Eighty one years ago, Adolf Hitler proposed the Final Solution. Seventy eight years ago, the final Jewish prisoner was liberated from Auschwitz. Yet we are not 78 years removed from the antisemitic hate in our world. 

On Feb. 21, a Broadway revival of “Parade”—a musical honoring the life of Leo Frank, a Jewish man who was publicly lynched for a crime he didn’t commit—premiered on Broadway. On that very first night, the cast, crew and audience members were heckled by a group of Neo-Nazis holding up antisemitic signs and handing out pamphlets advertising the National Socialist Movement, a modern far-right organization. 

Have we learned nothing from the days of Hitler? Have we not learned that hate, no matter who it is aimed after, is wrong? Have we not learned that it is better to spread love than to spread fear and hatred? 

This is not an isolated event of antisemitic hate, either. In 2021, the Anti-Defamation League, an organization that tracks antisemitic incidents worldwide, recorded a record high of 2,717 incidents, a 34% increase from 2020.

On Feb. 25, cities across the United States—including New York, Chicago and LA—warned of a “national day of hate” planned by white supremacists and Neo-Nazis. 

According to the Times of Israel, these organizations were calling on their followers to distribute antisemitic propaganda on banners, stickers and flyers. Although no targeted attacks occurred, police presence at religious institutions was increased.

“Antisemitism isn’t a Jewish problem, it’s an American problem,” Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation league said in an interview with PBS. 

So what can we do to make our world a better place? Donate to support groups like the ADL or JewBelong who work to create legislative change to fight against extremist groups.  

Another way to help is to simply educate yourself on what it means to be antisemitic and how best you can fight against it. Words to Action, a student-led group funded by the ADL, has compiled a list of 90 ways that you can respond to antisemitism in your home life, at school and in the workplace. 

But above all, we should be ready to call out hate when we see it, whether it is directed at Jewish individuals or not. 

In a time where fear and hate seem stronger, I encourage you to make a conscious decision to choose kindness and compassion.