This Jewish American Heritage Month, there are warning signs we can’t ignore | Opinion

There was a time, not all that long ago, when many people genuinely believed antisemitism was fading into history. It was the 1990s: The Cold War had ended. Liberal democracy seemed ascendant and hate directed toward Jews felt increasingly socially unacceptable and politically marginal. During my time as a board member at the Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee, based in Overland Park, I even remember conversations questioning whether organizations like ours would always be necessary.

Looking back, I believe many severely misread the moment. Antisemitism did not disappear — it adapted. Long before most institutions fully understood the dangers of online radicalization, antisemitic ideas were already finding new life in conspiracy culture, political extremism and ideological movements across the spectrum. Some mistook a decline in public acceptability for a decline in the hatred itself.

Today, we are at another inflection point, but this one is far more urgent. Antisemitism is no longer confined to the fringes, and its resurgence is part of a broader erosion of civic trust, shared facts and democratic norms. History has repeatedly shown that when antisemitism rises openly, it is rarely only a Jewish problem. It is often a warning sign of a society becoming more vulnerable to extremism, polarization and intolerance more broadly.

As we recognize Jewish American Heritage Month, it is worth reflecting not only on the contributions Jewish Americans have made to the country’s civic, cultural, scientific and economic life, but also on the broader importance of protecting a pluralistic society where all communities can participate fully and safely. That reflection feels especially important as the Jewish community approaches the first anniversary of the murder of Sarah Milgrim, a young Jewish American from Kansas City whose life and future were cut short in an act of antisemitic violence, along with her partner, Yaron Lischinsky. Her death was not only a tragedy for her family and community, but also a painful reminder that antisemitism is not an abstract historical concern relegated to the past. It continues to have real and deadly consequences, even in societies that often assume they are beyond such hatred.

That reality underscores why the work to combat antisemitism cannot belong only to Jewish institutions or civic organizations. It requires all of us to be more willing to challenge misinformation and conspiracy thinking, to build relationships across lines of difference before moments of crisis occur, and to model the kind of civic engagement that strengthens democratic culture rather than weakening it. It means supporting education that teaches both history and critical thinking, resisting the normalization of dehumanizing rhetoric and recognizing that silence and disengagement create space for extremism to grow.

The lesson of the 1990s was not that antisemitism disappeared, but that societies can mistake periods of relative stability for permanent progress. The challenge now is whether we are willing to invest — collectively and for the long term — not only in the institutions, education and civic relationships necessary to build a more resilient future for everyone, but also in the everyday civic habits and relationships that sustain them.

Michael J. Abrams is partner at Lathrop GPM and past chair of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau/AJC Kansas City.