I wrote a history of antisemitism in America. Even I am stunned by what’s happening now.

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(RNS) — A week after the second anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023, the day Hamas attacked Israel, my new book, “Antisemitism, an American Tradition,” landed in bookstores. Later this month, its paperback with a new afterword will arrive on their shelves.

I closed the book with the murders of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, the young couple gunned down in May 2025 leaving a reception at D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum. Their alleged perpetrator yelled “Free, Free Palestine” as he was arrested.

I wish I had known Sarah while she was studying for her master’s degree at American University where I teach. Out on book tour, I met her grieving parents.

Sadly, I knew that these murders would not be the last events in this history. Others were sure to soon follow. And they did. The next month, in Boulder, Colorado, a man hurled Molotov cocktails at demonstrators marching for the release of the Israeli hostages. One victim was an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. Another died from her burns.

On the day my book was released, Politico reported that thousands of leaked Telegram messages exposed…