Sen. Chuck Schumer to release book warning about antisemitism in the United States

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in US history, will release a book this winter about antisemitism in the United States that will draw on his experience as a Jewish American in politics.

Antisemitism in America: A Warning is scheduled for publication in February and will be based on Schumer’s experiences growing up in Brooklyn in the 1960s, his studies at Harvard University, and his tenure in politics. 

In the book, Schumer will seek to shed light on Jewish experiences and prejudice that have led to historical and current discrimination against Jews. Antisemitism has surged in New York and across the United States since the October 7 massacre.

“At its core, my book is a warning,” Schumer said in a statement. “If America fails to understand the context and history of antisemitism, if America’s darker impulses ultimately overwhelm its better angels, an age-old truth will prove true once again: that antisemitism inevitably leads to violence against Jews and a rise in bigotry in our society at large.”

He added, “Jewish Americans never thought it could happen here in America. Now, for the first time, they’re worried it could.”

'First responsibility to US'

Schumer places his Jewish identity at the center of his public persona. He has often said his last name is a variation on the Hebrew word “shomer,” or guardian.  

“Of course, my first responsibility is to America and to New York,” he said in March on the Senate floor. “But as the first Jewish Majority Leader of the United States Senate, and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in America ever, I also feel very keenly my responsibility as a Shomer Yisroel — a guardian of the People of Israel.”

Israel will be a topic of the book, including a discussion of the line between legitimate criticism of the Israeli government and antisemitism, Grand Central Publishing said. In the March speech, Schumer called for new elections in Israel, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “lost his way.” The speech drew harsh criticism from Israeli government officials and American Jews as inappropriate interference in Israeli politics, in addition to support from leftist Jewish groups and some of Netanyahu’s critics.

The book will also discuss American politics, and will include Schumer’s experience taking refuge in a secure bunker during the Jan. 6, 2021, pro-Trump riot at the US Capitol.

This is not Schumer’s first book as a sitting senator. In 2007, he released a book co-authored with New York politician Daniel Squadron titled Positively American: Winning Back the Middle Class One Family at a Time.