Project Esther offers a blueprint for casting some campus protesters as part of a “Hamas Support Network,” making it easier to detain and deport them. Critics say the plan doesn’t fight antisemitism — and could make it worse. This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Noel King. Further reading: Project Esther: A National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast Support Today, Explained by becoming a Vox Member today: http://www.vox.com/members An exterior view of The Heritage Foundation building. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is Project Esther and how does it relate to Project 2025?
Well, there is a playbook that was created by the Heritage Foundation called Project Esther. Many listeners may remember the Heritage Foundation for their Project 2025. Yes. And so Project Esther could be seen as an addendum.
Project Esther, a national strategy to combat anti-Semitism.
It's a blueprint for the administration. It was released around October of last year, before the election, not a lot of press. It calls for an administration to rebrand pro-Palestinian protesters as Hamas supporters.
The Hamas support network and its nihilist supporters indoctrinate the gullible into supporting Hamas and hating Israel to create the street mayhem that serves their ends.
Chapter 2: How does Project Esther define and target pro-Palestinian protesters?
It also calls for the administration to go after any funders, nonprofits, progressive-leaning groups who are supporting protesters.
We have several laws at our disposal that may help to exploit Hamas support network and Hamas support organization vulnerabilities, such as the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Project Esther lays out a plan for administration to implement that, and that's what happened when the Trump administration came in. The plan was right there.
If you tell us when you apply for your visa, and by the way, I intend to come to your country as a student and rile up all kinds of anti-Jewish student, anti-Semitic activities. I intend to shut down your universities. If you told us all these things when you applied for a visa, we would deny your visa. I hope we would.
If you actually end up doing that once you're in this country on such a visa, we will revoke it.
Okay, so Project Esther comes from the Heritage Foundation. Who wrote it exactly?
It looks like it was a coalition of Heritage Foundation authors. The document clearly states that we're doing this because we have concluded there's been Jewish complacency. That means Jewish American groups, American Jews have not done enough to fight anti-Semitism.
Some may be in such disbelief that they cannot even acknowledge the threat. More likely, many simply do not know what to do and are waiting for leadership to guide them.
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