We are being hunted – how should we respond?

We are being hunted. We are being hunted for being Jewish. This has nothing to do with politics. It has nothing to do with wars, the Middle East, or peace plans.

Let me say it again: We are being hunted for being Jewish.

Until all of us fully grasp this reality, we will continue to be hunted. You cannot protect everyone all the time. And to be clear, this piece is not about persuading people to make aliyah. It is about suggesting ways to potentially improving the lives of Jews in the diaspora.

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Many people disagree with Israeli government policies or with how Israel has conducted negotiations with the Palestinians and its neighbours. That is entirely legitimate and a reasonable subject for debate. Those people include many Israelis and many Jews living outside Israel.

But those are not the people hunting us.

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The people hunting us hate us for who we are. Any excuse will do to justify that hatred. They do not care about what is actually happening in the region. In fact, we have seen more terrorist attacks against Jews after ceasefires than during active conflict.

The people hunting us are radical Islamists, and those influenced by them. They have been emboldened — and in many cases indirectly protected — by the West’s obsession with avoiding uncomfortable truths. Governments have been too afraid to name the threat, and in doing so have allowed an atmosphere of intimidation, hate, and normalisation of violence to grow.

Of course, the vast majority of Muslims do not want to hunt Jews. We share historical roots and many core values. We may not always agree, but coexistence is entirely possible.

But there should be no doubt: radical Islamists want to kill Jews — and by the way, not only Jews. They have weaponised religion to spread hatred globally. Western governments, terrified of being labelled “anti-Muslim”, while competing to signal moral superiority through anti-Israel posturing and the repetition of false narratives, have created space for these ideologies to metastasise and inspire violence.

Those who raise this concern are routinely intimidated, dismissed, or branded as Islamophobic or far-right — sometimes even by Jewish voices. Naming radical Islamism for what it is, is not Islamophobia. Anyone who looks at how Muslim-majority countries themselves deal with groups like the Muslim Brotherhood or ISIS would understand that this is not about religion, but about confronting violent, hateful ideologies.

How many of us must be hunted before we change strategy?

Many believe the solution lies in activating the “silent majority.” I share that hope. But the reality is that this majority has remained silent — largely because it, too, is intimidated by radical Islamism. Yes, we must work with allies in wider society, and there are inspiring examples of courage and solidarity. But, as Leo Perlman has argued, it is far from clear that this will be enough.

For the past two years, I have argued that we have been too reasonable, too quiet, and too polite. The result is that many no longer want to engage with me — because they know what I will say. There have been examples of strong leadership, and we must support them. But they have been too few.

So, what can we do to stop being hunted?

We must use our position to demand that authorities confront those who seek to harm us — and those who create the conditions that allow them to feel emboldened. For example:

• Stop thanking governments for “concern” when no meaningful action follows.
• Stop applauding symbolic gestures we know are ineffective. Judge leaders by what they do when it is difficult, not when it is easy.
• Stop praising police forces that fail to act when it matters most. Accountability is not hostility.
• Stop allowing politicians to perform moral signalling about antisemitism while refusing to name and act on the sources of hatred.
• Refuse additional funding from governments that simultaneously allow those who threaten us to operate freely.
• Stop believing that being publicly “balanced” about Israel will save us. The killers do not differentiate between “reasonable” and “unreasonable” Jews. They target Jews.
• Encourage more Jewish leaders to speak out with no caveats — and fully support them when they do.

  The primary evil here is radical Islamism that seeks our destruction. But the inaction and cowardice of governments and institutions have created an environment in which that evil feels safe to act.

This is not about the Palestinian cause. It is not about the Israeli government.

It is about this: We are being hunted.

If you remember that, you may understand that survival requires preventing the hunters from operating freely.

Until we confront those who are hunting us — and hold our leaders accountable for failing to do so — they will continue.

And that is not a way to live.