FCAS presents social‑media analysis showing surge in antisemitic content; recommends ally‑building strategies

Adam Katz, president of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, told the commission that social media has amplified antisemitic narratives, and that a large portion of the public remains an “unengaged” audience that can become allies with the right messaging and messengers.

Katz described FCAS’s monitoring operation, which analyzes large sets of public social content to identify themes, geographic patterns and message spread. He told commissioners that FCAS tracks a rise in antisemitic posts and impressions: the organization reported that the volume of social‑media impressions with antisemitic content since October 7 equaled roughly ten years of prior volume. For Massachusetts specifically, Katz cited roughly 58,000 posts in the tracking period and increases in discussions about conspiracy theories and antisemitic tropes.

Katz said FCAS segments the public into three groups: "haters" who actively propagate antisemitism, a large group of unengaged bystanders (approximately 45 percent of Americans in FCAS surveys) who do not prioritize antisemitism but are predisposed to other anti‑bias causes, and a smaller group of allies. He argued that the most effective interventions begin with identifying where unengaged audiences get information and then placing empathic, example‑driven messages through trusted messengers in those channels.

Katz offered specific tactics: local, non‑Jewish community leaders or faith leaders as messengers; short video and narrative examples that model allyship (for example, neighbors who clean hate graffiti from a home); and state‑level monitoring data broken down per capita and by town to help school districts and municipalities target outreach. FCAS agreed to share state‑level breakdowns and message tests with the commission.