The new Anti-Defamation League data shows a national rise in antisemitic incidents. The ADL tracked more than 5,200 incidents after Oct. 7, more than the total number of incidents in all of 2022.

In a video message, Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, called for vigilance against antisemitism.

“It must be challenged rather than allowed to fester in the shadows waiting to emerge and cause devastating harm,” Moran said.

Some Jewish leaders and organizations have faced criticism in the wake of Oct. 7 that they conflate antisemitism with opposition to the Israeli government. While Emhoff spoke at Rockhurst, Jewish Voice for Peace-Kansas City held a “People’s Symposium on Antisemitism” elsewhere on campus to highlight what it calls a “U.S.-backed Israeli genocide” of Palestinians in Gaza.

The Associated Press has reported that some 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, roughly two-thirds women and children. The numbers come from Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. During the Oct. 7 assault, Hamas fighters killed about 1,200 and took about 250 hostages; about 130 hostages remain inside Gaza.

The Biden administration has increased pressure on Israel in recent weeks to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza and it has warned against mounting offensive operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where many Palestinians have fled. Biden has faced protests calling for a ceasefire and to stop providing weapons to Israel.

In a closing speech, Gavriela Geller, executive director of the JCRB | AJC Kansas City, said that while anyone may disagree with a country’s military strategy and the decisions a government makes, “do not let anyone tell you the only way to express these feelings or engage critically on this issue is to align yourself with ideologies of Jew hatred.”

“Look, this conference is not about Israeli policy. But neither can we pretend the fate of the Jewish people isn’t tied to the fate of Israel, a country the size of New Jersey in which half the world’s Jews live,” Geller said.

“The reality is the way people talk about Israel has a direct effect on how safe my community is. It impacts the lived experiences of your Jewish neighbors here.”

Asked during keynote conversation what gives him hope, Emhoff emphasized the importance of taking joy in being Jewish.

“As horrible as this moment is that we’re in, it has brought this Jewish community together,” Emhoff said. “I hear from so many people who say they feel so much more connected to the faith and so much more connected to each other.”

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