Americans heard a lot about Jews in 2022, from a hostage-taking at a Texas synagogue in January to the unapologetic broadcasting of antisemitic conspiracy theories at year’s end by Kanye West and the white supremacist Nick Fuentes. University campuses produced sharp controversies over free speech and antisemitism, as some student organizations banned pro-Israel speakers and some Jewish students reported feeling unsafe. In November, FBI director Christopher Wray warned of a sharp rise in antisemitic hate crimes. Jews were the main victims of these crimes, but not the only ones. In October, Thomas Meixner, a Catholic professor of hydrology at the University of Arizona, was murdered on campus by a former student who reportedly insisted Meixner was the Jewish leader of a Zionist plot against him.

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