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This op-ed was authored by Lisa Katz, Chief Government Affairs Officer for the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM). Katz, a former Town Supervisor of New Castle, New York, leads CAM’s municipal initiatives engaging mayors across the United States in the fight against antisemitism.
Every year on July 4th, Americans feel a surge of national pride. Flags are raised, grills are lit, and fireworks illuminate the sky. But, this year, for many Americans, that pride is tempered by something else — a sense that the values we celebrate on Independence Day are being tested in very real and painful ways.
America’s strength has always been derived from its foundational principles: freedom, justice, equality, and the inherent dignity of every individual. These aren’t just lofty ideals, but rather, they’re meant to be lived out in our schools, houses of worship, neighborhoods, and government buildings.
And yet today, these values are under threat. The same nation that declared all people are created equal is witnessing a resurgence of something deeply antithetical to those principles: antisemitism.
Antisemitism is no longer lurking in the shadows. It’s marching openly through our streets. It’s showing up on our campuses, in our streets, across our social media feeds, and in our politics.
Antisemitic slogans masquerading as social justice rhetoric are seeping into public discourse. Holocaust denial is proliferating online. Jewish college students feel unsafe wearing a Star of David. Vandals are scrawling swastikas across cities. Elected officials minimize or even excuse antisemitic rhetoric. Jewish Americans are being scapegoated, harassed, excluded, and even attacked simply for being Jewish. And in these moments, it’s hard not to ask: Have we forgotten who we are?
We must say it plainly: this is not who we are. And it is certainly not who we are meant to be.
I say this not only as a Jewish American, but as a former Town Supervisor and a lifelong believer in the power of local leadership to shape the soul of this country. Mayors are the stewards of our hometown values. They set the tone for how neighbors treat each other. They respond when hate rears its head — not with tweets, but with real action. And across America, mayors are stepping up and declaring: Not in our cities.
They’re not waiting for Washington to fix this. They’re educating their communities, convening interfaith roundtables, educating their police forces, passing local policies that affirm Jewish dignity and safety, and calling out antisemitism when others remain silent. They know what national leaders sometimes forget: that when hatred goes unchallenged at the local level, it metastasizes. And when we address it with moral clarity and practical tools, we can actually turn the tide.
But they cannot do it alone.
This July 4th, we should commemorate more than just the birth of a country — we should celebrate the idea of what this nation is supposed to be. That means rejecting antisemitism not as a political issue, but as a moral imperative. That means refusing to normalize conspiracy theories that target Jews, whether they come from the far-right or the far-left. And it means holding elected officials and candidates, influencers, and institutions accountable when they espouse bigotry.
So, this Independence Day, instead of just reflecting on our nation’s founding, let’s also look forward to a better future — one where our words match our values. Let’s remember that “liberty and justice for all” isn’t a slogan — it’s a promise.
This year, let the fireworks remind us not just of battles won, but of principles worth defending and the belief that every American — regardless of race, religion, or background — has the inalienable right to live a life free from hate.
