching senior Justice Department officials to 15 cities that the administration claims have failed to adequately protect their Jewish populations. Leo Terrell, chairman of the Justice Department’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, announced the initiative, stating it has received approval from President Donald Trump and Justice Department leadership.

The 15-city tour is designed to go to victims who need help, and they're not getting help from their local government.

— Leo TerrellExplaining the purpose of the nationwide campaign against antisemitism.

The campaign, slated to begin in early September and run for 60 to 90 days, is designed to reach "victims who need help, and they're not getting help from their local government," Terrell explained. This effort expands the administration's focus beyond college campuses to address rising threats and hate crimes reported by Jewish Americans in local communities since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

I'm coming with a full arsenal of people.

— Leo TerrellDescribing the interagency team that will be deployed to affected communities.

Terrell indicated that the federal government plans to deploy an interagency team, including representatives from the Department of Labor and the FBI, directly into affected communities. "I'm coming with a full arsenal of people," he stated. The campaign has a dual objective: to inform Jewish communities about their legal rights and to publicly expose what Terrell described as local governments' shortcomings in enforcing hate crime laws.

What's happening here is that the local district attorneys and local mayors are not prosecuting hate crimes.

— Leo TerrellCriticizing the perceived inaction of local officials in prosecuting hate crimes.

While Terrell did not name the 15 cities, he cited New York and Los Angeles as examples where he believes local officials have not sufficiently prosecuted antisemitic crimes. He also criticized teachers' unions in Los Angeles, Boston, and Philadelphia for alleged anti-Jewish indoctrination in schools. Terrell acknowledged that local officials have considerable discretion but asserted that Washington possesses tools to exert influence, primarily through public scrutiny and highlighting perceived systemic failures before considering further legal action.

First of all, we want to shine a spotlight on their failures.

— Leo TerrellExplaining one of the federal government's tools to address local failures.
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Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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