Editor’s note: Rabbi Bridget Wynne will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, online and in person in Berkeley about Project Esther and how the Jewish community can respond to it. Free. Location and link provided with registration.
The Heritage Foundation is well known for Project 2025, the ultra-conservative agenda driving many of the Trump administration’s priorities and policies. Fewer people are aware of Project Esther, an equally damaging Heritage Foundation initiative that purports to combat antisemitism.
Antisemitism is rising in the U.S. and beyond and demands urgent attention and action. But Project Esther exploits Jewish fears to justify attacks on freedoms and institutions that have long supported American Jews and many minority groups. The real goal of Project Esther is to use antisemitism as an excuse to restrict free speech, crack down on immigration, undermine universities and weaken civil society.
This is not the first time that Jews have been used by those in power to advance their agendas. I am horrified that Project Esther claims to fight antisemitism by attacking democratic freedoms, and I am deeply disturbed that Christian nationalists — and the Trump administration — are doing so in my name.
Project Esther blames “masterminds” such as Jewish billionaires George Soros and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, accusing them of trying to “dismantle Western democracies, values, and culture,” according to internal Heritage documents obtained by the Forward.
The project’s strategy document singles out anti-Zionist groups involved in pro-Palestinian protests, like Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine. But its targets go far beyond them. It claims they are just the tip of a “vast network” aiming to destroy capitalism and democracy. This network supposedly “benefits from support and training by America’s overseas enemies,” exploits open society, corrupts education, manipulates the media, co-opts government and relies on the Jewish community’s “complacency.”
Project Esther seeks to “neutralize” this network in under two years by passing laws at all levels, defunding universities, removing faculty, barring pro-Palestinian groups from campuses and using civil lawsuits and deportation actions.
The Heritage Foundation’s National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism laid its foundation. Only one of the four co-chairs is Jewish. Two others are Christian nationalists whose support for Israel is tied to apocalyptic beliefs about the “end times” and the eventual Jewish recognition of Jesus as Messiah. The task force’s member organizations are almost all conservative and Christian groups. One of the few Jewish organizations, the Coalition for Jewish Values, is regarded as a fringe far-right group.
The lack of Jewish input is evident in the strategy document that outlines the project, which includes such errors as misidentifying the Book of Esther as part of the Torah and calling the Reform movement the “Reformed” movement, as well as in policies reflecting white Christian nationalist views rather than concerns emerging from Jewish communities.
Unsurprisingly, Project Esther focuses solely on left-wing antisemitism, despite research on the prevalence of right-wing antisemitism. It ignores President Donald Trump’s and many of his supporters’ history of amplifying white supremacy. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) opposed a bill defining antisemitism, for example, arguing that it would criminalize a “gospel” claim that “the Jews” handed Jesus over for crucifixion. Well-known conservative influencer Candace Owens has echoed antisemitic tropes, including claims that Jews drink Christian blood and worship money over God.
A day after a man shouted “free Palestine” while attacking Jews at a Boulder, Colorado, vigil for the hostages held in Gaza, Trump condemned the act on his social media site but omitted any mention of Jews or antisemitism, focusing instead on the attacker’s immigration status.
Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, said earlier this month that “if this administration were serious about countering antisemitism, it would not be appointing antisemitic extremists to senior positions” or “normalizing antisemitic conspiracy theories that have fueled attacks on Jews and others.”
Government actions that draw on Project Esther are also part of the playbook for the movement from democracy to authoritarianism, as seen in recent years in Hungary. Here are two examples.
First, it targets immigrants and visa holders. The Justice Department has aggressively moved to deport individuals using expanded executive power, refusal to obey court orders and increased surveillance. The government claims these are pro-Palestinian activists; some are, others are not. None has been accused of crimes. These efforts draw on a rarely used law allowing deportations without explanation, citing threats to U.S. foreign policy.
Second, it targets academia. Some universities resist government orders — issued in the name of combating antisemitism — to vet students, faculty and courses for “ideological diversity,” to audit departments at odds with government viewpoints, to halt enrollment of international students and to limit faculty power. These institutions face funding cuts and threats of losing accreditation and nonprofit status. The Department of Education is investigating 60 institutions for noncompliance.
What can we do? Share information about Project Esther, which remains largely unknown. Oppose its policies, such as deporting immigrants without due process, freezing billions in research grants, conflating free speech with antisemitism and aligning with white Christian nationalist forces that threaten Jewish communities.
Though claiming to speak for Jews and against antisemitism, Project Esther ignores the historical roots and the ongoing threat posed by white supremacist movements. Instead, it undermines civil liberties, freedom of expression, due process and human rights — protections that safeguard all targeted groups. Most troublingly, it claims that Jews cannot advocate for ourselves, instead positioning Christian nationalists as the authorities on antisemitism and Jewish safety.
We must refuse to let others represent us or define antisemitism on our behalf. Instead, let us choose to think and speak for ourselves.
This column reflects the author’s personal views, not those of Jewish Gateways.