Since the earliest days of Judaism, antisemitism has unfortunately proven to be a constant presence in the lives of Jews throughout generations. The ancient Persians, Greeks, and Romans all attempted to eradicate the Jewish people from the face of the Earth, followed in succession over centuries by Spanish persecution, pogroms in Russia, routine oppression and erasure of Jews in the Soviet Union, and most devastatingly, the Holocaust across Europe, followed again immediately by the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Jews from Arab countries. In the wake of the Holocaust and the Second World War, many had hoped that the defeat of Nazism by the Allies would bring about a permanent reprieve. In 2026, that hope has largely proven to be in vain for Jews in the United States.
Illinois’ Ninth Congressional District is one of the most Jewish districts in the country and Kat takes the needs and concerns of Jewish community members incredibly seriously. At a time when countless Holocaust survivors were searching for a safe haven, this community took them in. Skokie, part of the Ninth District, was once home to thousands of survivors, and is often speculated to have had the most survivors per capita outside of Israel. With this in mind, neo-Nazis attempted to march on Skokie in 1978 and were resoundingly condemned by the community. Skokie is also home to the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Educational Center, an indispensable resource that honors those murdered in the Shoah and takes on the immense responsibility of educating current and future generations about the horrors of the Shoah and the warning signs of authoritarianism, oppression, and genocide. As both a candidate and a Member of Congress, Kat will work closely with the museum to pursue its mission to “Remember the Past, Transform the Future.”
Last year, Jews comprised roughly 2.4% of the American population, and yet found themselves the victim of the vast majority of religion-based hate crimes. Anti-Jewish rhetoric has spiked both online and in the real world, and politicians in the United States and abroad frequently make use of antisemitism for both entertainment and political purposes. While the rhetoric is disturbing in and of itself, thought often translates to action, with tragic consequences:
- In June 2025, an assailant tossed an incendiary device at a crowd of Jewish demonstrators assembled in Boulder, Colorado, to call for the release of hostages held by Hamas, with one fatality and fifteen injuries.
- In April 2025, an arsonist set fire to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s official residence in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with his family sleeping inside. Though the Governor and his family were unharmed, the incident highlighted vulnerabilities for even high-ranking Jewish officials.
- In January 2022, a gunman stormed the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, taking numerous hostages, and ultimately killing one before the authorities were able to step in.
- In December 2019, a knife-wielding intruder broke into the home of a Monsey, New York Hasidic Rabbi during Hanukkah and stabbed five people, killing one.
- In December 2019, two assailants opened fire at a kosher grocery store in Jersey City, New Jersey, killing seven and wounding three.
- In October 2018, a gunman entered the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and shot seventeen people, killing eleven. The shooter had extensively posted antisemitic language on a fringe online platform prior to the attack.
- In August of 2017, a large group of far-right attendees at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia chanted “Jews will not replace us.” At the same rally, one of the attendees rammed his vehicle into a crowd of counter-protestors, killing one.
This list is but a sample of the many horrific experiences our Jewish siblings have had to endure in America. These attacks, and the rhetoric that inspires them, are nothing new to the Jewish community, but they are increasing in frequency and popularity. Our elected leaders too often either use the Jewish community as a political tool, or ignore it altogether. Either way, Jews in America are fundamentally less safe than they were in years past, and our politicians must take decisive action. Kat’s action list for fighting antisemitism draws on the lived experience of both her Jewish friends, loved ones, staffers, and community members she has been privileged to live and work with over her career and throughout her congressional campaign.
Safer Spaces for Jews Online
- Many antisemitic hate crimes in the real world are inspired by hateful online posts. Social media has become a breeding ground for hateful ideas and violent rhetoric. Building on her experience monitoring domestic extremism and bigotry in online spaces as a journalist and media analyst, Kat will work with social media platforms like Meta, X, YouTube, and others to use the power of Congress to strengthen their anti-bias detection systems and strengthen their terms of use.
- If elected, Kat will call for and work towards the establishment of a bicameral, bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on Countering Digital Hatred that will both monitor antisemitism and establish federal cooperative programs that counter violent extremism. This will replace and expand the work of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Antisemitism.
- Kat will work with internet service providers and federal law enforcement units like the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center to help bridge the gap between industry and the government where it comes to flagging and intercepting violent acts before they occur — many developed nations already monitor public Internet traffic for this purpose, and the U.S. is lagging far behind.
Safer Spaces for Jews in the Real World
- Everyone in the United States is afforded the equal right to worship without fear of harm, and Kat believes we have a moral responsibility to make sure that is true for American Jews.
- If elected, Kat will work to strengthen synagogue, yeshiva, and Jewish community center security through Congressionally mandated grants for target hardening, perimeter security, and improved security monitoring systems.
- Kat will work with Jewish leaders in the Illinois’ Ninth District and around the country to make sure their security concerns are not just heard but also met 100% of the time.
- Kat will introduce an American Jewish Security Act in Congress, that will mandate the hiring of Jewish Community Liaisons in all federally-funded state investigative agencies, local police departments, schools, and hospitals located in or around significant Jewish population centers, and will make it explicit federal law for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and Criminal Division to intervene where discrimination is found.
Countering Antisemitic Rhetoric & Ensuring American Jews are Heard
- Antisemitic rhetoric has reached a level in the United States unseen for generations, and our political environment has not been spared. Common and hateful tropes such as dual-loyalty, the blood libel, and Jewish control of government, the media, and finance are routinely echoed and amplified by some elected leaders and public figures. Kat is firm and clear on this: conflating the actions of the State of Israel with American Jewry is deeply unacceptable, as are any antisemitic tropes and comments. Antisemitism has no place in American politics or anywhere else, and Kat calls it out — and will continue to call it out — no matter the source.
- If elected, Kat will set aside dedicated, recurring, and regular time slots for Jewish community leaders and members to be heard, both in-person in Washington, D.C., in the Ninth District, and virtually. No one should be left out, and where other politicians have failed to include the Jewish community, Kat will step up.
- Kat believes that most hatred is borne of ignorance, and to counter this, will regularly host pluralist community events where interfaith interaction is central — Jews of course included. If more Americans came to appreciate their Jewish neighbors as they are, Kat believes that we can build a strong and united community, one where no one gets left behind.
Antisemitism should not be a partisan issue or even an American issue: it is simply a human issue. Kat’s progressive values and lived experience, as well as those of her Jewish staff members, supporters, and constituents, lay out a concrete roadmap for addressing antisemitism in the United States. It takes courage to do the politically inconvenient thing, but Kat believes that no American is free until we all are — free from fear that they are in danger simply for existing or exercising basic Constitutional rights.
Jewish Americans deserve more from Congress and, if elected, Kat will stand up and do the right thing, and she will not rest until Jews can practice their faith, maintain their traditions, and live in peace without fear of any repercussions.
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