Jewish leaders from across the United States will make an “emergency” visit to Washington next week to push Congress and the White House to address rising antisemitism domestically and increase support for Israel in its war with Iran.

The trip, on Wednesday and Thursday, was organized by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, with representatives coming from nearly 100 Jewish communities and more than 30 Jewish organizations.

“We are facing an unprecedented situation in American Jewish history where every Jewish institution and event is a potential target for antisemitic violence,” Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, said in a statement. 

Last month, following the deadly terror attack outside the Capital Jewish Museum, a coalition of 46 Jewish organizations called for a major increase in funding for the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program, from its current level of $274.5 million to $1 billion in light of the growing security costs associated with the rise in antisemitic attacks. A few days later, several people were burned in an antisemitic firebombing attack on a solidarity march for hostages in Gaza.

“Our Jewish communities and our local law enforcement partners are bearing extraordinary costs to secure our community and enable us to exercise our basic right to gather as Americans for religious and cultural activities. This is domestic terrorism, plain and simple, and defeating this campaign of terror is the responsibility of the government,” Fingerhut said on Thursday.

William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents, stressed the need to increase support for Israel as its strikes Iranian nuclear and military facilities and sustains regular Iranian missile barrages. “The fight for Jewish security is not just domestic—it is global. We must continue pressing our legislators to stand with Israel and oppose a nuclear Iran,” Daroff said.

During the mission, local and national Jewish leaders will push for a “six-point policy plan to protect Jewish communities,” organizers said. 

In addition to the $1 billion in funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, this plan includes: providing additional federal support for security guards; expanding FBI resources for domestic and global terror; increasing federal assistance to local law enforcement to protect Jewish institutions; regulating social media hate speech and incitement of violence; and enforcing existing hate crime legislation.

“American Jews are not bystanders to global terror and domestic extremism. We are deliberate targets. The federal government has a mandate to act, and we are here to work with Congress and the Administration to ensure they have the tools they need to succeed,” Daroff said.