NEW YORK (AP) — Open Society Foundations, the family philanthropy founded by hedge fund billionaire George Soros, is putting $30 million toward groups fighting antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate over the next three years.

The major human rights funder pledged Wednesday to strengthen interfaith partnerships and protect those facing heightened threats in response to the rising levels of hate against both Jewish and Muslim communities, coinciding with the Israel-Hamas war and the current fragile ceasefire in the US-Israel war with Iran.

Last year saw the highest level of deadly violence against Jews worldwide in over three decades, according to an annual study released last month by Tel Aviv University, including the deadly December shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. Meanwhile, anti-Muslim rhetoric has intensified against the backdrop of the Iran war, with one congressional Republican saying Muslims “don’t belong in American society.”

“The deep injustices occurring in the Middle East are fueling indiscriminate prejudice, dehumanization, and violence directed against both Muslims and Jews,” Open Society Foundations President Binaifer Nowrojee said in a statement. “Entire communities cannot be targeted simply because of their religion. Bigotry and intolerance in any form must be called out and confronted.”

The announcement marks the foundation’s most visible campaign since last fall’s reports that the US Department of Justice was considering possible charges against Open Society Foundations. US President Donald Trump specifically named Soros as he ordered the FBI to crack down on what he called “left-wing terrorism” — an accusation that OSF has denied in statements emphasizing their mission to strengthen democracy.

Alex Soros, who took over leadership of his father’s foundations in late 2022, noted that “discrimination and hate” aren’t abstract concepts for him as the son of a Holocaust survivor and........

© The Times of Israel