CSW Report Slams Disjointed Jewish Response to Antisemitism, Calls for Unified National Strategy

Edited by: Fern Sidman

The Coalition for a Safer Web (CSW), a Washington-based nonprofit dedicated to combating online extremism, issued a scathing indictment on Thursday of the Jewish community’s fragmented response to surging antisemitic incitement in a new report released Thursday. Titled “AWOL from the Campaign Against Antisemitism: A Commander, a Strategy & a Battle Plan,” the report contends that disorganization, duplication, and institutional vanity have rendered private Jewish efforts ineffective in the face of a growing national threat.

Led by CSW President Marc Ginsberg—a former U.S. ambassador and one of the country’s foremost authorities on cyberterrorism—the report offers a sobering analysis of the current landscape and outlines urgent steps toward a more coordinated, impactful response. Ginsberg, who served as White House Mideast advisor under President Jimmy Carter and later as ambassador to Morocco, has long warned of the real-world consequences of online hate. Speaking at the press briefing for the report’s launch, he did not mince words.

“Hope is not a strategy,” Ginsberg declared. “Vanity, turf battles, and duplication of programs are plaguing our response. A fearful Jewish community demands a more effective private-sector offensive with better coordination and input from federal, state and local authorities.”

The report’s central thesis is clear: while dozens of Jewish and allied organizations have mobilized against the tide of antisemitism—especially since the Hamas massacre of October 7 and the subsequent explosion of pro-Hamas activism in the U.S.—their efforts have been siloed, underfunded, and often working at cross-purposes.

Among the most damning findings are the duplication of efforts. Jewish groups are redundantly developing programs and content, wasting critical donor funds in a time of crisis. Moreover, the report indicates a lack of a unified command. No single organization or leader has emerged to coordinate the national response across civil society and government.

The report also spoke of foreign influence.  Antisemitic donors from abroad are successfully funneling money through American charitable foundations, exploiting legal loopholes and lax oversight.

Due to an overwhelmed infrastructure, the scale of antisemitic content online—much of it generated or amplified by AI—has surpassed the capacity of any one organization to monitor or counter.

The CSW report doesn’t stop at critique; it provides a blueprint for revitalizing the Jewish community’s response and reasserting control in both online and public discourse. Among its key proposals is its call for the appointment of a National Antisemitism Coordinator. Preferably, a respected figure to serve as a centralized leader—someone capable of building bridges across public and private sectors while commanding broad community support.

The report also advocates for the creation of a “Fusion Center” which would be modeled on post-9/11 national security coordination efforts. The center would act as a hub for intelligence sharing, rapid response, and proactive communication. It would monitor social platforms, gaming channels, and podcast networks where young people are increasingly targeted with extremist propaganda.

The report also recommends legal action against U.S.-based nonprofits that knowingly channel funds to antisemitic causes, including revoking 501(c)(3) privileges and closing funding loopholes exploited by international hate networks.

CSW has proposed the use of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) provisions in civil lawsuits to dismantle funding and propaganda networks spreading Jew-hatred across platforms and jurisdictions.

Also referenced in the report is a plan to develop proprietary AI tools. With existing open-source AI often hijacked by extremists, the report urged Jewish and pro-democracy funders to invest in purpose-built, AI-driven systems designed to detect, counter, and disrupt online antisemitic content at scale.

Deploying cultural counterforces was also listed as among the strategies in the report. Recognizing that young men are disproportionately exposed to radicalization through gaming, memes, and YouTube influencers, CSW recommended training Jewish and pro-Israel content creators to engage effectively in these spaces. This would include a pipeline of influencers capable of inserting compelling, values-based narratives where hate currently dominates.

The report’s release comes amid a documented rise in antisemitic attacks, verbal assaults, and vandalism—especially on college campuses and major urban centers—since the fall of 2023. While federal authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security, have ramped up hate crime enforcement, the role of private Jewish organizations remains crucial in shaping narrative, providing protection, and advancing advocacy.

Yet Ginsberg warned that without internal reform and external cohesion, these organizations risk becoming irrelevant at best—and counterproductive at worst.

“We are leaving too many weapons on the drawing board with too many generals calling their own shots,” he said. “This is not a time for ego, it’s a time for unity.”

The Coalition for a Safer Web has circulated its report among major Jewish federations, civil rights organizations, and members of Congress, encouraging them to begin the difficult work of consensus-building. Early responses from stakeholders suggest interest in forming a national task force to address the report’s findings.

Whether CSW’s urgent call will result in lasting structural change remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: as antisemitism metastasizes both online and off, time is no longer a luxury.

The full report is available on the Coalition for a Safer Web’s website.