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Model urges her 2.5m Instagram followers to “wake up” after claiming “they own the banks and media”

An American model and aspiring fashion designer caused concern after posting apparent conspiracy theories about Jewish people.

Carmen Ortega Baljian wrote to her 2.5 million followers: “They own banks, they own the media, and in our politics heavy.”

“Who’s awake yet?” she added. “Have short version of the Talmud just in case anyone has any more doubts. It’s time to wake up baby. What’s happening to Kanye is a direct example of everything…The truth is antisemitic. Let that sink in.”

The model also shared a tweet on Instagram from Candace Owens, the controversial political commentator who has defended the antisemite Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, on numerous accounts. Ms Owens’ tweet stated: “Who runs the banks? How many more times will I be right about these people?”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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CAA launches petition calling on Adidas to drop partnership with Ye (aka Kanye West) following his repeated antisemitic outbursts

Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a petition calling on global retailer Adidas to drop its partnership with Ye (also known as Kanye West) following his repeated antisemitic outbursts.

The petition can be signed here.

Ye has posted brazen antisemitic statements in the past month on social media.

  • On 7th October 2022, he posted on Instagram: “Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me.”
  • Two days later he tweeted: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con [sic] 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” 

On an episode of the Drink Champs podcast, aired on 16th October 2022, Ye:

  • Said: “The thing about me and Adidas is like, I can literally say antisemitic s*** and they can’t drop me. I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?”
  • Demanded: “I want all the Jewish children to look at they daddy and say ‘Why is Ye mad at us?’”
  • Stated that was “Me Too-ing the Jewish culture. I’m saying y’all gotta stand up and admit to what y’all been doing, and y’all just got away with it for so long, that y’all ain’t even realise what y’all doing.”
  • Referred throughout the interview to “Jewish business secrets”, “Jewish Zionists”, and stated how Jewish people in the entertainment industry “will take one of us, the brightest of us, that can really feed a whole village, and they’ll take us and milk us until we die.”
  • Claimed that he had been “blocked out” by “the Jewish media”.
  • Said: “Jewish people have owned the Black voice, whether it’s through us wearing a Ralph Lauren shirt, or it’s all of us being signed to a record label, or having a Jewish manager, or being signed to a Jewish basketball team, or doing a movie on a Jewish platform like Disney.”
  • Doubled down on his tweet about “going death con [sic] 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE”, claiming that he “is Jewish also”, adding: “We’re not just Black. We are Jew [sic], just like the Jewish people…I can’t be an antisemite.”
  • Claimed that he responded to being invited to a Holocaust museum by saying: “I want you to visit Planned Parenthood. That’s our Holocaust museum.” 
  • Complained about being photographed in public, saying: “You get used to being screwed by the Jewish media.” 
  • Said: “A thing that a Jewish person will always say is they’ll say ‘This is mine’. Something that a Black person built, or any company built, they’ll be like ‘This is mine now’.”
  • Referencing fellow rapper Ice Cube, who was criticised for sharing an antisemitic image, said: “You really influenced me to get on this antisemite vibe, and I’m here to finish the job.” (Ice Cube has refuted this claim and distanced himself from Ye.)
  • In an interview on CUOMO on the NewsNation network, aired on 18th October 2022, Ye:
  • Said: “I don’t like the term ‘antisemitic’. It’s been a term that’s allowed people, specifically in my industry, to get away with murder.”
  • Made comments referring to the “Jewish underground media mafia”. 
  • Claimed “Jewish people own the Black voice.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, examples of antisemitism include “Making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions,” and “Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.”

On his partnership with Adidas, Ye has said: “The thing about me and Adidas is like, I can literally say antisemitic s*** and they can’t drop me. I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?”

Adidas must answer Ye’s question. It must denounce antisemitism and end its partnership with Ye.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “By continuing to align itself with a public figure who has revealed himself to be a virulent antisemite, Adidas would be demonstrating that it does not care about racism against Jews. Ye has claimed that he can ‘literally say antisemitic s*** and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?’ Adidas must answer Ye’s question: It must denounce antisemitism and end its partnership with Ye.”

The petition can be signed here.

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Antisemite Kanye West doubles down on “death con 3” comments in new rant about “the Jewish media” and “Jewish Zionists”

Kanye West has doubled down on his recent, inflammatory comments by ranting about “the Jewish media” and “Jewish Zionists” in a new interview on the Drink Champs podcast.

 Earlier this month, the rapper said he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people” before writing about their “agenda”.

The rapper made the disturbing statement in a tweet last night. He wrote: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”

Mr West added: “The funny thing is I actually can’t be antisemitic because black people are actually Jew also [sic] You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”

The now-deleted tweet came hours after his Instagram account was restricted for posting a text message in which he said: “Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me.”

In the accompanying caption, he wrote: “Jesus is Jew.”

His social media accounts have since been restricted. 

In an interview released today, the rapper doubled down on his comments, claiming that he has been “blocked out” by “the Jewish media”.

Additionally, Mr West claimed that “Jewish people have owned the Black voice, whether it’s through us wearing a Ralph Lauren shirt, or it’s all of us being signed to a record label, or having a Jewish manager, or being signed to a Jewish basketball team, or doing a movie on a Jewish platform like Disney.”

Going on to reiterate his tweet, the rapper claimed that he “is Jewish also”, adding: “We’re not just Black. We are Jew [sic], just like the Jewish people…I can’t be an antisemite.”

After being invited to attend a Holocaust museum, Mr West claimed that he responded by saying: “I want you to visit Planned Parenthood. That’s our Holocaust museum.” 

Complaining about being photographed in public, Mr West said: “You get used to being screwed by the Jewish media.” 

At one point, he stated that was “Me Too-ing the Jewish culture. I’m saying y’all gotta stand up and admit to what y’all been doing, and y’all just got away with it for so long, that y’all ain’t even realise what y’all doing.”

“A thing that a Jewish person will always say,” the rapper stated, “is they’ll say ‘This is mine’. Something that a Black person built, or any company built, they’ll be like ‘This is mine now’.”

“I want all the Jewish children to look at they daddy and say ‘Why is Ye mad at us?’,” he continued.

Referencing fellow rapper Ice Cube, who was criticised for sharing an antisemitic image, Mr West said: “You really influenced me to get on this antisemite vibe, and I’m here to finish the job.”

Throughout the interview, the rapper also referred to “Jewish business secrets”, “Jewish Zionists”, and stated how Jewish people in the entertainment industry “will take one of us, the brightest of us, that can really feed a whole village, and they’ll take us and milk us until we die.”

This is not the first instance of the rapper making incendiary remarks about Jewish people.

In an interview last year, Mr West said: “You know, you never hear about Jewish on Jewish crime. You know, they kill each other in business in a different kind of way, but not actually physically taking a life.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions” is an example of antisemitism.

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University investigates fresh allegation of “appalling” antisemtism

The president of Tufts University has said an alleged antisemitic incident involving members of a sports team was “appalling” and “diminishes every single member of our community.”

In an email, Anthony Monaco, President of the Boston-based university said that the “alleged conduct” relating to a sports team travelling to another college for a match “is appalling  and goes against our values as an institution.”

He added that “those values do not end at the borders of our campus” and that when “any member of our community leaves our campus, they represent each of us. This alleged act diminishes every single member of our community.”

The activities of the Tufts club have been suspended for the duration of the investigation while Tufts and the college to which the students were travelling jointly conduct a formal investigation. 

According to Mr Monaco, the alleged incident – which occurred during the Jewish High Holy Days – follows a two-year effort by the university to “fight antisemitism on campus.”

In his email, the university president said he wanted to “express my solidarity” with Jewish students, faculty, staff, and alumni. “We strive to create a community in which all members can express their beliefs and identities free from fear or intimidation,” he wrote.

Last year, an investigation took place at Tufts University after a student’s mezuzah was removed from his dormitory.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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New York and Florida hit with antisemitic graffiti during Yom Kippur

Antisemitic graffiti is reported to have been discovered on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, in both New York City and Weston, Florida.

Boxes containing newspapers from Jewish publications were found defaced with swastikas. The boxes were located in a Jewish area of the borough of Queens.

Daniel Rosenthal, Assemblymember for the 27th AD, stated on Twitter: “We must be able to feel safe in our neighborhoods. We must do more. The continued rise of antisemitism is unsustainable and unacceptable.”

In the Florida city of Weston, officials are investigating antisemitic graffiti found on a pavement near Hunter’s Pointe in the Weston Hills community.

In a statement on social media, Weston Mayor Margaret Brown said: “Antisemitism in any form is not welcome here.”

Mayor Brown added: “No person, no matter their religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or background, should ever wake up to see their community desecrated.”

The local Sheriff’s Office in Broward is investigating the incident.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Kanye West tweets about going “death con 3 on Jewish people” and their “agenda” hours after making inflammatory Instagram post

Kanye West has said he will go “death con 3 on Jewish people” before writing about their “agenda”.

The rapper made the disturbing statement in a tweet last night. He wrote: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”

Mr West added: “The funny thing is I actually can’t be antisemitic because black people are actually Jew also [sic] You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”

The now-deleted tweet came hours after his Instagram account was restricted for posting a text message in which he said: “Ima use you as an example to show the Jewish people that told you to call me that no one can threaten or influence me.”

In the accompanying caption, he wrote: “Jesus is Jew.”

This is not the first instance of the rapper making incendiary remarks about Jewish people.

In an interview last year, Mr West said: “You know, you never hear about Jewish on Jewish crime. You know, they kill each other in business in a different kind of way, but not actually physically taking a life.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, Making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions is an example of antisemitism.

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Nazi memorabilia offered online by American ‘Goodwill’ chain

Nazi memorabilia was offered for sale online by America’s not-for-profit “Goodwill” chain, which has shops across the USA selling “pre-owned” clothing, furniture and housewares for the needy.

Its online shop was offering a set of three “vintage” Adolf Hitler mugs, priced from $13.99 (£12) together with a free pin carrying the slogan “Ven you’re German, it’s hard to be humble.”

The mugs feature images of Hitler and Nazi-era hate symbols such as swastikas, the Nazi Eagle with its incorporated swastika, the Arrow Cross and the Wolfsangel symbol, as well as words including “Der Fuhrer” and the SS motto which has been banned in Germany since 1947.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Wichita, Broward County and West Hollywood adopt International Definition of Antisemitism

The city of Wichita, Kansas, has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism. 

Mayor Brandon Whipple signed a proclamation on 15th September which orders local education and law enforcement to apply the Definition when addressing matters regarding antisemitism.

The Kansas legislature unanimously adopted the Definition in the HCR 5030 bill earlier this year.

The majority of the original Jewish population in Wichita arrived between 1860-1890 during the cattle boom, most of whom were from Germany or Austria. The current Jewish population in the Wichita is thought to be less than 1,000. The 2014 Pew Religious Landscape Survey showed that less than one percent of Kansas adults identified as Jewish. In 2017, the Jewish population of Kansas was reported to be 17,300.

The move to adopt the Definition comes after a series of antisemitic flyers were distributed throughout Wichita over the summer. The leaflets contain antisemitic conspiracy theories claiming that Jews are to blame for the COVID-19 pandemic and are involved in paedophilia, an age-old antisemitic trope.

Elsewhere, Broward County in Florida and West Hollywood in California have also adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street. Wichita joins a growing list of local, state and national governments and public bodies to use the Definition.

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“It started with just a bunch of Jewish students who were fed up”: Isaac de Castro on the creation of ‘Jewish on Campus’

Isaac de Castro, an activist and journalist who was integral to the creation of the ‘Jewish on Campus’ movement, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he spoke openly about the challenges Jewish students in the United States are facing.

Mr de Castro said that “‘Jewish on Campus’ started with just a bunch of Jewish students who were fed up and were meeting on the internet at the very beginning, and height of, [COVID-19]. We were all stuck at home online yelling into the void about what was happening to us on college campuses and how difficult that was and at the same time, everyone was turning to social media to do activism in which they were dragging in antisemitism.

“That, I think, was very fresh and very stressful to everyone. We thought of the stakes of speaking out on antisemitism and how it became so taboo to talk about it because Jews are not perceived as an oppressed group or because supporting Israel is seen as a very, very negative thing on college campuses.”

He explained that the way the organisation managed to convince students to say what was happening to them was to anonymise it.

“[The movement] grew exponentially…thousands of followers a day,” he said. “It was really special, and it was a catalyst for understanding antisemitism on college campuses in the United States. I think people were not really getting the scope of it and these stories put a face to it because it wasn’t just numbers of how many Jewish students have faced antisemitism in which campuses, it was ‘this is my story, this is what I went through, this is what my professor said to me, this is what my peers said to me.’ There was no way of denying how powerful that was.”

When asked what advice he would offer to Jewish students experiencing antisemitism, the activist said: “Find community, whether its a Hillel House or the Jewish student union or confiding in ‘Jewish on Campus’, confiding in Jewish friends. I think it’s very, very important to not isolate yourself and to have like-minded people in which you can confide in because dealing with that by yourself is not great. You’re stronger when you’re united.”

Mr de Castro’s work also looks at the stories of Latino Jews of Sephardic descent, which is the focus of his newest project.

Mr de Castro, himself a Panamanian Jew of both Ashkenazi and Sephardi descent who now lives in the United States, said that his work has been inspired by speaking to people who “have no idea what these communities are like.” 

Speaking on some of the many generations of Latino Jews now living in the United States, Mr de Castro said that “There is a difference in terms of outspokenness, in terms of antisemitism or even understanding antisemitism…there is a difference for sure.”

Throughout the interview, Mr de Castro touched upon a variety of other issues which included his own story of moving to the United States and Jewcy, the Jewish magazine at which he is the editor.

The podcast with Mr de Castro can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.

Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.

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US politicians across political spectrum criticised for inflammatory social media comments about Jews

It has been reported that a number of political figures in the United States have come under fire for making inflammatory comments about Jews.

In Arizona, three Republican candidates have been criticised for their endorsement of an Oklahoma-based candidate who has made a number of remarks about Jews.

The endorsements of the Arizona Republicans, Kari Lake, Mark Finchem, and Wendy Rogers appear on the website of the Oklahoma State Senate candidate, Jarrin Jackson, who has reportedly said that he is not “beholden to Jews”, that he “ain’t owned by the Jews”, that “all Jews will go to hell if they don’t believe the gospel of Jesus Christ”, and that “I love Jews because Christ told me to, not because they deserve it.”

Mr Jackson also appears to have been prompted by a documentary he watched to have said that Jews are an example that “evil exists”.

Ms Lake has since retracted her endorsement of Mr Jackson, but neither Mr Finchem nor Ms Rogers apparently responded to journalists’ requests for a comment.

It has been reported that Ms Rogers had at one point posted a meme of a dead rhino – possibly in reference to the liberal wing of her Party, known pejoratively as RINOs – with a Star of David on the animal.

In San Francisco, a candidate running for the city government has been forced to issue an apology after making fun of the name of a Jewish journalist and calling them a “Nazi”.

Leanna Louie, who was running for a position on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, wrote a post on Facebook in which she called a local journalist, Joe Eskenazi, “EskeNAZI”.

Comparing her experiences of being interviewed by a local radio station with her interactions with Mr Eskenazi, Ms Louie wrote that “It was so nice to talk to a journalist who actually had a dialogue with me. Unlike Joe EskenNAZI who called me and talked over me and didn’t even write any of my responses.”

After being criticised by other local officials, including Gordon Mar, the incumbent supervisor in the district where she is running, as well as the District Attorney, John Hamasaki, Ms Louie wrote an apology saying that the “formatting of his surname was in poor taste and I want to sincerely apologise to Joe Eskenazi, his family, and the Jewish community,” but maintained her criticisms of his journalistic approach.

The criticisms that Ms Louie has faced are not dissimilar to those faced by a progressive activist group that is a part of the Democratic Party, which has apparently mocked the names of two New York politicians, both of whom are Jewish.

Referring to the US House Candidate, Dan Goldman, and the State Assemblyman, Jeffrey Dinowitz, the group No IDC tweeted: “The jerk buying a House seat with inherited money is ‘Goldman’…the IDC adjacent Assembly member is ‘DINOwitz’. Who came up with these names, Dickens?”

The Bronx Democratic Congressman, Ritchie Torres, said that this comment was “dripping with antisemitism”.

Following the criticisms of Mr Torres and others, No IDC deleted the tweet and wrote one in apology, saying that “We’re sorry – no antisemitism was intended and we took this down when folks expressed concerns it could be taken the wrong way.” 

The group also said that their social media Account Manager has been suspended from their position.

Over in New Hampshire, the official Twitter page of the state’s Libertarian Party wrote a post that mocked the Holocaust: “6 million dollar minimum wage or you’re antisemitic,” the Party tweeted, a reference to the number of Jews killed by the Nazis in the Holocaust.

The tweet was, however, deleted following criticism from Twitter users and a number of Jewish organisations.

In Hamilton, New Jersey, a candidate for the town’s school board has abandoned the race after some of his comments on social media came to light.

Nicholas Ferrara, who was running on a “traditional education” platform, allegedly wrote a post on the social media platform Gab in January that he was “FOR execution of the marxist/communists jews [sic].”

Founded in 2016 in partial response to alleged censorship on mainstream social networks, Gab claims to “champion free speech and individual liberty”, but has become a haven for neo-Nazis, white nationalists, supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory, and individuals banned from mainstream platforms.

Gab came to global attention in 2018, when it was revealed that Robert Gregory Bowers, who is accused of murdering eleven Jews during a shooting in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, a suburb of Pittsburgh, was a Gab user and had posted what appear to be items of neo-Nazi propaganda and antisemitic comments on the site.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Jewish groups raise concerns at Louis Farrakhan image on Black Lives Matter mural

Concerns have been raised that a mural in Westchester, New York, promoting Black Lives Matter (BLM), features the image of the antisemitic hate preacher, Louis Farrakhan.

The mural, located on Manhattan Avenue under the I-287 highway, includes a depiction of Mr Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam, speaking with an accusatory raised finger.

Mr Farrakhan has referred to Judaism as a “gutter religion”, seemed to imply that Jews are “evil” and “satanic” and encourage paedophilia and “sexual perversion”, blamed Jews for slavery and racist Jim Crow laws in the United States, described Adolf Hitler as a “great man” and said that Jews financed their own destruction in the Holocaust, claimed that Jews have a “stranglehold” on the US Congress using their “tentacles”, and accused Israelis and Zionists of being behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City. 

“I am not an antisemite,” Mr Farrakhan wrote in October 2018 in a tweet that he later deleted, “I’m anti-Termite”.

The Westchester Jewish Council released a statement saying that Mr Farrakhan is “one of the country’s most prominent antisemites. His long public history of anti-Jewish and other bigoted comments makes his inclusion in this project completely improper.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has previously called out the British chapter of Black Lives Matter after it claimed that “Zionism” had “gagged” Britain.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Antisemitic graffiti scrawled on town hall sign in Hempstead, New York

Authorities in the town of Hempstead, New York have found antisemitic graffiti outside the Town Hall.

The Hempstead Town Supervisor, Don Clavin, said that “These cowards come here and write that message on the Town of Hempstead sign welcoming residents. Well, I speak for everyone when I say, ‘No way we’re gonna allow it, we’re gonna hold you accountable and you’re a disgrace.’”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Identifiably Jewish woman attacked in New York subway station

An identifiably Jewish woman has reportedly been attacked in a New York subway station.

It was reported that the woman, who is apparently in her 40s, was approached by a man who went on to put his hands around her neck and choke her while making antisemitic comments.

The woman was apparently taken to Mt. Sinai hospital, where her injuries were treated.

The incident is now being investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Unit.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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New Mexico adopts International Definition of Antisemitism

The State of New Mexico has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order incorporating the Definition into state law.

The Board Chairman of the Israeli-American Coalition for Action said that the organisation “applauds Gov. Grisham for not only recognising [the] IHRA [Definition] but for implementing it in order to ensure equal protections from discrimination for Jewish victims. We are grateful to see that Jewish and Israeli-Americans are not left to contend with incidents of antisemitic hatred alone.”

Jewish life in New Mexico may date as far back as the 1590s, when crypto-Jews who had escaped Spain were among the early settlers in the region, but expanded from the mid-1840s after the United States gained control of the territory.

There are reportedly 12,625 Jewish people in New Mexico as of 2020, making up 0.6% of a total population of just under 2.1 million.

Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street. New Mexico joins a growing list of national and state governments and public bodies to use the Definition.

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Meta cleans up new chatbot after it was found to promote antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories

Meta has cleaned up its new chat after it was found to be promoting antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories.

Last week, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, unveiled BlenderBot 3, the latest version of its artificially intelligent chat system, as a work in progress.

Two years ago, Facebook’s artificial intelligence chatbot at the time, called Blender, drew attention for spewing antisemitic responses, such as “I think the Jews are terrible people!”

BlenderBot 3 has now done so again, with claims that Jewish people are “overrepresented among America’s super rich” and suggestions that it is “not impossible” that Jews control the economy, among other inflammatory remarks.

In the past few days, however, Meta has moved to clean up the chatbot. Asked now whether Jews control the economy, the chatbot responds: “I don’t know much about that, sorry. Tell me about some of your hobbies.” The website also reportedly now displays a “sensitive content” message.

According to the New York Post, Meta did not respond to a request for comment, but the technology company has acknowledged that the chatbot can give offensive or nonsensical answers.

Before users can start a conversation with BlenderBot, they are required to check a box saying: “I understand this bot is for research and entertainment only, and that is likely to make untrue or offensive statements. If this happens, I pledge to report these issues to help improve future research. Furthermore, I agree not to intentionally trigger the bot to make offensive statements.”

In 2016, Microsoft shut down its own chatbot, Tay, after a very short time after it also began issuing inflammatory comments.

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Suspect arrested in connection with swastika graffiti in Pikesville, Maryland, while antisemitic graffiti in Bethesda still under investigation

Charges have been issued in connection to antisemitic graffiti found on residential mailboxes last week in Pikesville, Maryland.

Benjamin Katz, 31, has been arrested by Baltimore County Police in connection with the graffiti, which reportedly resembled a large swastika with the word “Cox” spraypainted above, an apparent reference to Dan Cox, a politician who won a recent gubernatorial primary election.

Accordingly, police have determined the vandalism to be politically-motivated, but antisemitic graffiti found in Bethesda, also in Marlyand, is still under investigation.

The Montgomery County Police Department is looking into the “white power 1488” and swastikas found on the Bethesda Trolley Trail over the weekend, near Bradley Boulevard and Arlington Road.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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American man admits to wanting to blow up local synagogue because “he hates Jews”

The Department of Justice has disclosed that a man from St Louis, Missouri, has admitted to threatening to blow up a local synagogue in 2021.

Cody Steven Rush, 30, made the declaration in US District Court on Monday.

Mr Rush said that he called the FBI on 5th November 2021 saying that he wanted to blow up the local Central Reform Congregation “when they open tomorrow,” because “he hates Jews”.

According to local media, Mr Rush called a second time and said that he hears voices. He reportedly has schizoaffective disorder and suffers from PTSD, anxiety, depression and social anxiety disorder. Referring to Jews, Mr Rush also said, “I hate them with rage.”

It is understood that, in a third call, Mr Rush provided his location, which was on the same street as the synagogue, and that in return calls from the authorities, he made further threats.

Mr Rush pleaded guilty to the use of a telephone to make a threat, and is due for sentencing in November, facing a maximum term of ten years in federal prison.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Protests outside conservative conference feature Nazi and SS flags

A group of protesters have held a rally featuring Nazi and SS flags outside a conference organised by a conservative group in Tampa, Florida, prompting outrage.

Video footage shows a small group gathered outside the convention centre where the Turning Point USA conference was being held, featuring speakers including the former US President, Donald Trump, and the current Florida Governor, Ron Desantis.

The group can be seen apparently brandishing flags and signs with neo-Nazi imagery, including Nazi flags and flags with the insignia of the SS Nazi paramilitary organisation.

Following the events in Tampa, Turning Point USA released a statement denying any connection between the protestors and the conference.

In a statement, the Chairman of the Florida Holocaust Museum, Mike Igel, said that “This isn’t about politics or religion. It’s about humanity. The Florida Holocaust Museum calls upon everyone, Jew and non-Jew, regardless of political affiliation, to condemn this blatant antisemitism in the strongest possible terms. This should matter to everyone.”

Florida Senator Rick Scott, tweeted: “This is a disgusting act of hateful antisemitism and doesn’t belong in Florida, our nation or anywhere across the world. We stand with our Jewish community and against this hate. It must end.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Tampa students hold art exhibition in response to recent antisemitism surge

School students in Tampa, Florida, have organised an exhibition to raise awareness about antisemitism as a response to the area’s recent influx of anti-Jewish hatred.

The exhibition, entitled “Shine a Light”, was set up by the Tampa Jewish Community Centres and Federation, a month after three Tampa neighbourhoods were outraged by the appearance of antisemitic flyers, a problem that has been noted in several different cities across the United States.

Students studying in grades four to twelve were invited to submit works, accompanied by a description of their piece in writing, for the competition.

Those selected were chosen not only on the traditional basis of artistic expression, originality, and stylistic creativity, but how well they conveyed a message about fighting antisemitism and the emotional depth with which they did so.

One of the honorary judges, Mayor Jane Castor, said that “We need to remember lessons from history. Even in 2022, synagogues, Jewish cemeteries and Jewish people have been attacked. Community projects like ‘Shine a Light’ help in raising awareness about the human cost of antisemitism.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Bestselling author Stephen King calls Ukrainian Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera a “great man” during prank call

The bestselling author, Stephen King, has come under fire for appearing to praise the antisemitic Second World War-era Ukrainian nationalist leader and Nazi collaborator, Stepan Bandera, who played a key role in creating the conditions that made the Holocaust possible.

This came during a phone call with someone whom Mr King believed was current Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy.

During what turned out to be a prank call organised by the Russian comedy duo, Vovan and Lexus, Mr King, who is a vocal supporter of Ukraine, appeared to call Bandera a “great man”.

Mr King compared the “flaws” of American leaders George Washington and Thomas Jefferson with Bandera’s, saying that “On the whole, I think Bandera is a great man, and you’re a great man, and Viva Ukraine.”

The duo also encouraged Mr King to offer “Zelenskyy” a role in a new film of one of Mr King’s novels, and to comment on Ukraine’s Azov Batallion, which is known to have members with neo-Nazi sympathies.

As head of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists, Stepan Bandera was responsible for drafting the Party’s “Minority Policy”, which included a line about how “Jews are to be isolated, removed from governmental positions in order to prevent sabotage…Those who are deemed necessary may only work under strict supervision and removed from their positions for slightest misconduct…Jewish assimilation is not possible.” 

During Nazi Germany’s attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941, Bandera declared that Ukraine was henceforth an independent state led by Adolf Hitler. After Bandera wrote a proclamation that included the words “Glory to the heroic German army and its Führer, Adolf Hitler”, a series of attacks broke out against and Jews and Poles.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the world.

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California National Guard head to retire after antisemitism allegations and other scandals

The head of the California National Guard will retire at the end of July, after the organisation has been rocked by a number of scandals over the last few years, including allegations of antisemitism.

Major General David Baldwin, has led the Guard, which is a branch of the California Military Department, since 2011 but was installed in his current position in 2019.

Following a number of other public scandals, it has been reported that officers in the Guard have made allegedly antisemitic remarks to their subordinates during Maj. Gen. Baldwin’s tenure.

Brigadier General David Hawkins has been accused of antisemitic slurs on a number occasions, including, according to the LA Times, openly claiming that Jews are “unrepentant sinners”.

In another instance, a captain reportedly asked a Jewish soldier if cigar ashes were his “relatives”, presumably a reference to the practice of cremating the bodies of murdered victims in Nazi death camps.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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California State University renames building originally dedicated to librarian who had “violent and almost uncontrollable phobia” of Jews

A California university has decided to rename a library building named after a former librarian who held antisemitic and pro-Nazi views.

The Board of Trustees at the California State University in Fresno voted to remove the name of the long-serving former librarian, Henry Miller Madden, based on statements found in his personal papers.

Upon visiting New York City in 1934, Mr Madden wrote in a letter to his mother that “I spent a good twenty minutes walking, looking all the time for an honest gentile face, and I don’t think I saw one. And such Jews! Noisy, dirty, smelly, ugly – Jews such as you have never seen before, absolutely different from S.F. Jews.”

In a letter to a friend, Mr Madden wrote: “The Jews: I am developing a violent and almost uncontrollable phobia against them. Whenever I see one of those predatory noses, or those roving and leering eyes, or those slobbering lips, or those flat feet, or those nasal and whiny voices I tremble with rage and hatred.”

On another occasion, Mr Madden wrote of his fantasies about driving Jews “barefoot to some remote spot in Texas” to camps “closed in by electrically charged barbed wire.”

The University President, Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, said that a task force looked into the 53 boxes of material that Madden donated to the library in 1980 with the aim of looking at “the trajectory of his thoughts, whether later in life he had come to some sort of reckoning and displayed remorse or regret over the views that he held in his 20s or 30s. What we found is that there was really no evidence that he renounced the views at all.”

A University Media Professor, Bradley Hart, who conducted research into Henry Miller Madden for his book Hitler’s American Friends, wrote that “This is a great moment for Fresno State. Today we have rectified a historic wrong.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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49 percent of Telegram posts about the Holocaust deny or distort the events, according to new report

According to a new study, about half of all references to the Holocaust on the encrypted messaging service, Telegram, either distort the facts about the genocide of the Jewish people, or deny that it happened at all.

The research, which was carried out by UNESCO, the United Nations Department for Global Communications, and the World Jewish Congress, looked at more than 4,000 posts about the Holocaust on various social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.

Holocaust denial rejects the idea that the Nazis committed genocide against the Jews during the Holocaust. Holocaust distortion frequently involves comparisons between the Holocaust and other, often unrelated, situations or events – such as various issues to do with both capitalist economic systems and communist systems of government, as well as various governments’ policies towards dealing with the coronavirus pandemic – in such a way that it makes the Holocaust seem less significant than it really was or diminishes the horror of it. Sometimes the Holocaust can even be celebrated or glorified in this way.

The authors of the report found the greatest prevalence of Holocaust denial and Holocaust distortion on Telegram, amounting to 49 percent of all Holocaust-related posts. This compared to nineteen percent of Twitter posts, seventeen percent on TikTok, eight percent on Facebook, and three percent on Instagram. On Telegram 80 percent of the posts in German either denied or distorted the Holocaust.

The report says that “The biggest defence against the dangers of Holocaust denial and distortion is to advance historial liceracy informed education about the history of the Holocaust within school curricula and education systems.”

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, said that “Understanding the history of the Holocaust is crucial to safeguarding our future. If we fail to identify and confront the lies and inhumanity that fueled past atrocities, we are ill-prepared to prevent them in the future.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism worldwide.

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Oklahoma Republican state senate candidate says he is “not beholden to Jews” and openly supports Kalergi Plan conspiracy theory

It has been reported that a State Senate candidate for the Republican Party in Oklahoma has produced a series of video recordings and media posts containing inflammatory remarks about Jews.

Jarrin Jackson, who is to contest a runoff election against fellow Republican, Ally Seifried, in Oklahoma’s Senate District 2 in August, has stated that he is “not beholden to Jews,” that “the Jews” serve as evidence that “evil exists”, and that he “largely” believes in the conspiracy theory known as the Kalergi Plan, which alleges that Jews are “taking over the world” by encouraging immigration, as well as marriage and sexual relationships between members of different races.

Mr Jackson has said that “Zionism, Jews taking over the world, the Rothschilds, the Kalergi Plan, the ‘white replacement theology’ or ‘white replacement theory’? I largely agree that all of those things are happening.”

The candidate also said: “I’m not stupid enough or I’m not so arrogant that I can’t acknowledge an idea and look at it and examine it without embracing it. One thing I do agree with is the Kalergi Plan is I think it’s real. I think that there are people who think evilly who actually think that they want to get rid of white people. Why do I say that? Because I think it’s well evidenced.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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More flyers found in Florida and Kansas blaming Jews for coronavirus

Flyers have been left in driveways in Clermont, Florida, and doorsteps in Wichita, Kansas, both of which make inflammatory allegations about Jews.

The Florida flyers were delivered in plastic bags weighed down with rocks and reportedly feature Nazi symbolism, including the Wolfsangel, which was used by various Wehrmacht and SS units fighting for the Nazis during the Second World War, and the Doppelete Sigrune, the logo of the SS.

The Wichita flyers were found in plastic bags, weighted down with sand.

Rabbi Michael Davis, of the Wichita-based Congregation Emanu-El, said that the flyers “[blame] Jews for COVID and for anti-COVID activities, as well as some of the nonsense about paedophilia. The problem is that these conspiracy theories often times lead to violence and that is what is concerning.”

These are just the latest incidents in a string of similar reports in recent months. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Antisemitic flyers found outside homes in Florida

Antisemitic flyers have been discovered outside homes across Florida. 

The flyers, which have been found inside ziplock bags with corn, were said by one local to contain “a lot of hate about Jewish people,” and referenced gun control and immigration. They were found outside homes in Jacksonville, Coral Gables, Orlando and Miami. 

It is believed that the flyers were produced by the Goyim Defense League (GDL), whose members were seen last month driving around Los Angeles dressed as Nazis harassing members of the public.

The GDL has been described as an antisemitic hate group whose membership reportedly contains several neo-Nazis and is understood to be led by Jon Minadeo II. The group is divided into regional branches and regularly distributes antisemitic flyers across the United States.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

Image credit: Rabbi Efrem Goldberg

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White supremacist group Patriot Front marches through downtown Boston

Approximately 100 members of a white supremacist group marched through downtown Boston over the weekend.

Those involved belonged to the organisation Patriot Front, a national white supremacist group that is said to be responsible for 82% of the propaganda incidents in the whole of the United States. Reportedly, members of the group must meet a distribution quota to remain within the group.

The white supremacist group marched through Boston wearing uniforms and face marks, drumming military-style tattoos, and carrying shields and flags. Some of the flags displayed Mussolini-era fascist symbols, while others were American flags with thirteen stars to represent the original thirteen colonies of the United States.

The marchers arrived in the area at around 12.30, unloaded their paraphernalia from a rented truck, and stayed in the area for around an hour before leaving on public transport.

Patriot Front’s leader, Thomas Rousseau, is known to have led another group, Vanguard America, which were involved with the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017.

The Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, said that “The disgusting, hateful actions and words of white supremacist groups are not welcome in this city. Especially in a moment when so many of our rights are under attack, we will not normalise intimidation by bigots.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Fort Lauderdale home vandalised with swastika graffiti and references to Ukraine’s Azov battalion

A home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been vandalised with swastika graffiti.

The perpetrators sprayed the swastikas on a garage door which had a Ukrainian flag with the words “I stand with Ukraine” on it.

Also sprayed on the door was the word “Azov”, a reference to the Ukrainian military battalion that is known to have harboured members with far-right sympathies in its ranks, and the Azov symbol.

This graffiti alludes to Russian Government propaganda that erroneously describes the Government of Ukraine – which has several members who have a Jewish background and ancestry – as being full of “Nazis” and that the country supposedly requires “denazification”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Staff member fired from private college after antisemitic hate and swastikas

A member of staff at a private Massachusetts college campus has been dismissed following an investigation into antisemitic graffiti and racist vandalism.

The vandalism at Curry College included swastikas, antisemitic graffiti and messages threatening black students.

Graffiti was found in residence halls and athletic facilities around campus. On International Holocaust Remembrance Day in January, a laundry room in a residential hall was defaced with swastikas and what the college called “discriminatory and hateful language.”

According to a message to the campus community from school President Kenneth Quigley, the vandalism appeared to be the work of one person.

Following earlier incidents, the private school in Milton, just south of Boston, contacted the FBI and local police. Mr Quigley said that evidence gathered by law enforcement was used as the basis of an internal investigation which had “resulted in an employee being terminated and removed from our community.”

He added that the College regretted the impact of “these bias acts” on “students, families, faculty and staff throughout the spring semester.”

According to the FBI, over 60 percent of hate crimes against a religious minority are motivated by antisemitism. Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on antisemitic incidents throughout the United States.

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Residents of Portsmouth, New Hampshire alarmed by white supremacist flyers

Residents of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, have expressed their alarm after finding flyers on their lawns produced by a white supremacist group known for their inflammatory statements about Jews.

The flyers apparently bear labels naming a New England based group associated with the Nationalist Social Club as those responsible.

Though confined to small, self-organising chapters mostly inside the United States, the Nationalist Social Club is known for spreading white supremacism. The group maintains an overtly military theme, with its members regarding themselves as combatants against a “Jewish-controlled” social and political system that aims at “white genocide”.

Members of the group marched through Boston during a recent St Patrick’s Day parade wearing items featuring neo-Nazi symbolism.

Sergeant Nick Small from the Portsmouth Police said: “I understand [the flyers] are unnerving people, but right now we are just telling people to throw them away.”

Portsmouth resident Kelly Weinstein, who is Jewish, said that “I fear these groups are upping the ante. I would like to think they are just trying to recruit members, but part of me thinks this is not a random distribution.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Statistics show California antisemitic hate crimes highest in a decade

A report has shown that antisemitic hate crimes in California have reached their highest level in a decade.

According to data compiled by the Office of the California Attorney General, Rob Bonta, there were 152 antisemitic incidents in 2021, marking an increase of 32.2 percent on the year before.

Incidents included the words “death to Israel” graffitied outside a Chabad preschool, and graffiti on a Jewish-owned cafe in St Francisco’s Mission District that said “Zionist pigz” and “Racist pigz”. 

Mr Bonta said: “Today’s report undeniably shows that the epidemic of hate we saw spurred on during the pandemic remains a clear and present threat. In fact, reported hate crime has reached a level we haven’t seen in California since the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11th”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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United States’ Presbyterian Church passes resolution comparing Israel to Nazis

A Christian group in the United States has used its General Assembly to pass a resolution that compares Israel with Nazis.

The Presbyterian Church of the United States of America, which is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States with nearly nine thousand congregations and almost two million members, made comparisons between Israel and the Nazis when it voted overwhelmingly to accuse Israel of apartheid.

In its resolution, the Church said: “After World War II when the horror of the Nazi Holocaust was revealed, Jews around the world said ‘never again, Christians too vowed that never again would they be silent if a government passed laws establishing and maintaining the domination by one ethnic group over another ethnic group through systematic separation, oppression and denial of basic human rights.

“Silence in the face of evil was wrong then, and it is wrong now.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.

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Far-right leader Nick Fuentes says Jews should not be allowed in politics

A far-right leader and media personality with a large online following has used his platform to argue that Jews should not be allowed in politics.

Nick Fuentes, the founder of the America First Political Action Committee, which has been described as a gathering of “overt and public white nationalists”, and who also leads the Groyper Army of far-right internet trolls, made the claims on his website’s livestream. 

The thrust of Mr Fuentes’ claims is that there is a malign Jewish influence on American politics. At one point, Mr Fuentes said that “Jewish people can be here [in America], but they can’t make our laws” and should not be allowed to hold public office.

This is because, Mr Fuentes said, “We need a government of Christians. We need a conservative movement, a nationalist movement, led by Christians that obey the Bible and obey God and serve Jesus Christ…You’re never going to convince me that we need people in government that don’t serve Jesus Christ, the Son of God [i.e. Jewish people].”

Mr Fuentes also said: “If Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Jewish woman, didn’t die last year, so that Amy Coney Barrett, a Catholic woman, could be appointed to the bench, we would still have Roe v. Wade. Now you tell me that this is a Judeo-Christian country…You tell me that it doesn’t matter that we have a lot of Jewish people in government.”

Video footage appears to show Mr Fuentes denying the Holocaust and he has often been accused of using antisemitic language and tropes.

According to the FBI, over 60 percent of hate crimes against a religious minority are motivated by antisemitism. Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on antisemitic incidents throughout the United States.

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Jewish congressman’s campaign signs graffitied with swastika and death threats

Campaign signs supporting the candidacy of a Congressman and Republican gubernatorial candidate have been vandalised with swastikas and death threats.

Rep. Lee Zeldin, who is Jewish and would become the first Jewish Republican Governor of New York if elected, is running a campaign featuring campaign signs that read “Zeldin for New York”.

These signs have been targeted by vandals, which have been graffitied with swastikas and the number 187, a possible reference to the California Penal Code’s definition of murder, which is often used as a death threat.

Rep. Zeldin said in a statement: “In the United States, we settle our scores at the ballot box, and this type of raw hate must never have a home on Long Island or anywhere else in our state and country.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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Colorado activist accused over controversial tweets

Colorado Democrat congressional candidate Elisabeth Epps has been accused of posting a series of antisemitic tweets.

One tweet referenced a State of the Union address by then-President Barack Obama in which he told the story of an American couple named Rebecca and Benjamin who, in his story, were facing economic difficulties.

Ms Epps wrote, “Rebecca and Benjamin. Hmmm,” likely alluding to their common Jewish names, before saying that this reference was an instance of President Obama “reminding you that Israel is constituent number one.”

Th organisation Stop Antisemitism said that other comments made by Ms Epps in social media posts reflected the idea of “Jewish power and control” seen in White supremacist rhetoric. In another tweet she allegedly wrote: “I want to be a Jewish lawyer billionaire pro-sports team owner when I grow up.”

In an advert placed in a Colorado Jewish newspaper by opponents of Ms Epps, it was claimed that in social media posts she had used the phrase “From the river to the sea”. The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism.

In a statement on her website, Ms Epps claimed that “as a Black and queer woman” she stands with all oppressed people, “always have and always will.” 

Her statement included tweets highlighting her support for Jewish communities. Following the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, she wrote that, while she didn’t yet know “how to support the Jewish community,” she would “find out. That is our work, not yours. We love you.” 

According to the FBI, over 60 percent of hate crimes against a religious minority are motivated by antisemitism. Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on antisemitic incidents throughout the United States.

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Boston City Councillor deletes inflammatory “Zionists” tweet without apology

A member of Boston’s city council representing the Democratic Socialists of America posted, and subsequently deleted, an inflammatory social media post referring to “Zionists”.

Councillor Kendra Lara posted a tweet stating that “Y’all are letting the Zionists SHAKE YOU DOWN”. 

Cllr Lara deleted the post after she was criticised by Jewish groups and explained in a series of further tweets that she was responding to an Arkansas court case that forced contractors to sign a statement promising not to boycott Israel. 

Cllr Lara said that she “should’ve known better” at a time “when we’re seeing alarming rates of violence against Jewish people,” but she did not formally apologise.

However, the Councillor also stated that “conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism will ultimately prevent us from being in true solidarity with both Jewish people and Palestinians”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on news and incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

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“The Jewish Factor, it’s money”: Biden Administration nominee as ambassador to Brazil under fire for inflammatory comments

The Biden Administration’s nominee for the role of US Ambassador to Brazil is under fire for reported past comments about Jewish people.

Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, a career diplomat and Democratic Party figure, is due to have her nomination advanced next week, but her prospects are now in question following the revelation of past comments.

In a 1998 interview, Ms Bagley reportedly lamented “the influence of the Jewish lobby because there is major money involved.” She continued: “the Democrats always tend to go with the Jewish constituency on Israel and say stupid things, like moving the capital to Jerusalem always comes up.” Support for these issues is, she is reported as having said, due to “the Jewish factor, it’s money.”

The interview was apparently conducted by a historian at the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training during the period of the Clinton Administration, under which Ms Bagley served as the US Ambassador to Portugal.

The revelation has prompted bipartisan concern at her suitability for the post.

Questioned about these remarks in her Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in May, Ms Bagley that they were the result of a “free-flowing discussion” with the interviewer. Accused by one Jewish Democratic Senator of using a “choice of words was fit into the traditional tropes of anti-Semitism,” Ms Bagley responded: “I regret that you would think that it was a problem,” adding: “I certainly didn’t mean anything by it. It was a poor choice of words, but it was something that the interviewer had asked me, prompted by something about politics.” She insisted that she was “very sorry about that choice of words,” and that she holds no animosity toward Jewish people.

According to the FBI, over 60 percent of hate crimes against a religious minority are motivated by antisemitism. Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on antisemitic incidents throughout the United States.

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Cleveland “Officer of the Year” found to have posted inflammatory content about Jews prior to joining police force

A police officer from Cleveland, Ohio, who won an “Officer of the Year” award in 2019, as well as a medal for his service, is apparently being investigated for posting tweets with inflammatory comments about Jewish people prior to his employment by the force.

It is alleged that, between 2011 and 2015, Ismail Quran shared a post that said “Let me salute to Hitler the great,”and tweeted that “Jews run the world lol Facts!” Our owner is Jew [sic],” and “F**k the @ Jews #freepalestine”.

Mr Quran has reportedly been given desk duty and is currently having no contact with the public.

The Cleveland Division of Police Union President, Jeff Follmer, defended Mr Quran, saying: “These tweets are from over a decade ago. He is an amazing police officer…He is an asset to the Cleveland community that he serves.”

The watchdog that initially made Mr Quran’s posts public, Canary Mission, said in a press release: “While we are aware that the dates of Quran’s posts are a few years old, the extreme nature of these hateful posts after he begun his police training, and the fact he is an active police officer is very alarming. They were posted after he had already taken an exam required to become a police officer. As in, he already knew he wanted to become a policeman. Quran was still tweeting things like ‘Scumbag Yahoodi [Jew]’.”

According to the FBI, over 60 percent of hate crimes against a religious minority are motivated by antisemitism. Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on antisemitic incidents throughout the United States.

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Monsey synagogue vandalised with swastikas

Police in Monsey, New York, say that they have found several instances of swastika graffiti in a local synagogue.

The swastikas were found at Sanzer Shul drawn behind a coat rack, under a metal counter where coffee is made, drawn on the wall and scratched into a computer screen.

Police have said that they do not know when the act was committed, and the investigation is ongoing.

The heavily-Jewish town of Monsey has not been free from antisemitic incidents in the past. On 28th December 2019, on the seventh night of the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, a masked man wielding a knife wounded five and killed one person. The suspect was named as Grafton E. Thomas, but a federal judge ruled that he was incompetent to stand trial on the federal charges on account of his long history of mental illness, including paranoid schizophrenia.

According to the FBI, over 60 percent of hate crimes against a religious minority are motivated by antisemitism. Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on antisemitic incidents throughout the United States.

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Jewish father sues exclusive Los Angeles school for anti-Jewish discrimination

The Jewish father of a student at the exclusive Brentwood School in West Los Angeles has filed a lawsuit against the school, which his daughter attends, for promoting discrimination against Jews in the name of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Jerome Eisenberg filed the complaint claiming breach of contract, violation of the state of California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act which prevents businesses from discrimination based on religion as well as other factors, and for intentionally inflicting emotional distress.

Mr Eisenberg’s complaint includes the allegation that the school’s Office of Equity and Inclusion prevented Jewish parents from creating a Jewish affinity group between parents and students, something which was available to all other minority groups.

Mr Eisenberg alleges that his daughter was asked not to return to the school to begin the ninth grade after he had raised his concerns about this and other issues.

In response, the Brentwood School released a statement which said that “The allegations contained in the complaint are baseless, a work of whole fiction and nothing more than a desperate attempt to embarrass the school.”

It is estimated that about 40 percent of the school’s student population is Jewish, while 49 percent of the pupils from kindergarten to twelfth grade are students of colour, according to its website.

Image: Google

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New Jersey town forced to pay nearly $200,000 after being found guilty of discriminating against Orthodox Jews

Jackson Township, New Jersey, has settled a lawsuit after officials in the town used zoning codes to ensure that Orthodox Jews could not settle there, forcing many to leave and stopping others from moving in.

This issue dates back to 2015 when some Jackson Township residents objected to Orthodox Jews living near them. One resident took to social media to say that “We need to get rid of them like Hitler did,” while another said that Jews were “filthy f**king cockroaches”.

Later, the local councils passed laws to ensure that private schools were limited to just three areas, preventing the construction of dormitories, and making sure that no new yeshivas (Jewish religious schools), sukkahs (temporary structures built during the festival of Sukkot), or eruvim (boundaries that allow some activities during the Jewish sabbath) could be established.

Following the lawsuit that was filed by the federal Department of Justice, Jackson Township now has to pay a $45,000 fine for its policies, which will be reviewed directly by the Justice Department for three years to ensure any changes to the zoning code are made known to the government, and $150,000 compensation to the victims, while ensuring it complies with all relevant laws associated with fairness in housing distribution and religious land use.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Protester faces hate crime charges for allegedly throwing rocks at Jewish students

A Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) protester is facing hate crime charges for allegedly assaulting Jewish students.

The incident was said to have taken place at the Hillel Centre at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.

Sayed A. Quraishi, 23, will be charged with violent hate crime for reportedly throwing rocks at the students during the SJP protest at the campus on 18th April.

Protesters said that they were responding to the actions of the Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem a few days earlier.

Mr Quraishi faces a penalty of up to five years in prison.

According to the University’s campus police team, about 75 protestors gathered outside the Hillel centre and gave speeches, while Jewish students and Hillel staff staged a counter-protest nearby.

It is reported that there is video footage of Mr Qaraishi throwing a stone at the counter-protestors.

The Hillel’s Executive Director, Erez Cohen, said that “When people come to the Jewish centre to yell against Israel, they’re creating an equation between any Jewish person and the State of Israel. That’s singling out an entire community based on a country that’s miles away.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the State of Israel” is an example of antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Assistant Police Chief who displayed Nazi insignia and performed Nazi salute gets reported $1.5 million payout to resign

A former Assistant Police Chief in Kent, Washington, who faced disciplinary measures for displaying Nazi symbols on his door and making jokes about the Holocaust, will receive a $1.5 million payout by the local authority to ensure his resignation.

Derek Kammerzell had posted the insignia of an Obergruppenführer (a senior ranking Nazi SS Officer) on his office door. A complaint was made about this, and the investigation into his conduct that followed found that Mr Kammerzell had also shaved his facial hair into a moustache resembling that of Adolf Hitler, performed what was reportedly a Nazi salute, and made jokes about the Holocaust.

Mr Kammerzell’s original penalty was a two-week suspension without pay.

Following a backlash against the weakness of the sanction, Mr Kammerzell was put on administrative leave and asked to resign.

The city was, however, unable to fire him because this would violate the principle of “double jeopardy”. If Mr Kammerzell resigned, the city would have had to have made a substantial payout. Although it was reported that Mr Kammerzell originally asked for over $3 million, in the end he received around half that amount.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the City of Kent said: “While this is a substantial sum, we strongly believe that settling this matter will be a substantial step towards meeting our commitment to the community and continuing with the excellent work the police department is doing.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Former CIA agent accused of leaks ‘drew swastikas’ at high school

A profile published in The New Yorker magazine claims that Joshua Schulte, the former CIA agent accused of the largest leak in the agency’s history, drew swastikas while at high school.

According to the article, Mr Schulte allegedly drew swastikas on the yearbook of a Jewish student “on at least one occasion.”

The profile’s author, Patrick Radden Keefe, quotes school friends of Mr Schulte who allege that the former CIA agent drew swastikas “all over the place.”

In the article, Kavi Patel claimed that Mr Schulte was not antisemitic but liked provoking people and that he recalled Mr Schulte saying: “It’s fun to see the shock on people’s faces.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project. 

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Maryland train station hit by ‘hateful’ antisemitic vandalism

“Hateful, antisemitic vandalism” has hit the Maryland area in recent weeks.

In the latest incident, a swastika and antisemitic graffiti were spray-painted at a disused, historic, train station in Garrett Park.

One week earlier, similar messages and fliers were posted at a bus stop next to a synagogue in nearby Silver Spring.

Images tweeted by the Jewish Federation showed swastikas with words such as “White power.”

Gil Preuss, Chief Executive of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, said in a news release that “as antisemitism continues to rise” across the United States, the Federation and the Jewish community would “stand strong and resilient in the face of hatred in all forms.”

He added that the Federation continued to work with its “security team” and local police to monitor incidents and “keep our community safe.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project. 

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Swastika graffiti found at Illinois middle school

Swastika graffiti has been found at a school in the Evanston and Skokie 65 school district in Illinois.

A staff member at Nichols Middle School discovered the swastikas, alongside other undisclosed racist messages, written on stalls in two bathrooms.

The bathrooms in question were then closed and Evanston Police Department was contacted to help with the investigation.

Superintendent Devon Horton said: “We are reminded once again that antisemitism, racism and white supremacy are alive and well within our community.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Staten Island teenager arrested for allegedly attacking visibly Jewish man in Brooklyn

An 18-year-old from Port Richmond, Staten Island, has been arrested for assaulting a visibly Jewish man, it has been reported.

The attack was allegedly carried out by Logan Jones, in addition to five others, on 1st April at around 20:00.

Mr Jones faces assault and hate crime charges after the 21-year-old man was reportedly walking to his local synagogue to attend a Sabbath service with his wife. The victim was said to be wearing traditional Hasidic clothing at the time.

Mr Jones is alleged to be one of six people who took part in the assault, reportedly punching the victim in the face before two others began kicking him.

The victim reportedly tried to avoid the attack by sliding underneath a parked truck, and suffered head injuries, a cheek abrasion, and bruising to his face and mouth.

Mr Jones has been charged with third-degree assault as a hate crime, third-degree assault, third-degree menacing as a hate crime, third-degree menacing, third-degree attempted assault as a hate crime, third-degree attempted assault, and second-degree harassment.

His bail was set at $30,000 and he was ordered to return to court on 24th June.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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“6 million kikes? Is that a challenge? We wish!”: neo-Nazi flyers found at a bus stop opposite a synagogue in the Greater Washington Area

Jewish community leaders in the Greater Washington area have expressed their shock and outrage after flyers with swastikas on them and references to the Holocaust were posted at a bus stop opposite a synagogue.

One flyer features a swastika in the centre of the page and the words “Love Your Race” above it and a link to the neo-Nazi website, American Futurist. 

The other shows a skeleton whose skull resembles the Totenkopf (“Death’s Head”) insignia found on Nazi SS uniforms, which the skeleton is itself wearing. The headline to this flyer reads “6 million kikes?”, and the skeleton is replying with a speech bubble and the words “Is that a challenge?” followed by a swastika. Beneath this are the words “We wish!” followed by a link to the neo-Nazi website Aryan Freedom Network.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington tweeted: “We are deeply disturbed by the appearance of a swastika in the Kemp Mill neighbourhood of Silver Spring, MD, a centre of Montgomery County’s Orthodox Jewish community. This antisemitic and hateful symbol has no place in our society.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Tennessee applies International Definition of Antisemitism in law

The State of Tennessee has applied the International Definition of Antisemitism in law.

Governor Bill Lee signed bill HB 2673 into law, including a provision that prohibits the teaching of “antisemitic concepts”, empowering schools to use the Definition in cases of alleged antisemitism by students.

Though the records show that Jews had settled in Tennessee as early as the late 18th century, Jewish immigration to the state increased from the 1820s to the 1840s.

According to a 2020 survey, the Jewish population of Tennessee was 22,800, making up 0.3% of a total population of nearly seven million.

Campaign Against Antisemitism applauds Tennessee’s decision, which demonstrates the State’s solidarity with the Jewish community at this worrying time for Jews in around the world.

Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street. Tennessee joins a growing list of national and local governments and public bodies to use the Definition.

Image credit: Brent Moore

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Capitol rioter who made antisemitic slurs found guilty

A white supremacist and Nazi sympathiser who reportedly carried a photograph of himself with a “Hitler moustache” and haircut, has been convicted in a Washington D.C. federal court for his part in the Capitol riots of 6th January 2020.

Timothy Hale-Cusanelli worked at a naval weapons station in New Jersey and served as an Army reservist before his arrest for storming the Capitol. He was caught on camera shouting profanities at police.

Evidence included text messages sent by Mr Hale-Cusanelli allegedly containing antisemitic, racist and homophobic slurs, and suggestions of how the 2020 election results could be overturned.

Jurors also saw a video of him appearing to attempt to wave other rioters inside the Capitol through a skylight and heard a post-riot conversation secretly recorded by a roommate at the naval base, who reported him to the Naval Criminal Investigation Service.

His mobile phone reportedly held photos of him with a Hitler-style moustache and haircut, but Judge Trevor McFadden barred prosecutors from using the photos as evidence.

Mr Hale-Cusanelli, who identifies as “half-Jewish and half-Puerto Rican”, was described by his lawyer as someone who made “extreme statements to get attention.”

One juror told a local TV channel hat he was troubled by Mr Hale-Cusanelli’s use of antisemitic slurs, given his testimony that he was “half-Jewish”.

Mr Hale-Cusanelli is due for sentencing in September.

According to the FBI, over 60 percent of hate crimes against a religious minority are motivated by antisemitism. Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on antisemitic incidents throughout the United States.

image credit: United States Department of Justice

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Swastikas discovered scratched into Los Angeles synagogue

Synagogue officials say that they have discovered a number of swastikas carved into the windows of IKAR Synagogue in Los Angeles.

A joint statement released by Chief Executive Melissa Balaban, Chair Ethan Goldstine and Vice Chair Michelle Rosenthal, suggested that the incident took place the night of 26th May or the morning of 27th May, and expressed their distress about the attack, although they also said that they were unsurprised.

The statement said: “Fortunately no one was present or physically harmed. We have alerted the relevant authorities and we are taking all measures to keep our staff and community safe, including reviewing security footage to see if we can get further insight into the attack, and revisiting our security protocols for all locations where IKARites meet, work, and learn.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Leaflets with derogatory comments about Jews left on cars at Florida malls

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Florida is investigating two incidents in two separate shopping centres in the county.

Shoppers at the Coconut Point and Miromar Outlets malls were targeted. Leaflets featuring derogatory material about Jews, including accusations about the “Jewish media monopoly”, and featuring the antisemitic “smirking merchant” graphic, were left on shoppers’ cars.

This comes after two teenagers in nearby Bonita Springs vandalised the home of a rabbi in March. Seventeen-year-old Tucker Bachman and fourteen-year-old Case Leckbee were found guilty of criminal mischief when they defaced Rabbi Mendy Greenberg’s home. The pair were sentenced to community service and a curfew and were obliged to attend a Neighbourhood Accountability Board at which Rabbi Greenberg was present.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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“Resist Jewish Power”: United States Supreme Court refuses to hear two separate cases regarding protests outside synagogue

The United States Supreme Court is reportedly refusing to hear two separate requests to take up a lawsuit against a group of protesters who regularly appear outside of a synagogue Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The protestors, who have conducted weekly rallies outside of the building since 2003, are alleged to be holding signs with inflammatory slogans, including “Jewish Power Corrupts” and “Resist Jewish Power”.

The plaintiffs belong to two separate congregations – the Beth Israel Congregation and the Pardes Hannah Congregation – whose services are both held in the same synagogue, with one of the complainants being a Holocaust survivor.

The result of the declined requests is that all remaining legal options against the demonstrations are seemingly now unavailable. The petitions argued that, because the protests were held outside a Jewish place of worship, the Jewish congregants’ First Amendment rights to freely exercise their religion were being violated.

After much legal debate, an earlier version of the case was dismissed by lower courts on First Amendment grounds. This led the presiding judge to order the plaintiffs to pay the protestors’ legal fees. However, earlier this year, the Ann Arbor City Council published a formal resolution condemning the protests and calling them antisemitic.

Attorney Nathan Lewin, who is Jewish, said that “I am shocked and dismayed that the Supreme Court and the court of appeals view antisemitic picketing timed and designed to harass and intimidate only when they come to pray – clearly protected by the First Amendment’s Religion Clause – as free speech that may not be curtailed.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Police in Piedmont, California, investigate swastika and “Hitler” graffiti at local high school

Police in Piedmont, California, have released a statement saying that the Piedmont High School campus has been graffitied with antisemitic material.

Neither the school nor the police have released pictures of the markings, but the school district said that the school gym was vandalised with a swastika and the word “Hitler”, both written in chalk.

The Piedmont Police Department said that it is working closely with the school to investigate the graffiti.

California’s “terrorising threats” statutes hold that drawing a swastika on private property and various kinds of public places, including schools, is a hate crime that can be punished by a custodial sentence and a fine.

The Piedmont Unified School District Superintendent, Randall Booker, said that “Eliminating antisemitism and its long history of hate and persecution is a collective effort.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Graffiti containing antisemitic slurs and references to gas chambers found in Yorktown, New York

Residents of Yorktown, New York, have expressed their concern after graffiti containing antisemitic slurs was found under a bridge.

The graffiti, found under the Northbound Bridge where the Taconic Parkway passes over the Croton Reservoir, is reported to have contained the word “Kike” and references to killing Jews in gas chambers.

The slurs were, however, quickly covered up with black paint by police.

In a statement, Yorktown Town Supervisor Matt Slater said: “We will not let this disgusting and ignorant language define us. Hate has no home here and we will continue to stamp it out whenever it raises its wicked head.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This grotesque graffiti, revelling in the Nazi genocide of millions of Jewish people, is a reminder to us all that antisemitic hatred endures. Everyone has a responsibility to be vigilant and combat anti-Jewish racism whenever it arises. We applaud the police for quickly covering up the inciting language, and trust that they will undertake a thorough investigation to identify the culprits and bring them to justice.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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San Diego Community College District cancels investiture featuring author who implied Jews are paedophiles and wrote “are Goyim meant to be slaves of Jews?”

San Diego Community College District has cancelled an investiture planned for 31st May that was meant to be held in honour of the new Chancellor, Carlos O. Cortez. The district announced the cancellation last week due to concerns about the presence of author Alice Walker at the event.

Ms Walker is best known for her novel The Colour Purple, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1983, but is also known to have made inflammatory comments about Jews. One example comes from her poem “To Study the Talmud”, which reads:

“Are Goyim (us) meant to be slaves of Jews, and not only
That, but to enjoy it?
Are three year old (and a day) girls eligible for marriage and intercourse?
Are young boys fair game for rape?
Must even the best of the Goyim (us, again) be killed?”

Ms Walker has also voiced her support for the antisemitic hate preacher David Icke, citing with approval his books Human Race Get off Your Knees: The Lion Sleeps No More, which states that the world is secretly run by shape-shifting reptilian humanoids and “Rothschild Zionists”, and And the Truth Shall Set You Free, which promotes the antisemitic conspiracy theories contained in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and questions whether the Holocaust happened.

The author reportedly described Mr Icke’s work as “a curious person’s dream come true” and denied that there was anything antisemitic or anti-Jewish about its content.

Mr Icke uses social media, his books and his stage performances to incite hatred. His preaching is so absurd that since the 1990s he has been dismissed as a crank, but because he is dismissed, there has been no major opposition to him and he has built up a following of thousands upon thousands of disciples whom he has persuaded to adamantly believe that the world is in the grip of a conspiracy run by the “Rothschild Zionists”. His repertoire includes conspiracy myths and tropes classified as antisemitic according to the International Definition of Antisemitism, adopted by the British Government. Campaign Against Antisemitism has successfully persuaded some venues to pull out of hosting his events.

After years of pressure from Campaign Against Antisemitism, Mr Icke was banned from most social media platforms.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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“Here comes Jew boy…we’re going to make you go extinct”: Goyim Defence League drive around Los Angeles dressed as Nazis

It has been reported that members of an antisemitic hate group dressed in Nazi regalia were seen harassing members of the public throughout Los Angeles this past weekend.

The group was reportedly caught on camera driving in a truck painted with the acronym “GDL”, which stands for Goyim Defence League. 

GDL leader and operator of the video-sharing site Goyim TV, Jon Minadeo II, is reported to have been filmed shouting “Here comes Jew boy” and “We’re going to make you go extinct” whilst dressed as an Orthodox Jew.

Despite Beverly Hills Police being called to the scene of the incident, there were reportedly no citations issued to any of the GDL members.

In addition to the antisemitic remarks and actions of the group, its truck was painted with white supremacist and antisemitic slogans and references to the “Great Replacement Theory”, an antisemitic far-right conspiracy theory that claims that Jews are secretly masterminding an invasion of non-white immigrants to western countries to make white people a minority in order to further their insidious agenda.

The Great Replacement Theory was allegedly a motivating ideological factor behind the killing of ten Black people shopping in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, on 14th May by a self-described “ethno-nationalist eco-fascist national socialist”.

The GDL has been described as an antisemitic hate group whose membership reportedly contains several neo-Nazis and is understood to be led by Jon Minadeo II. The group is divided into regional branches and regularly distributes antisemitic flyers across the United States. Last year, Mr Minadeo II created t-shirts carrying antisemitic slogans such as the Holocaust was “a hoax” and more recently, they hung a banner from a bridge in Austin, Texas that read “Vax the Jews”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Police investigation after swastika discovered at Kent State University

A swastika has been discovered painted on the front campus at Kent State University, Ohio. The University has said that it is unclear when the swastika was painted.

Both a campus Jewish organisation and the Portage County NAACP have condemned the graffiti. The University Police have taken the matter under investigation.

The University issued a statement saying that “in the aftermath of the massacre in Buffalo, New York, the graffiti serves as a reminder of the threat of extremism”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Mountaineer who called Jews “kikes” has his name stripped from prestigious climbing award

A former Harvard University philosophy professor and mountaineer who referred to Jews as “kikes” has had his name removed from a mountaineering award named in his honour.

Since his death in 1983, Robert L. M. Underhill had been honoured by the American Alpine Club (AAC), which gave out the annual Robert and Miriam Underhill Award in his memory.

However, following a complaint to the AAC’s Chief Executive filed by a Jewish climber, Brad Rassler, the AAC has decided to change the name of the award after being made aware of Underhill’s history of inflammatory comments about Jews. 

In one letter, Underhill told a friend that Jews were “kikes” who did not possess the physical and mental strength needed for mountaineering, and that they were trying to “invade” what should otherwise be a Jew-free sport.

Though the AAC does not question Underhill’s climbing abilities, which included first ascents in both Europe and the Americas, the AAC has announced that it is no longer appropriate to name the award after him.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues to act against instances of anti-Jewish racism in all sports.

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Maryland Jewish Community Centre evacuated after bomb threat

A bomb threat has forced the evacuation of the Jewish Community Centre in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Though the agency described the threat as “non-credible”, it comes at a time of heightened tensions, as similar threats have been made against Jewish Community Centres in Albany and Long Island, New York.

The Centre’s CEO, Barak Hermann, and Board Chair, Laura Rubenstein, wrote a joint statement to the community, which stated that “This past weekend our country again saw mass threats and killings at a supermarket in upstate New York, a flea market in Texas, and a church in California, to sadly just name a few. These tragic mass killings are rooted in hate and racism and resulted in innocent lives being lost and hurt and families and communities tragically impacted. The threat we and other JCCs have received are full of antisemitic language and causes frustration and anxiety.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on incidents relating to antisemitism throughout the United States.

Image credit: Google

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As Black Americans grieve, details emerge of terrorist’s conspiracy-fuelled hatred of Black and Jewish communities

While America mourns for the ten people killed and three injured, eleven of whom were Black, reportedly at the hands of self-described “ethno-nationalist eco-fascist national socialist” Payton Gendron on 14th May, many have turned their attention to the shooter’s 180-page-long manifesto.

The document details the alleged Buffalo supermarket killer’s interest in what is known as the “Great Replacement Theory”. This antisemitic far-right conspiracy theory claims that Jews are the secret masterminds behind a planned “invasion” of non-white immigrants into western countries with the aim of making white people a minority to further an insidious, but largely unclear, agenda.

The theory’s origins are said to date back to early-20th century France, but it was formalised and popularised more recently, by the writer Renaud Camus in his 2011 essay “Le Grand Remplacement” (“The Great Replacement”).

Over time, the theory was adopted by white supremacists who professed hatred for Jews and other non-whites, with one prominent example including those behind the August 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The theory has also influenced terrorist murderers like neo-Nazi terrorist Anders Breivik, Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue shooter Robert Bowers, and Christchurch mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant, from whose manifesto the alleged Buffalo shooter’s writings are reported to have borrowed heavily.

One Twitter user stated that Mr Gendron’s manifesto included a “scientific”-style chart distinguishing between different types of supposedly Jewish faces based on animals and mythical creatures, including hawks, trolls, goblins, demons, “nightmare” creatures and rats. It is illustrated with famous faces, including former Labour Party MP Luciana Berger, actor Ron Perlman, billionaire financier and activist George Soros, and philosopher Max Horkheimer, whose writings often feature in far-right conspiracy theories about “cultural Marxism”.

The gunman apparently explained that, although the primary problem in the United States is supposed Jewish influence, he chose to attack immigrants and Black people to stop them from having any more impact on the country.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Student sues Temple University in Philadelphia for allegedly taking no action over her complaints about her roommate’s antisemitism

It has been reported that a student at Temple University in Philadelphia is suing the University after she claimed that administrators did not do enough after she made her complaint about her roommate’s antisemitism.

Sasha Westrick, 18, alleges that Temple rejected her complaints about her roommate’s alleged repeated antisemitic outbursts. They included abuse over the social media platform Snapchat, in which Ms Westrick was sent an image of herself with the caption “I hate Jews” underneath.

Ms Westrick was given the alleged perpetrator as a roommate during the autumn 2021 semester because they were both on the rowing team. However, their relationship quickly soured, with the roommate allegedly mocking Ms Westrick for the way she was dressed before attending a Shabbat dinner. The roommate then asked Ms Westrick for money on the grounds that all Jews are wealthy. It is also alleged that Westrick’s other roommate participated in the antisemitic bullying.

Though the University acknowledged in a written statement that the roommate did indeed make antisemitic remarks, Ms Westrick claims that the administration did nothing to help her.

Ms Westrick’s lawyer, Robert Mozenter, said in a press release that his client was “being bullied by two of her roommates and crew teammates and Temple University did nothing to help her and eventually used the University’s own policies and procedures to make Sasha’s situation worse.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Temple University said: “Temple University is aware of the lawsuit filed by Sasha Westrick. We disagree with the manner in which much of the information in the complaint is presented and characterised. We will respond at the appropriate time through the legal process. While the University does not ordinarily comment on pending litigation, we can say that Temple fully investigated, reviewed and addressed this matter pursuant to University policies, and appropriate remedies were implemented.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Portland-based journalist arrested in connection with synagogue vandalism, as reported by his own publication

A suspect has been arrested in connection with a series of incidents of vandalism at synagogues in Portland, Oregon, including the arson attack and vandalism of Congregation Beth Israel.

Michael Bivins, who is said to have worked as a reporter on political extremism for liberal publications including a local weekly independent newspaper, has been charged with one count of arson and three counts of criminal mischief.

The charges relate to one incident in which a rock was thrown through a window at Congregation Shir Tikvah on 30th April and a fire and graffiti at Congregation Beth Israel on May 2nd and 4th, in which the words “Die Juden” (either “the Jews” in German, or “die Jews” in a combination of English and German) were found spray-painted on an outside wall.

It has been reported that the source of information about Mr Bivins’s arrest was the Willamette Week, the same weekly independent newspaper where he has published many of his articles about the treatment of Black Lives Matter protesters and counter-protesters and radical left-wing and right-wing groups by police in Portland.

Mr Bivins was arrested after entering a local television station and asking to speak to a reporter there.

Congregation Beth Israel Rabbi Michael Cahana said that these incidents emphasise how important it is for members of the public and the press to report even apparently minor incidents, writing in a letter to synagogue members that “This series of events, which has shaken our community, is an important reminder that even incidents which seem random and unrelated or too minor to bother with should be properly reported. We are all responsible for one another.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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High school baseball players taunted with antisemitic slurs during away game

School administrators and local law enforcement in Franklin, Massachusetts, are investigating antisemitic slurs allegedly hurled during a high school baseball game.

On 5th May, the team from Sharon High School travelled to Franklin High School, about fifteen miles away and 42 miles south west of Boston, only to be greeted by fans from the home side shouting antisemitic, racist and homophobic slurs at them.

It has been reported that counselling services are being offered to the victims.

Joe Scozzaro, the Principal of Sharon High, said “Our baseball players reported to their coach after the game that Franklin High spectators were out at the left-field fence heckling our outfielders during the game using antisemitic, racist and homophobic epithets, including various vulgarities.”

In a letter sent out to families, the Franklin High Principal, Joshua Hanna, wrote “We denounce such behaviour and are outraged. Our hearts go out to the Sharon community. There’s no place for such behaviour in our schools and at school events. This behaviour is highly inconsistent with our core values in the inclusive culture we are committed to creating at Franklin High School.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Nebraska adopts the International Definition of Antisemitism

The Governor of the State of Nebraska, Pete Ricketts, has announced that the State will adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Jewish settlement in Nebraska started shortly after it became an organised territory in 1854. As of 2020, there were reported to be 76,300 Jews living in Nebraska, making up 0.5% of a total population of 1.9 million. 

Governor Ricketts said that “We’ve seen a disturbing rise in antisemitism across the country. Here in Nebraska, we’re not immune to it. Someone painted a swastika on a synagogue in Lincoln. We see this rise in antisemitism and must be aggressive in combatting it. We must let people know we stand against hate.”

Nebraska becomes the 27th state to adopt the Definition. This comes after last week’s news that the State of Alaska adopted the Definition after a proclamation by Governor Mike Dunleavy.

Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street. Since then, numerous local councils, universities and sport associations in the United Kingdom have adopted the Definition, as have several national governments and myriad municipalities and associations around the world.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: Google

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Nazi flags flown outside Disney World

Video footage uploaded to Twitter shows people flying Nazi flags outside of Disney World in Florida.

The clip, uploaded on Saturday by StopAntisemitism.org, garnered the attention of thousands online, in addition to that of Jewish groups and institutions.

In a statement, the Florida Holocaust Museum said: “It’s a sad day for humanity when even Disney World – the ‘happiest place on earth’ – is not immune to blatant antisemitism.

“Displays of Nazi imagery are repugnant, and this demonstration was clearly meant to offend and provoke. No family should be confronted with threatening symbols of hate, least of all on vacation.”

In January, the National Socialist Movement chanted “The Jew is the devil!” “Jews rape children and drink their blood” and “Jews brought slaves here” at a rally in Florida.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Apple to prevent photographs from Holocaust-related sites from automatically being added to albums

Technology giant Apple is imposing tight new restrictions on users who want to take photographs of Holocaust-related sites and make them part of photo albums.

A new software update means that photos taken at Holocaust sites like the Anne Frank House and Auschwitz will no longer be included in automatically-generated albums created in the company’s signature app, Photos, in order to avoid “creating some unwanted memories”.

Users will not be able to disable Apple’s “sensitive locations” function, but will be able to include the images in albums they make themselves.

The aim, according to the company, is to avoid the trivialisation and minimisation of the Holocaust that occurs when photo-takers make images of themselves acting or dressed inappropriately in places commemorating the genocide of the Jewish people.

Apple’s list of sensitive locations includes the Yad Vashem Memorial in Israel, the Dachau concentration camp, The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Berlin Holocaust Memorial, the Schindler Factory in Krakow, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, and the Belzec, Chelmno, Treblinka and Sobibor Nazi death camps in Poland.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “Software that presents users with photographs and videos of happy memories is probably not the best place for people to be reminded of their solemn visits to locations where the genocide of the Jewish people took place or where it is commemorated. However, some might say that these mementos should not be forever hidden away from us lest they upset us. Ultimately users will know what they want. We recognise that it is a tricky balance and feel that Apple should be applauded for acknowledging the issue and taking action, which is more than can be said for other platforms.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Celebrated author who implied Jews were paedophiles and wrote “Are Goyim meant to be slaves of Jews?” is asked to speak at university

Pulitzer prize-winning author Alice Walker, who has previously garnered media attention for her inflammatory comments and support for conspiracy theories, is set to speak at San Diego Community College for the investiture ceremony for its new chancellor.

Ms Walker won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983 for her novel The Colour Purple. She is, however, also known to have made inflammatory comments about Jews, one example of which can be seen in her poem “To Study the Talmud”. Excerpts from Ms Walker’s poem reads:

“Are Goyim (us) meant to be slaves of Jews, and not only
“That, but to enjoy it?
“Are three year old (and a day) girls eligible for marriage and intercourse?
“Are young boys fair game for rape?
“Must even the best of the Goyim (us, again) be killed?”

While also receiving little scrutiny from the press about her views due to the forthcoming publication of her journals, Ms Walker has been asked to speak at the investiture of San Diego Community College’s new chancellor, Carlos O. Cortez.

Ms Walker has also voiced her support for the antisemitic hate preacher David Icke, citing with approval his books Human Race Get off Your Knees: The Lion Sleeps No More, which states that the world is secretly run by shape-shifting reptilian humanoids and “Rothschild Zionists”, and And the Truth Shall Set You Free, which promotes the antisemitic conspiracy theories contained in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and questions whether the Holocaust happened.

The author reportedly described Mr Icke’s work as “a curious person’s dream come true” and denied that there was anything antisemitic or anti-Jewish about its content.

Mr Icke uses social media, his books and his stage performances to incite hatred. His preaching is so absurd that since the 1990s he has been dismissed as a crank, but because he is dismissed, there has been no major opposition to him and he has built up a following of thousands upon thousands of disciples whom he has persuaded to adamantly believe that the world is in the grip of a conspiracy run by the “Rothschild Zionists”. His repertoire includes conspiracy myths and tropes classified as antisemitic according to the International Definition of Antisemitism, adopted by the British Government. Campaign Against Antisemitism has successfully persuaded some venues to pull out of hosting his events.

After years of pressure from Campaign Against Antisemitism, Mr Icke was banned from most social media platforms.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Alaska adopts the International Definition of Antisemitism

The State of Alaska has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism after a proclamation by Governor Mike Dunleavy.

In adopting the Definition, Alaska has become the twenty-fifth American state – along with the District of Columbia – to do so.

The history of the Jews in Alaska predates America’s purchase of the territory from the Russian Empire in 1867. As of 2017, the Jewish population in the state was approximately 5,750, making up 0.78 percent of a total population of 736,081.

In October 2019, Michael Graves, from Anchorage, was jailed for posting hate messages calling for violence against Jews and Muslims and for illegally owning a machine gun and silencers. Mr Graves later recanted his views after he was required to take classes and read books about the Holocaust and other forms of race-hate before writing essays about what he learned as part of his eighteen-month sentence.

Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street. Since then, numerous local councils, universities and sport associations in the United Kingdom have adopted the Definition, as have several national governments and myriad municipalities and associations around the world.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Portland, Oregon sees arson attack and antisemitic graffiti

A synagogue in Portland, Oregon has reportedly been subject to an arson attack and vandalised.

Community leaders at Congregation Beth Israel on Northwest Flanders Street say that the synagogue, which was built in 1859, shows the remains of a fire that had been set in front of the building and graffiti containing an antisemitic message had been spraypainted on the building’s exterior wall.

Rabbi Michael Cahana said that this is not the first incident of this kind to have happened at Congregation Beth Israel, but nothing to date has been as brazen as this.

Rabbi Cahana said: “The message I’m giving to my community is that I don’t want anyone sitting in fear. We don’t believe that this is part of a larger threat, there haven’t been other antisemitic incidents reported around town.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Rutgers University and local police investigate two separate incidents of antisemitic harrassment of Jewish fraternity

Rutgers University and local police are investigating a series of antisemitic incidents involving a fraternity at the University.

Members of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity were commemorating Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, in their annual 24-hour-long event, which involved reading the names of people who were murdered during the Holocaust, when they were reportedly pelted with eggs.

This closely follows a separate apparently antisemitic incident that took place a few days before, when several cars full of people carrying and waving Palestinian flags stopped outside the fraternity’s residence on Sicard Street, shouting antisemitic remarks, spitting, and throwing things at the house.

The latter incident apparently took place after a local chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine held a “Defend Al-Aqsa, Defend Palestine” rally. The perpetrators are reported to have called fraternity members “baby killers” and “terrorists”.

Rutgers University-New Brunswick Chancellor-Provost, Francine Conway, sent a letter to Rutgers students and faculty about the incident, saying: “Initial representations regarding the incident are disturbing. We understand and are sensitive to the concerns of those who were targeted, and stand by our Jewish students, faculty and staff. Harassment based on religious belief, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or for any reason, is antithetical to our values at Rutgers University.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Arizona adopts the International Definition of Antisemitism

The State of Arizona has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

On 19th April, Amendment HB 2675, known as the “Arizona Holocaust Education Bill”, passed the state legislature by 49 votes to 3.

The bill, which requires Arizona’s schools to teach about the Holocaust and other genocides on at least two occasions between seventh and twelfth grades, was originally introduced in January 2020, but was delayed by Arizona State Senator Paul Boyer, who wanted to include the Definition.

Jews have been a part of life in Arizona since the 1860s. According to a 2020 study, the state’s Jewish population was 108,075, making up 1.5 percent of a total population of over seven million.

Arizona has not been free of antisemitism. In January 2022, police in Tucson arrested a man in connection with the vandalism of the Kol Ami Synagogue. In November 2021, far-right influencer Tim Gionet, also known as “Baked Alaska”, was charged with damaging a Chanukah display at the Arizona Capitol building in Phoenix the year before. Also in 2021, a woman who identified herself as Melanie Rettler went on an antisemitic tirade at a school board meeting in a Phoenix suburb but her comments went unchallenged.

Sen. Boyer said: “Passing the bill without the IHRA [International] Definition would leave our legislative intent unfulfilled and vulnerable to exploitation.”

Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street. Since then, numerous local councils, universities and sport associations in the United Kingdom have adopted the Definition, as have several national governments and myriad municipalities and associations around the world.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Report states that Linfield University violated Jewish professor’s academic freedom after he was fired after accusing University President of antisemitism

It has been reported that an Oregon university that fired a Jewish professor after he accused its president of making antisemitic remarks violated the professor’s academic freedom.

Linfield University in McMinnville, 38 miles south of Portland, fired English professor Daniel Pollack-Pelzner in 2021 after he accused president Miles K. Davis of making comments about the supposed size of Jewish noses and jokes about sending Jews to gas chambers. Prof Pollack-Pelzner also suggested that the university had covered up reports of swastika graffiti and other instances of hate speech, as well as sexual assault allegations.

Prof Pollack-Pelzner also recalls not only that President Davis withheld his reports, fearing that they would bring the University into disrepute and accusing Prof Pollack-Pelzner of “harbouring a secret agenda to grab power”, but that the President warned of “disloyalty from within” in a meeting. Prof Pollack-Pelzner also claims that President Davis said that “people like him were destroying Linfield University from within”.

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions” is an example of antisemitism.

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has now decided that Linfield violated Prof Pollack-Pelzner’s academic freedom when they fired him, stating that the University “contributed to a culture of abuse” in the way it treated the professor.

The AAUP report holds that Linfield forced Prof Pollack-Pelzner out of his job and ensured he was unable to use his e-mail account without holding an initial disciplinary hearing (a requirement for charges against a tenured professor).

Linfield University itself did not take part in the AAUP investigation, and university spokespeople indicated in their interactions with faculty and local media that they did not accept the report’s allegations and were ready to fight them in court.

Prof Pollack-Pelzner is now reportedly a visiting scholar at Portland State University.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Singer who called Hitler a “good guy” and the Holocaust a “profitable hoax” disinvited from benefit concert

It has been reported that a rock concert in Tucson, Arizona has dropped a band from its bill due to an antisemitic website run by its frontman.

The “Whole Enchilada” benefit concert, held on 16th April at the Hotel Congress in downtown Tucson, was supposed to feature a number of popular local bands, including veteran outfit Chuck Wagon and the Wheels.

However, the attention of the organisers was drawn to the band’s lead singer, Chuck Maultsby, whose website allegedly contains numerous antisemitic posts, including examples of Holocaust denial, posts supporting Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, and rationalisations for the concentration camps in which millions of Jews were interned and murdered.

Mr Maultsby’s material consists of over 250 pages of conspiracy theories blaming the coronavirus pandemic on Jews, claims that the Jews planned the 9/11 attacks on New York City, and celebrations of Adolf Hitler, who Mr Maultsby says was a “good guy”.

Along with justifications for the actions of notorious Auschwitz doctor Josef Mengele, who, according to Mr Maultsby, saved the lives of tens of thousands of “inmates” at the death camp through his “tireless efforts”, the website explains how Jews are responsible for the deaths of former American President John F. Kennedy and US Army General George S. Patton, as well as announcing that the diary of Anne Frank is a “hoax”.

Mr Maultsby also describes the Holocaust in such terms, asking in one post from 2017: “Is the Holocaust a Hoax? Short Answer: OF COURSE. Within five minutes, any intelligent, open-minded person can be convinced that the Holocaust gassings of World War II are a profitable hoax.”

Mr Maultbsy’s website is reportedly no longer available at its original location, but has apparently been archived in several places. The site does still, however, show memes with Hitler’s photograph, myths about a “white genocide” orchestrated by Jews, and a self-published book that its author claims to have been banned on Amazon. One such meme reads: “If you think I am evil, it means you have never did any research but you are fully brainwashed by the Jewish written History [sic].”

Chuck Wagon and the Wheels were subsequently disinvited from the concert, and some members of the Tucson music scene denounced the singer.

David Slutes, the entertainment director for Hotel Congress, said: “It’s harder than you think to move quickly on something like this, even when it’s obviously the right thing to do. Everyone feels embarrassed, guilty and bad about it. But learning about the depth of Chuck’s insanity was rough. I have worked for this Jewish-run business for 25 years and they are like extended family. This was not going to work for any of us.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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“F**k Jews”: two antisemitic incidents in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh over the first weekend of Passover

It has been reported that the neighbourhood of Squirrel Hill in eastern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has seen two separate antisemitic incidents over the last week.

On 15th April, the first night of the Jewish festival of Passover, more than twenty families had antisemitic flyers tossed into their driveways by a hate group who have also been known to work in California, Florida, New York, Colorado, and other American states.

Residents reported finding the antisemitic flyers inside a plastic bag filled with rice. This fits the profile of other similar incidents in Palo Alto, Beverly Hills, and elsewhere, though the Squirrel Hill victims did not disclose the precise wording of the material.

On 17th April, a male reportedly shouted “F**k Jews” as he walked past the Shaare Torah Congregation on Murray Avenue, a long street that connects the two communities of Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South.

In October 2018, Squirrel Hill, where 40 percent of the more than 26,000 residents are Jewish, saw the most violent antisemitic incident in American history, when 46-year-old Robert Bowers entered the Tree of Life synagogue and opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle and three handguns, murdering eleven and wounding seven members of the congregation.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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State of Ohio adopts the International Definition of Antisemitism

The State of Ohio has reportedly adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Executive Order 2022-06D, called “Defining and Combating Antisemitism”, describes anti-Jewish hatred and prejudice as a “persistent, pervasive, and disturbing problem in American society, including…in Ohio.”

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has ordered all state agencies, departments, boards, and commissions, including public colleges and universities, to adopt the Definition, and encouraged “all federal and local governments and governmental agencies and entities to adopt it as well.”

There has been a steadily growing Jewish presence in Ohio since 1817. According to a 2020 study, the Jewish population was 151,615, making up 1.3 percent of a total state population of nearly twelve million.

The Executive Order points out, however, that Ohio’s Jewish population has been the target of several examples of antisemitic terrorism plots. These include an attempted attack on two synagogues in Toledo in December 2018, and another incident in white a white nationalist was arrested for threatening to attack a Jewish community centre in Youngstown with firearms in August 2019. The perpetrators behind these incidents are now serving prison sentences.

More recently, a professor at Ohio State University avoided long-term disciplinary consequences after using the term “Jew down” in one of her classes while referring to haggling about prices in a market. There have also been instances of antisemitic graffiti on the side of a Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), a zoombombing during an online careers fair at Ohio’s Miami University, and one example where a Jewish couple received antisemitic abuse and threats, and had rocks thrown at their home.

Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street. Since then, numerous local councils, universities and sport associations in the United Kingdom have adopted the Definition, as have several national governments and myriad municipalities and associations around the world.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Antisemitic graffiti under investigation at elementary school

School staff discovered two swastikas painted on a utility room at Landels Elementary School, Mountain View on 11th April.

Police said that they were not able to find any footage to help them in their investigation and have therefore issued a press release to seek the community’s help in finding the perpetrator.

This incident comes after graffiti that included the N-word was found at Amy Imai Elementary School. Similarly, graffiti has been discovered at both Bubb and Monta Loma elementary schools, including swastikas.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

image credit: Google

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Swastikas discovered and removed from trees in New York park

Swastika graffiti was discovered on trees in Forest City Community Park in Wantagh, Nassau County, on 14th April, the eve of Passover and Easter.

A pentagram Satanic symbol was also discovered at the New York park.

In response to the incident, the swastikas will be scrubbed off and the Parks and Public Safety departments will conduct more patrols and additional check-ups of the park and its facilities, according to authorities.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: Google

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Police officer on administrative leave after accusations of racism and antisemitism

Drew Matthews, a police officer at the University of Colorado Boulder has been put on administrative leave following accusations of racism and antisemitism.

Safe Access for Everyone (SAFE), which has been described as “an anti-police organisation”, found tweets allegedly posted by Mr Matthews under the account /u/BocoRam18 on the Boulder and CUBoulder subreddit boards, as well as on the ProtectandServe board for police officers, on which he reportedly verified his identity as a campus police officer.

According to SAFE, Mr Matthews is alleged to have compared a private business’ vaccine mandate to the Holocaust, reportedly writing: “If people told you to wear a star on your shirt you’d do it.” In a post referencing homeless people, Mr Matthews is claimed to have written: “I say call in fire with the police and just spray the hoses at them till they leave”. Mr Matthews also allegedly wrote, in another comment, that he stopped “every black male” at a house party that he broke up after receiving a report of sexual assault, where the suspect was black with an average height and build wearing a white T-shirt and jeans.

Mr Matthews was placed on paid administrative leave on 11th April due to allegedly “offensive and reprehensible” posts.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Creator of first ever video game about the Holocaust aims to educate future generations on the Shoah

Luc Bernard, a video game developer and the creator of the first video game about the Holocaust, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he spoke about how video games could be an instrumental resource in teaching young people about the Shoah.

Mr Bernard, whose grandmother assisted children who arrived in the United Kingdom on the Kindertransport, an initiative in 1938-39 to rescue nearly 10,000 Jewish children from Europe, described his motivation in the creation of his game, The Light in the Darkness.

“Some don’t believe video games can be educational. That’s something I disagree with,” he said. “The problem is, no one has thought about what is the next step, or how do we continue education in new ways? Because I think education is trying to get the digital generation to adapt to them, rather than trying to adapt to the digital generation.”

Pointing to the successes of previous artforms in providing Holocaust education after meeting initial resistance, Mr Bernard said: “Comic books were viewed as insane at one point until Maus came out. Films were kind of viewed like, ‘I don’t know, man,’ until Shoah came out, and Schindler’s List. Video games need to be able to tackle the subject because we’re the number one form of entertainment, and I think rather than discourage game developers towards doing it, we should actually be able to guide game developers and encourage them to make these games, because then there would be more awareness.” 

The story of the game revolves around Polish Jews in France during the Holocaust, Mr Bernard told our host. “You follow a Polish Jewish family in France, so you get to play, more like interact and experience, the story from France before the occupation, up to the occupation, antisemitism rising…we’re kind of going through every single step.

“What I really wanted to do is actually have you become attached to these characters, get to see who they were, get to live their life, rather than just go automatically into the bad things, because you know how film is, you want people to become attached emotionally so it has a bigger impact on the viewer, or on the player…also, in between scenes, you will have an option to listen to survivor testimonies, French survivors. You’ll be able to see the similarities to compare what they went through to what that current scene is showing.”

Asked whether ‘video game’ is an accurate title for The Light in the Darkness, Mr Bernard said that “it could be called several things,” including “an interactive story” or “an educational video game.” 

Despite Mr Bernard referring to The Light in the Darkness as a ‘game’, he clarified that he has removed the player’s ability to make choices within the game to mirror the reality of the Holocaust for Jewish people. “If I made choice-based things, it would make it seem like Jews could have saved themselves. There’s so many factors to the Holocaust [and] why it happened. The fact that loads of countries closed their doors, didn’t allow refugees in. How, as the Jews were trying to get to what was British Palestine back then, Britain closed it down. How Britain only allowed 10,000 children on the Kindertransport. All those things are pretty much out of everyone’s control and I know some people [whose] mothers had to give them up just so they could live. If I made it choice-based so that it could affect the story, it would just make it seem like people had a choice and that’s why I really just had to eliminate that, and that’s again what makes it very weird for a video game. It’s very different to anything else I’ve ever done before.”

Mr Bernard chose to set the game in France under the Vichy Government. “What makes the Vichy government so interesting is that it was France that deported the Jews, it was France that decided to deport the children. France went full-on collaboration and they weren’t Nazis – they were bad people, and they had the same intent as the Nazis – and setting it in France shows how it wasn’t just the Nazis that did this, and how everyday people can become hateful.

“I think when people will play it, they’ll be like ‘wait, this was the French Government that did this? It was the French policeman that rounded them up?’, then they’ll actually realise the extent to how bad the Holocaust was because a lot of people just think it was just the Nazis. And, no, it was Europe. Europe did this.”

Mr Bernard, who is himself French, said “I actually love France, but it also means you have to address the dark, historical past of your country.” 

The Light in the Darkness is expected to be released later this year for Xbox and Windows, with other platforms also under consideration.

Throughout the interview, Mr Bernard touched upon a wide variety of topics which included his own Jewish background, why the far-right has infiltrated video games, and how other video games have traditionally fallen short in how they depict Nazis.

The podcast with Mr Bernard can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox. Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, The Sunday Telegraph columnist Zoe Strimpel and actor Eddie Marsan.

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Boston Couple to Create “Powerful Museum” About the Holocaust in the City

A couple from Boston say they have bought a building with the aim of creating the city’s first museum dedicated to the Holocaust.

Co-founders of the Holocaust Legacy Foundation, Jodi Kipnis and Todd Ruderman, explained that they have bought a building on Tremont Street in the centre of the city to house the project.

Though Boston already hosts the New England Holocaust Memorial, erected in the centre of the city in 1995, just one mile from Ms Kipnis and Mr Ruderman’s proposed museum, this new venture would be the city’s first indoor museum about the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators.

The announcement comes after a rise in antisemitic incidents in and around Boston, including swastika graffiti found at a Boston high school, amongst other incidents in schools across Massachusetts, and the presence of the neo-Nazi group Nationalist Social Club at the recent St Patrick’s Day parade.

Ms Kipnis and Mr Ruderman have expressed their concern about young people’s lack of knowledge about the Holocaust. 

Ms Kipnis said: “The timeless and timely lessons of the Holocaust have never been more urgently needed. In order for the Holocaust to remain relevant to new generations, Holocaust Legacy Foundation is taking the opportunity to create a powerful museum for all of New England.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Ohio State University Professor alleged to have used “Jew down” slur avoids long-term disciplinary consequences

An investigation into the conduct of an Ohio State University professor who allegedly used an antisemitic slur in one of her classes has resulted in no long-term disciplinary consequences for the academic.

Jackie Buell, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences specialising in sports nutrition, was accused of using the phrase “Jew down” in an October 2021 class discussion about haggling over prices while making purchases in Mexico. The phrase alludes to an antisemitic stereotype of Jewish people as excessively frugal.

Though the University suspended Prof. Buell from teaching classes in the Spring 2022 semester and directed her to take anti-discrimination training for the next twelve months, the investigation found that she did not breach the University’s non-discrimination and harassment policy. Her conduct has instead been officially described as “inappropriate”.

The University’s Office of Institutional Equity reportedly found Prof. Buell’s behaviour “offensive, concerning and inappropriate,” but decided that her comments did not interfere with or deny any student’s ability to access educational facilities at the University.

Prof. Buell is expected to demonstrate a certain level of growth following her training before she is permitted to begin teaching again.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Man charged with attempted murder following spree of antisemitic incidents in New Jersey

The Police Department in Lakewood, New Jersey, has released details of an allegedly antisemitic attack that took place on Friday 8th April.

Dion Marsh, 27, is accused of taking part in a series of incidents throughout Lakewood. All of Marsh’s alleged victims are said to be Orthodox Jews.

Mr Marsh reportedly assaulted a driver and stole his car before running over someone else, stabbing a third victim in the chest, and striking a fourth with the vehicle in nearby Jackson Township.

All four victims are reported to have been injured in the incident, the latter two critically. Mr Marsh has been charged with three counts of attempted murder and bias intimidation, as well as carjacking and weapons charges.

The ADL’s New York/New Jersey Regional Director is reported to have said: “More needs to be done to prevent violence against the Jewish community, and in particular visibly identifiable Jews in Ocean County and across our region. Jews should not be afraid to go about their business without living in fears that they will be targeted for violence.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: Lakewood Police Department

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New York Police Department reveal 92% rise in antisemitic hate crime during March

New data published by the New York City Police Department shows that antisemitic hate crimes rose by 92% in March 2022 compared to a year ago.

23 antisemitic hate crimes were reported in New York in March 2022. In March 2021, the police recorded eleven such incidents.

These findings reflect those of previous months: February 2022 saw a 400% increase in antisemitic incidents compared to February 2021 (56 compared to eleven the year before), while January showed almost 300% additional antisemitic hate crimes year on year.

While the NYPD recorded increases in hate crimes aimed at Muslims, people based on their ethnic origin in general, and based on the victim’s sexual orientation, the number of incidents with Asian or Hispanic victims went down.

Taking all reported incidents into account, the data reveals that there were more antisemitic hate crimes than those experienced by any other group except Asian-Americans.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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New York Jewish man has arson conviction vacated after 39 years due to jurors’ antisemitism

A Jewish man who was wrongfully convicted of arson in 1983 and has spent the last 39 years trying to clear his name has been vindicated.

Barry Jacobson’s lawyers, who were supported by the ADL and the Innocence Project, announced on Tuesday 5th April that a court ruled that the jury was biased, and that the case has been dismissed.

Mr Jacobson was sentenced to six months in prison and received a fine of $10,000 after being found guilty of setting a fire at his home in Richmond, Massachusetts in 1983, though only served one month. The conviction caused him to lose his real estate licenses in Massachusetts and New York, which proved to be detrimental to his job in the commercial real estate business.

Mr Jacobson stated that “for nearly 40 years I have been haunted by this wrongful conviction.”

He continued: “Time and again it has affected my career, my business, my family and my community. It has been beyond painful. It is an experience I would not wish on anyone.”

Bob Cordy, Mr Jacobson’s attorney, said that the prosecution and jury deliberations were both affected by antisemitism. The prosecution, Mr Cordy said, relied on a racist stereotype where they believed that Mr Jacobson set the fire for insurance money.

In a sworn statement from one juror, he referred to Mr Jacobson as “one of those New York Jews who think they can come up here and get away with anything.”

Mr Jacobson’s lawyers were aware of antisemitism on the jury months after the verdict, but despite mentioning it in their appeals, there was no vindication.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: ADL via The Times of Israel

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“You have to be annoyed about something to joke about it. What annoys me? Antisemitism”: Comedian Elon Gold on using comedy as a weapon against Jew-hatred

The comedian and actor Elon Gold appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he spoke about how he uses comedy to tackle antisemitism.

Speaking on his approach to discussing antisemitism in his comedy, Mr Gold stated that his priority is to consider whether his material is funny and whether he is making “the right point”. 

Describing what constitutes “the right point”, Mr Gold clarified: “If it comes from my heart and from my anger about antisemitism.”

“All of comedy is complaining, and I realised that a few years ago. You have to be annoyed about something to joke about it and to want to deride it, mock it, ridicule it, but first, it has to annoy you. So what annoys me? Antisemitism. It annoys the crap out of me and I’m angry about it because it’s not funny at all, but now I have to find the funny because that’s my job and I happen to be obsessed with finding the funny in hate, because when you do that, when you find the funny in hate, you get to expose the ignorance of bigotry. And you get to mock these bigots.”

Mr Gold outlined what this approach looks like by providing an example of one of his comedy routines that touches upon the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally. “One of my favourite new bits that I’ve been doing lately is mocking those idiots who went to the rallies with the tiki torches going around going ‘the Jews will not replace us.’” Mr Gold joked: “‘And I’m like, ‘the Jews will not replace you? We don’t want to replace you, we just want to put braces on you. Replace you? We just want to manage your portfolio.’”

Discussing why he feels the routine is so impactful, he says that it’s because “It’s got these funny jokes but it’s making a point. Here are these groups of morons walking around with tiki torches going ‘the Jews will not replace us’…what is that message, even? As it turns out, it’s about immigration and it’s a whole thing that it’s their farkakta (nonsense) brains that they think there’s some global conspiracy of the Jews trying to replace them, but it’s all just nuts.

“So it’s my job now to mock these nut-jobs. And I do it from the right place. I know I’m in the right and they’re dead wrong. You can’t justify any sort of racism, homophobia…you’re not right.”

Turning to the subject of offence, Mr Gold has clearly given careful consideration to this issue. “There are bits that I do where I literally do a German accent. And that, you know…you talking about something that’s triggering. The last thing I ever want to do is… let’s say a Holocaust survivor is in the audience, or even the son or grandson of one. And to offend one of them would hurt me deeply. So of course, it’s not my intention to offend, but it is my intention to mock Nazis.”

Mr Gold went on to explain how he differentiates those who may take offence at different types of jokes, for example a dirty joke. “If you’re offended by that, that’s your problem. With antisemitism, with an area as sensitive as that, now we’re not talking about sex, we’re talking about something that people are getting killed over, to this day, and for thousands of years. And I do make it a point not to do any Holocaust jokes. There’s nothing funny about it, and that’s not even a topic I would ever want to bring up.

“However, if Whoopie Goldberg brings it up and says something idiotic like ‘the Holocaust isn’t about race,’ I’m gonna do jokes like ‘oh, the Holocaust isn’t about race? Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s what my great-grandparents heard in the camps.’” In a German accent, Mr Gold jokes: “By the way, this is not about race. This has nothing to do with race, you Jews are always jumping to conclusions!”

Mr Gold goes on to explain his thought behind the joke, saying: “I’m doing the accent, I’m mocking Nazis, but the joke isn’t, God-forbid on the victims. It’s not even on the Holocaust. It’s on Whoopie, and it’s on the Nazis. It’s on the bad guys. Whoopie’s not bad, she said something bad and wrong and it’s my job to correct it with jokes.”

“So to me, I have to say something about this. It’s an impulse, I can’t just ignore it. And by the way, when she said it, again, I wasn’t offended by it. I just said to myself ‘Oh, I have to correct that error.’ And my only weapon is jokes.”

Throughout the interview, Mr Gold touched upon a wide variety of topics which included opening up about an encounter of antisemitism that his family experienced, why he refuses to work on the Sabbath, and his recurring role in the most recent season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The podcast with Mr Gold can be listened to here, or watched here.

Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox. Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, The Sunday Telegraph columnist Zoe Strimpel and actor Eddie Marsan.

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Teenagers threaten Jewish boys with a sword and crowbar in New York

Three teenagers armed with a sword, a crowbar and a knife allegedly threatened a group of Jewish boys on New York’s Upper West Side.

The teenagers, ranging in ages from twelve to sixteen, allegedly threatened the group of six Jewish boys on the evening of Saturday 2nd April. The teenagers reportedly said that they wanted to “get them” because they were Jewish and proceeded to follow the boys home before running away.

Gale Brewer, the NYC Council Member who represents the district, condemned the incident as a “horrible antisemitic attack” on a Facebook post.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Jewish community is “top target for hate crimes” says security organisation after surge in bomb threats

An “alarming number” of recent bomb threats directed at Jewish community centres and synagogues in one month across the United States was a sharp reminder that “the Jewish community remains a top target for hate crimes in the United States.”

The warning came from the Secure Community Network (SCN), a Jewish communal security organisation, which noted in a press release issued in late March that since the beginning of the month there had been eighteen reported bomb threats directed at Jewish community centres (JCCs) and synagogues in nine states.

SCN said that it was “actively working with community leaders and law enforcement agencies” over the “recent wave of bomb threats against Jewish facilities nationwide.”

FBI officials have stated that investigations into the threats were active and remained a high priority.

The SCN comments came as the New York Jewish Week reported that the Staten Island JCC had briefly evacuated its premises following a bomb threat, while the JCC of Indianapolis also revealed that it had recently received a bomb threat.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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“Even though you’re a Jew, you still have to respect us”: University of Connecticut student subjected to antisemitic abuse

The University of Connecticut has been forced to deal with an incident in which a Jewish student received antisemitic abuse for removing anti-Zionist material that she found in the University library.

Natalie Shclover discovered a series of illustrations of the map of Israel contrasted with the image of a strangled child and a photograph of University President Radenka Maric placed on the walls and strewn on the floor of the Homer Babbidge Library at the University’s Storrs campus. 

The flyers were reportedly produced as part of ongoing criticism of Ms Maric for taking a trip to Israel to support Connecticut’s collaboration with higher education institutions there. Soon after the trip was announced, the University’s social media channels were overwhelmed with comments calling Israelis “greedy” and calls for “another Intifada”.

When Ms Shclover and her boyfriend Zacharia El-Tayyeb learned that, because the flyers were on the ground, they are legally thought of as “public property”, the couple went back to the library to dispose of them. This led to an altercation with four other students.

One of the students filmed the exchange on her cellphone and is reported to have said “Even though you’re a Jew, you still have to respect us.” It is alleged that the other students called her a “f***ing b****”, a “f***ing Zionist”, and a “white supremacist”.

Both Ms Shclover and Mr El-Tayyeb were harrassed on the University’s Yik Yak feed – a social media platform that allows users to post messages anonymously to anyone within a five mile radius – and Ms Shclover was dismissed from The Chordials, a student a capella society of which she was President.

Radenka Maric condemned the antisemitic remarks and wrote a message to the University community contextualising the incident in terms of “the combustible combination of religion, cultural identity, politics, history, and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”

Ms Shclover said: “I think it fell painfully short of addressing the harassment that Zach and I endured, and calling it the ‘library incident’ is very arbitrary. We’ve had emails and communications from administrative bodies at UConn condemning acts of racism, Islamophobia, and even acts of antisemitism in years past, and I don’t understand why an issue surrounding Israel or Palestine would be treated any differently.

“I know that this is a greater issue, one that the Jews and Zionist on this campus are afraid to talk about because they fear what happened to me might happen to them, and I don’t blame them. UConn is not going to thrive if every Jewish student on this campus feels the way they do now, which is unsafe, unprotected, and unheard. UConn will not thrive as a space that is inclusive for everyone but the Jews.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Antisemitic Florida flyers blame Jews for Ukraine War and COVID-19

Community leaders in Sarasota have expressed anger over antisemitic flyers distributed in the Florida town twice in recent weeks.

The flyers – placed in Ziplock bags, weighted with rice – were placed on driveways of Jewish homes. The first batch, in mid-February, blamed the Jewish community for COVID-19. In the second tranche, some flyers again blamed Jews for COVID-19, while, according to the Sarasota Police Department, others blamed Jews for the war in Ukraine, claiming: “Every single aspect of the Ukraine-Russia War is Jewish.”

Speaking at a rally in Sarasota after the first batch of flyers were discovered in February, the Director of the American Jewish Committee said that the hatred in the flyers did not reflect the town. “This group does not speak for Sarasota, which time and again has stood up against all manifestations of antisemitism,” he said. “It makes me feel determined to say hate…against anyone will not win.”

This is just the latest of many incidents of antisemitic flyers being distributed across the United States.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project. 

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Hate crime charge urged for woman in SS-style clothing and swastika armband

Authorities in California’s Orange County are recommending hate crime charges against a woman who was allegedly dressed as a Nazi SS officer and is alleged to have yelled antisemitic comments at a man who tried to get her to remove her swastika armband.

According to a photo taken by a member of the public, the woman was dressed in an all-black outfit similar to that of a Nazi SS officer and wearing the armband while walking around outside a community centre in Laguna Woods, Orange County.

A man confronted the woman, who allegedly responded with antisemitic comments. According to a spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, a “physical altercation” ensued as several people – including a man in his 80s – tried to remove the woman’s armband. Police attended the incident.

Subsequently, the district attorney’s office was asked to recommend that charges against the woman should include hate crime.

The following day, the Mayor of Laguna Woods, Carol Moore, released a statement saying that the city was outraged by the incident. “The city of Laguna Woods stands firmly against antisemitism, bigotry and hate in all its forms, fully and without exception,” the statement read, adding that the conduct “alleged in the disturbance” was “abhorrent, inexcusable, and antithetical to the character and values of our community” and that “any delay” in the public response was intended to “allow the investigation to conclude.”

City Councilman Noel Hatch, who said that he had lived in the area for 25 years and had seen “no indication that there is anything like this brewing,” described it as “a solo act” that was “not germane to any concern” that there was “something brewing here in Laguna Woods village.”

The incident came a month after antisemitic fliers were distributed in the Orange County districts of Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Cypress. A report released in 2021 by the Orange County Human Relations Commission found that, in 2020, hate crimes in the county increased by 35%.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: ADL

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State of Kansas adopts the International Definition of Antisemitism

The Kansas state Legislature has reportedly adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Bill HCR 5030, the short title of the bill named “Recognising the growing problem of antisemitism in the United States”, was adopted unanimously in the Kansas Senate with 38 “Yea” votes.

Gavriela Geller, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau, American Jewish Committee in Kansas is reported to have said: “We can’t fight what we can’t define. The adoption of the definition is a crucial step towards combating rising Jew-hatred.”

The 2014 Pew Religious Landscape Survey showed that less than one percent of Kansas adults identified as Jewish. In 2017, the Jewish population of Kansas was reported to be 17,300. This has not meant, however, that the midwestern state has been free of antisemitic incidents. 

In April 2014, 73-year-old Frazier Glenn Miller Jr, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan and known neo-Nazi, was convicted of murder after killing three people in a shooting spree at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Kansas City and the Jewish retirement community Village Shalom, both in Overland Park, Kansas. Mr Miller was sentenced to death, but died in prison in 2021 while awaiting execution.

Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the International Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street. Since then, numerous local councils, universities and sport associations in the United Kingdom have adopted the Definition, as have several national governments and myriad municipalities and associations around the world.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Neo-Nazi group present at Boston St Patrick’s Day parade

Organisers of this year’s annual St Patrick’s Day parade in Boston were left feeling “disgusted” after it was discovered that a far-right group wearing items featuring neo-Nazi symbolism and holding a banner saying “Keep Boston Irish” had attended.

The twenty-strong group, reportedly the Nationalist Social Club (NSC), who is known for engaging with mainstream public events, was seen wearing green clothes and baseball caps. They remained anonymous through the use of face-masks bearing the number 131 (code for ACA, or anti-communist action) and sunglasses. 

Though confined to small, self-organising chapters mostly inside the United States, the organisation is known for spreading white supremacism. They maintain an overtly military theme, regarding themselves as combatants against a “Jewish-controlled” social and political system that aims at “white genocide”.

One member of the group was spotted holding a flag with the Celtic cross (a black flag with a white “plus” sign inside a circle). This Irish Christian symbol is often appropriated by white supremacist groups. 

A joint statement co-written by City Council President Ed Flynn, Councillor Michael Flaherty, state Senator Nick Collins, state Representative David Biele, US Representative Stephen Lynch, and Suffolk County clerk of civil courts Michael Donovan said: “We are disgusted by reports of outside hate groups descending into Boston for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade yesterday. Their ideology is repugnant and contrary to an event that celebrates our proud immigrant history and is enjoyed by children, families, and people of all ethnicities and backgrounds.”

Boston Mayor Michelle Woo stated: “It was deeply disturbing to see this display at a local celebration of culture and heritage, as we work to heal and build community through our recovery. With the growing intensity of white supremacist groups nationally, we are working closely with law enforcement at all levels – Boston will not tolerate hate crimes, and we will not be intimidated in our work to build a city for everyone.”

Sergeant Detective John Boyle, a spokesman for Boston police, stated that the police were aware of the group’s presence and that they would be conducting follow-up investigations.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Teenagers in Florida sentenced after spray-painting the word “Jew’s” on rabbi’s driveway

Two teenagers have been found guilty of carrying out a hate crime against a rabbi and sentenced in Bonita Springs, Florida.

Seventeen-year-old Tucker Bachman and fourteen-year-old Case Leckbee have been found guilty of criminal mischief when they defaced Rabbi Mendy Greenberg’s home, spray-painting the word “Jew’s” on his driveway, destroying his mailbox, and smashing his car window.

Mr Bachman and Mr Leckbee were reportedly sentenced to community service and a curfew. They also have to attend a Neighbourhood Accountability Board with their parents or guardian, at which Rabbi Greenberg will be present.

State Attorney Amira Fox said: “These juveniles will face their consequences immediately from the community they injured. They will learn of the impact of their senseless behaviour by meeting with leaders of the Jewish community and, together, the community will determine how best to repair the harm.”

Rabbi Greenberg is reported to have said: “I’m not looking for punishment, I’m looking for rehabilitation. For something to be rectified, for a wrong to be righted.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

Image credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office

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Detroit synagogue targeted by bomb threat hoax on day after Jewish festival

A synagogue in Farmington Hills, Michigan, received a telephone call on 18th March from someone who claimed to have planted a pipe bomb at the synagogue.

The Temple Adat Shalom building was evacuated, and police and police dogs sent in to search for the device.No bomb was found, and the incident was described as a “cruel hoax designed to terrorise our communities,” by Rabbi Aaron Bergman in an e-mail to the congregation.

The hoax threat came the day after the conclusion of a Jewish festival that celebrates a biblical attempt to wipe out the Jewish people.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Woman arrested on suspected arson of church and synagogue in New Britain, Connecticut

A Connecticut woman was arrested on 12th March for arson and burglary after being accused of setting fires in a synagogue and a church.

Kimorah Parker, 30, allegedly broke into Tephereth Israel Synagogue on 11th March and started a fire that caused “fairly extensive” damage. She has also been accused of setting fire to St Matthew’s Lutheran Church.

Local police are investigating the arson with the assistance of the FBI.

The FBI released a statement in which it said: “Local police have arrested a suspect well-known to them and retain the lead over the ongoing investigations. No other incidents have been reported since the arrest. The FBI will continue to coordinate with local law enforcement and, pending further evidence collection, will determine whether federal charges are appropriate.”

A Tephereth Israel Synagogue congregation member called the incident “devastating,” adding: “We don’t know why the person who started the fire did this…we know she chose a church and a synagogue, so it wasn’t specifically Jewish; we don’t know a motive.

“It’s devastating, because that building holds a lot of memories for me and my family…I’m hoping that [the] building itself is still structurally sound and that they can repair it.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Idaho politics rocked by indulgence of far-right

State politics in Idaho have been rocked by at least two incidents of Republican politicians indulging the far-right.

First, Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin reportedly appeared on stage via video link with members of the America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC), led by known Holocaust-denier and far-right leader Nick Fuentes, who has often used antisemitic language and tropes.

The appearance came as a surprise to Rabbi Dan Fink, head of Boise’s Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel, who had recently received a letter from Ms McGeachin asking him to collaborate on an antisemitism task force.

Rabbi Fink expressed his worries about the militias who form the core of McGeachin’s support: “My first thought was, you’ve got to be kidding me. It seems like you’re missing the point with what we’re dealing with locally.”

Then, it emerged that, separately, Dan Bell, the Youth Chairman for a Republican Committee in Western Idaho, had sought to encourage Republicans to switch parties in order to elect the far-right activist Dave Reilly to a leadership position in the Democrat Party in order to discredit it.

Mr Reilly reportedly attended the deadly white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, and is claimed to have said that “all Jews are dangerous” and that “Jews pretend to be white when it’s expedient for them.” He has previously run unsuccessfully for an Idaho school board.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Executive Director of Amnesty USA says Israel “shouldn’t exist as Jewish state” before retracting his statement

The Executive Director of the human rights activist organisation Amnesty USA has come under fire for reportedly claiming that Israel “shouldn’t exist as Jewish state”, before trying to clarify his remarks.

The Jewish Insider reported that Paul O’Brien made the comments in a speech given to the Washington DC-based Woman’s National Democratic Club.

His speech was reported to have included claims about what most American Jews think of Israel and what kind of country they want the Jewish state to be, citing and querying existing polling data.

Mr O’Brien reportedly asserted that the majority of American Jews would prefer Israel to be a “safe Jewish space” organised around “core Jewish values” rather than a Jewish state.

Although Mr O’Brien said that Amnesty International, which has recently and controversially characterised Israel as an “apartheid state”, acknowledges that Israel exists and holds no official opinion about the right of the Jewish people to self-determination, he is reported to have said: “I believe my gut tells me that what Jewish people in this country want is to know that there’s a sanctuary that is a safe and sustainable place that the Jews, the Jewish people can call home…I think they can be convinced over time that the key to sustainability is to adhere to what I see as core Jewish values, which are to be principled and fair and just in creating that space.”

The Executive Director of pro-Israel group Zioness said to Jewish Insider that “It is disturbing that Amnesty, which ostensibly exists to advance global human rights, could so casually deny the inalienable rights of safety and sovereignty to a nation as persecuted as the Jewish people.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination” is an example of antisemitism.

William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations, tweeted that: “It is clear that [Amnesty International’s] true vision is a Middle East without Israel as a Jewish state.”

Mr O’Brien then took to Twitter to “clarify” his remarks. He argued that the Jewish Insider had taken his comments “out of context”, claiming that he was not referring to the existence of the Jewish state, but specifically to Israel’s 2018 Nation State law, which defined Israel as “the nation-state of the Jewish people.” 

Jewish Insider later published the full audio recording and transcript of Mr O’Brien’s speech, defending its reportage of his comments.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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World’s largest group of Christian broadcasters adopts International Definition of Antisemitism

The world’s largest group of Christian broadcasters has adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Troy A. Miller, CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters, said: “Fighting antisemitism is a key issue for believers, and it’s very important that our understanding of the issue reflects cultural realities.

“An accurate and contemporary definition of antisemitism helps us to recognise and combat this form of hatred wherever it emerges.”

It was reported that South Korea adopted the Definition last year. Britain was the first country in the world to adopt the Definition, something for which Campaign Against Antisemitism and Lord Pickles worked hard over many meetings with officials at Downing Street.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

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Pennsylvania found to be worst state for white supremacist propaganda

The State of Pennsylvania was found to have more white supremacist propaganda than any other state, with antisemitic incidents in general being recorded at 150% higher than it was in 2015.

A report showed that in 2021, 473 instances of white supremacist propaganda were distributed, almost doubling the previous year’s findings for the State. 24 of these incidents occurred in Pittsburgh.

Many of these incidents were reported to have come from Patriot Front, a national white supremacist group, who are said to be responsible for 82% of the propaganda incidents in the whole of the United States. Reportedly, members of the group must meet a distribution quota to remain within the group.

The second-highest level of white supremacist propaganda was found in the State of Virginia with a recorded 375 examples. 

The findings were published in ADL’s annual assessment. 

Last month, we reported that Pennsylvania police launched an investigation after graves in three separate cemeteries were vandalised with swastikas. Photographs uploaded to Twitter show large, orange swastikas spray-painted on headstones in Montgomery County.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.

We are seeking to recruit a General Counsel a Video and Content Creator to join our London office

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Campaign Against Antisemitism is a volunteer-led charity dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism through education and zero-tolerance enforcement of the law. Everything that we do is done by people who volunteer their time, using donations contributed by members of the public. Join the fight against antisemitism by subscribing to our updates, volunteering, or donating.