President Donald Trump has emphasized the importance of combating antisemitism, particularly within college settings. One of his efforts to address this issue is the establishment of a DOJ Task Force on Antisemitism, headed by Leo Terrell, who currently serves as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.
Terrell recently sat down with Mike Wagenheim, Senior U.S. Correspondent for Israel’s i24NEWS, to discuss his mission with the task force.
Leo Terrell with complete moral clarity:
“We have an obligation to protect Jewish Americans and make sure they have the same rights; if those rights aren’t protected, ours aren’t protected.”
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) May 27, 2025
Terrell began by noting the close relationship between American blacks and Jews and their fight for civil rights.
In a recent statement, Terrell highlighted the historical relationship between the Jewish and Black communities in the United States. He mentioned the support provided by the Jewish community to establish the NAACP and the sacrifices made by two Jewish Americans in 1964 while assisting Black individuals in voter registration efforts in Mississippi. Terrell stressed the deep-rooted connection between the two communities and the shared challenges they have faced, emphasizing the collective responsibility as Americans to safeguard the rights of all individuals.
Terrell further emphasized the need for various religious groups, including Catholics, Baptists, Muslims, Jews, and Christians, to unite in ensuring the protection of Jewish Americans’ rights. He underscored that defending the rights of Jewish Americans is crucial for upholding democracy and freedom of religion, as the security of these rights is intertwined with the broader protection of all Americans’ rights.
Wagenheim then asked about the partisan nature — of both antisemitism and accusations of antisemitism.
WAGENHEIM: I’ve gotta ask, because there’s a long history of Democrats accusing Republicans of accepting antisemitism on their side but doing nothing on their own. And it’s been the same for Republicans — they’ve issued the same accusations toward Democrats, but don’t handle their side of the aisle. When we’re talking about college campuses, the great bulk of them are run by the left; it’s simply a fact. But there’s no doubt there’s antisemitism from other corners of America emanating from the right. Where is the initiative to tackle that?
TERRELL: There is hate on both sides, and I will submit to you that what we’re tackling — antisemitism — is an American, bipartisan issue. It was in these camps — Democrats were pro-support of Israel and Jewish Americans. It shouldn’t be that way. It is an American issue. I mean, we’re talking about why people want to live in this country: freedom of religion, a Constitution that has basically survived over 250 years.
And I think what we need to do is make sure we keep our eye on the prize. We need to eliminate antisemitism. This is where I think you get universal support from both sides. It’s just: How do you eliminate it? And that’s where I think the president — President Trump — and we have a plan. I don’t think it was addressed as vigorously as it should’ve been in the last four years. I will submit to you that was called the “Michigan Strategy,” where they wanted to win Michigan. Here — no politics involved. We want to eliminate. We want to put myself out of business. We have a lot to do.
