BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – EVENTS – STORIES
Book of Esther: The Story of Purim
The Jewish holiday of Purim celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from a massacre in ancient Persia, now known as Iran. The decree for the annihilation of Jews still echoes where Iranian despots vow to destroy Israel. The current hostile regime funds anti-Israel protests on American campuses and inches closer to nuclear weapons.
The venomous Haman, a high-ranking ancient Persia official in the 5th century BCE, plotted to exterminate the Jewish people. His hatred was ignited by the Jewish leader Mordechai’s refusal to bow down to him. Queen Vashti – the first wife of King Ahasuerus – was banished for her defiance of the king’s command to appear before his guests. This set the stage for Esther’s rise to become queen. Mordechai, who raised Esther as his daughter and instructed her to hide her Jewish identity, urged her to expose Haman’s plot. Esther revealed Haman’s plot to the king, which led to Haman’s execution. The Jews were allowed to defend themselves against their enemies within the Persian Empire. Esther courageously transformed the threat of annihilation into a triumph of survival. Every year, Jews recount this battle between darkness and courage in the Book of Esther – a testament to the enduring Jewish spirit.
Iran’s Global Reach: From Middle East Aggression to Campus Influence
The Iranian regime openly pursues Israel’s destruction – directly and through its terrorist proxies. The tendrils of Iranian influence reach American campuses, where activists lead pro-Hamas rallies under the guise of Palestinian advocacy. While the protests are led by multiple groups, Iran has encouraged and funded some. Students routinely echo its calls to annihilate Israel. Students supporting Israel face intimidation, harassment and even violence – tactics reminiscent of Haman’s ancient poison.
Many students bravely spoke out against the rising tide of anti-Jewish hatred – antisemitism – on campus. They are modern-day Mordechais, Esthers and non-Jewish supporters – refusing to be silenced. Maximillian Meyer, 19, was assaulted by a student and targeted by a professor at Princeton. He refused to be “intimidated into silence.” He organized Jewish students to stand up for themselves and show that the “Jewish community is strong.”
Non-Jewish George Washington Univ. students also stood up to anti-Israel protesters. Sabrina Soffer described the attacks as “an American problem and not only a Jewish problem because they are not only chanting against the Jews, they’re chanting against American values.” Richard Li, who escaped religious persecution against Christians in China – an Iranian ally – noted that “oppression always starts with hatred of Jews.”
Universities continue to pose challenges to Zionist students this semester as graduation nears. The NYPD arrested nine anti-Israel activists at Columbia-affiliated Barnard College. Protesters distributed pamphlets written by Hamas celebrating the 10/7 massacres and compared the NYPD and Israeli Defense Forces to the KKK. Campus protest leaders at Columbia responded to university actions against protesters: “We can try a new tactic: organize resistance” – resistance is often a euphemism for violence.
Recently, the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Office for Civil Rights sent letters to 60 universities under investigation for discrimination and harassment against Jews warning them of potential actions if they fail to fulfill their obligations under the Civil Rights Act to project their Jewish students.
There are a growing number of positive developments on campuses across the country. UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk announced an Initiative to Combat Antisemitism that will implement the university’s Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias task force’s recommendations. These include enhancing education, improving the complaint system and assuring enforcement of laws and policies. Barnard responded to the latest incident by launching new security measures, including restricting its campus only to its students and the removal of face coverings in its library. A Princeton committee rejected a petition to support the antisemitic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement against the Jewish state.
The ADL’s recently released 2025 Campus Antisemitism Report Card showed 45% of universities made significant policy changes to improve campus life for their students.
Weaponizing Terror: Iran’s Nuclear and Proxy Threat
The United Nation’s nuclear watchdog recently warned that Iran has enough uranium to produce six nuclear weapons. The uranium could be turned into even more suitcase nukes that could be used by many of its proxies bordering Israel. The Persian country’s network of proxies – that it funds, arms and trains – includes Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, and Iran is allied with China, Russia, and Qatar.
President Trump recently wrote to Iran’s supreme leader offering to discuss its nuclear weapons program. Russia is offering to mediate. However, the Islamic Republic’s foreign minister rejected talks under Trump’s “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign. The American and Israeli air forces also held a joint drill seen as a signal to Iran. Israel’s prime minister thanked Trump for weapons that will help his country “finish the job” against Iran and its network.
Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists fired thousands of rockets into Israel in 2023 and 2024 in support of the Hamas war. Israel struck back against Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon and took out its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah. The Mossad’s pager attack rivaled the most creative spy novel stories. Hezbollah is responsible for hundreds of American deaths and new bipartisan legislation was introduced to combat Hezbollah’s operations in Latin America.
Modern Esthers in Captivity: Defiance Amidst Terror
The devasting atrocities committed by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists on 10/7 were a stark reminder of the relentless pursuit of the Iranian axis of terror to destroy Israel. President Trump recently hosted seven released Israeli hostages in an Oval Office meeting. Hamas still holds 59 hostages – 24 presumed alive. He stated that “we’ll get them out,” threatened Hamas and was “shocked” that not a single Hamas captor showed even an ounce of kindness towards the captives.
The hostages and their families are still living in severe distress. Hamas released a propaganda video of hostage Matan Angrest, 22 – the first time his family saw him in 518 days: “We are shaken. He looks drained and desperate. There is evidence of severe psychological torture.”
Liri Albag, 20, described Gaza as “hell” following her release from captivity after 474 days. Liri: “I still haven’t been able to remove from myself the ‘filth’…there was verbal violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse. They tried to tame us into their culture, where women can’t laugh out loud, can’t sit with legs crossed. They called Israeli Arabs ‘traitors.’ Our captors denied that the Holocaust happened. They think Hitler was a genius.”
Liri is a modern Queen Esther. Like many of the other hostages, she remained steadfast and helped others – Amit Soussanna credits Liri with saving her life. When Hamas terrorists paraded her on stage, she and three other young Israeli women defiantly stood proud as Jews.
Show solidarity and take action: Just as Esther acted courageously, use your voice to challenge prejudice and discrimination – whether in person or online. Attend community events, vigils or rallies that promote unity and stand against hate. Your presence and participation demonstrate solidarity and build a stronger community for all. For Purim, learn about and appreciate the rich history and traditions of the Jewish people. Share accurate information about the challenges faced by the Jewish community and help promote understanding within your social circles.
Far too many students and their families have been victims of anti-Jewish discrimination. This is happening in school and outside school. The lawyers at the Center for Legal Innovation, a non-profit organization recently assembled to combat antisemitic discrimination and harassment, are available to provide pro-bono legal support and counsel to victims and to educate students about their rights under the law in Brooklyn public schools. Register now.
The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law – joined by the ADL, StandWithUs and Jewish on Campus – recently announced it filed three federal complaints with the U.S. Dept. of Education against California State Polytechnic, Scripps College and California’s Etiwanda School District alleging the schools are in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Jewish Groups Defend Students on Campus
Cal Poly: Jewish students have been attacked verbally and physically, excluded and forced out of areas on campus and subjected to vicious antisemitism. Cal Poly’s admin. encouraged Jewish students to hide their Jewish identity to avoid being targeted.
Scripps College: Scripps repeatedly abandoned Jewish and Israeli students targeted by antisemitic harassment. A student wearing a Star of David was told to remove her Jewish necklace. Her peers have ostracized her, and she has lost friends for attending weekly Shabbat dinners and studying Torah with the campus rabbi.
Etiwanda, CA, School District: A 12-year-old girl was subjected to repeated antisemitic bullying, harassment and discrimination that continued to escalate due to inaction from the school. A student struck her repeatedly with a stick and then with her bare hands. When the Jewish student called out for help, she was told to “shut her stupid Jewish ass up.” She was then pinned against a table and choked. This is the first complaint brought through the Brandeis, ADL and StandWithUs K-12 helpline, a pro-bono service open to parents and students.
From Kindergarten to College, if you experience or witness acts of hate or violence against Jews, use these free legal resources:
Stories Impacting American Jews
Stories Impacting the U.S. and Israel
Stories From Around the World
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This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with MERCAZ USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. MERCAZ USA recognizes and respects the diversity of views on these issues among its readers and the community at large.