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Speaker who referenced “thieving Jews” dropped by leading US political organisation

A speaker who is alleged to endorse antisemitic conspiracy theories and has apparently referred to “thieving Jews”, was dropped by a prestigious American political conference.

The online commentator known as Young Pharaoh had been due to speak at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which took place in Florida from February 25th to 28th and was addressed by former President Donald Trump.

Young Pharaoh is alleged to have called Judaism a “complete lie” and to have used the phrase “thieving Jews.” In his tweets he has allegedly said that “all the censorship and paedophilia on social media is being done by Israeli Jews” and that “YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are all owned or controlled directly by them.”

He has allegedly also promoted conspiracy theories including QAnon, which incorporates antisemitic tropes.

However, following a report by media watchdog, Media Matters, revealing his past social media comments, CPAC tweeted that a speaker with “reprehensible views” which had “no home with our conference or our organisation” had been removed from the conference programme.

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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Boston school official resigns after calling Jewish official “kike” on TV

A school official in a Boston suburb who referred to a Jewish official on television as a “kike” has announced his resignation.

Robert “Bob” Hoey Jr, a member of the school committee in Lowell, Massachusetts, was on a local talk show when he used the antisemitic slur while referring to a Jewish former official.

Two days later, a local news outlet reported that Mr Hoey had announced his resignation via Facebook Live.

On the video – which is no longer available – Mr Hoey reportedly said that he had “a big mouth” and “no control” over how he talked. He apologised to the official and said that “that word” should be condemned.

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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Nazi concentration camp guard deported from United States but German prosecutors drop case for lack of evidence

A guard at a Nazi concentration camp who has lived in the United States since 1959 has been deported to Germany.

German prosecutors, however, have dropped their case against him for lack of evidence.

Friedrich Karl Berger, 95, has admitted to working as a guard at the Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg, but he denies witnessing any killings or abuse of prisoners. During the deportation hearing, Mr Berger admitted that he had prevented prisoners from fleeing the camp.

In an interview with the Washington Post, Mr Berger claimed that he had been forced to work in the camp, had spent only a short time there and had not carried a weapon. He also said that “after 75 years” it was “ridiculous” to force him out of his home.

German police are to question him further about his wartime activities.

The US judge who last year ordered the deportation said that camp prisoners were held in “atrocious” conditions and often worked “to the point of exhaustion and death.” The Acting Attorney-General, Monty Wilkinson, said that Mr Berger’s deportation showed the administration’s commitment to ensuring that the United States was “not a safe haven for those who have participated in Nazi crimes.”

German prosecutors have continued to pursue former Nazi camp officials. In February, a 95-year-old woman who had worked as a secretary at the Stutthof camp and a 100-year-old man who was a guard at Sachsenhausen were charged with aiding and abetting mass murder.

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: US Department of Justice

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Miami shopping plaza spray-painted with antisemitic graffiti

A shopping plaza in Davie, just north of Miami, has been vandalised with antisemitic graffiti.

According to witnesses, a bank, a restaurant and other businesses were spray-painted with offensive messages.

The vandalism is being investigated by police and a $3,000 (£2,160) reward has been offered to  help find the perpetrator.

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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Vivian Kubrick reportedly shares far-right conspiracy theories

Vivian Kubrick, the daughter of famed director Stanley Kubrick, is alleged to have posted far-right conspiracy theories online.

Ms Kubrick allegedly claimed that masks were “vectors for Globalist mind control,” using a far-right trope which often carries antisemitic connotations, and compared the distribution of a coronavirus vaccine to “Nazi sterilisation experiments on Jews”.

The Daily Beast, which reported the comments, further claimed that Ms Kubrick had claimed that the COVID-19 virus is “a hoax perpetrated on our civilisation by Globalists… in collaboration with the New World Order and major transnational corporations in an effort to destroy world economies and take control.”

The report claimed that she also argued that masks were “vectors for Globalist mind control,”, and that she has also defended the far-right Proud Boys and promoted the antisemitic QAnon conspiracy theory.

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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Swastikas scrawled on walls of Jewish venue in Hollywood, Florida

Swastikas have been scrawled on a building in Hollywood, Florida.

Located on Florida’s east coast between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood is home to some 2,500 Orthodox Jews. The building on which the swastikas were drawn is understood to be a venue for Jewish lifecycle events and parties. 

The city’s police department was alerted.

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: StopAntisemitism.Org

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Democrats blasted for giving senior human rights role to congresswoman described as “virulent antisemite”

A Democratic congresswoman described as a “virulent antisemite” has been given a senior foreign-affairs role in “upholding and protecting” human rights.

Ilhan Omar, a Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota who was re-elected in November, has in the past accused Israel of “hypnotising” the world. She apologised for the remark, but subsequently alleged that American political leaders’ support for Israel is “all about the Benjamins” (a reference to $100 bills that feature the likeness of Benjamin Franklin) and, following criticism, doubled down by complaining that it seemed to be “okay to push for allegiance to a foreign country.”

Rep. Omar’s comments employ classic antisemitic tropes about Jewish influence, wealth, dual loyalty and conspiracy and she has persistently faced significant criticism. A former Republican White House speechwriter has now branded her a “virulent antisemite” and described her promotion to Vice-Chair of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Global Human Rights as “absolutely appalling”.

In the past, Congressional Republicans took steps to ostracise Rep. Steve King after he made comments sympathetic to the far-right, and he subsequently lost a party primary in Iowa as a result and is no longer in Congress. Recently, another Republican congresswoman, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, has been heavily criticised and stripped of committee appointments after making antisemitic statements.

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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Mayor slams “hate crime” as synagogue in Spokane, WA is vandalised

A synagogue in Spokane, Washington was vandalised with swastikas and antisemitic graffiti on 8th February.

Police are trying to identify the perpetrator of the vandalism at Temple Beth Shalom, who was allegedly caught on surveillance video.

The congregation’s Rabbi Tamar Malino told local news that a white power symbol was also painted on a window. She said that it was “horribly upsetting and frightening” to know that there was “that much hatred out there”. She added that she believed that this was more troubling than an incident five years ago, saying that this was “really different” from a small chalked image; this time the perpetrator used “big, bold red writing on the outside of the building.”

Mayor Nadine Woodward called it “a hate crime” and said that the symbols and writings were “disgusting” and “desecrate a place of worship.” The Mayor added: “This type of hate and divisiveness in our community will never be tolerated.”

Describing the incident as “reprehensible”, Police Chief Craig Meidl said: “There is no place for hate-mongering in our community.” He  said that police were committed to doing everything possible to arrest the perpetrator. “We will always stand with those who are the target of hate and bigotry,” he declared.

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: Spokane Police Department

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Kindergarten teacher sacked for “demonic” Jews tweet

A kindergarten teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina was sacked after posting an abusive and antisemitic tweet that talked about “demonic” Jews.

The tweet, from Jarrin Wooten’s account, stated: “Hitler was trying to keep those demonic … Rothschilds and fractional reserve banks out of Germany and then we let those same ‘Jews’ come to America and teach us he was a terrorist…all I’ll say is look into it some more.”

After a Jewish watchdog group tied Mr Wooten to the Charlotte school, the regional superintendent began an investigation.

Mr Wooten initially claimed that his account had been hacked and said that, as someone who had “experienced racism,” he would not post such a tweet. Shortly after, the school board chair, Bryan Ives, issued a statement saying the claim was false and the teacher had been sacked. The tweet violated the school’s social media and discrimination policies, said Mr Ives adding that “hateful speech and discrimination against any person of any religion, race or colour,” would not be tolerated.

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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Swastikas appear at Kansas City prep school

A swastika and antisemitic graffiti were discovered on a student’s desk at the Pembroke Hill School, Kansas City on 27th January. The incident occurred on the same day that the school formally recognised International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

School officials have declined to provide further details on the contents of the antisemitic graffiti.

A Jewish parent of a student at the school claimed that this vandalism is not an isolated incident and it is rather part of an increasingly concerning pattern. According to local press, several incidents of antisemitic behaviour have been reported at Pembroke Hill School, including swastikas graffitied across a Jewish student’s locker and a bathroom wall. On another occasion, a student allegedly raised his arm in a Nazi salute while shouting antisemitic epithets at a Jewish student.

In a letter to parents on 27th January, the head of the school maintained that the recent incident would be harnessed to educate the community and student body on the impact of intolerance and prejudice, and the importance of respect.

Pembroke Hill School officials stated that disciplinary action will be taken against whoever is responsible for the recent incident and the school will continue to uphold a zero tolerance for actions or symbols that reinforce “any form of bigotry”. The school has been unable to identify the perpetrator, however it remains under investigation.

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

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Former Miami police employee investigated for drunken, antisemitic rant

A Florida police department is to investigate an incident in which a former civilian employee engaged in a furious antisemitic rant, telling an elderly man: “Move your f***ing car, you stupid Jew.”

A video of Leslie Socolov, 64, a retired police stenographer with the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), went viral after being posted on Twitter by an online antisemitism watchdog. Wearing her uniform jacket on which “Miami-Dade Homicide” was clearly visible, Ms Socolov was filmed in a restaurant car park in Boca Raton, screaming at the 78-year-old man.

Ms Socolov was seen running to the SUV and telling the driver: “Move your f***ing car, you stupid Jew!” Slurring her words and appearing unsteady on her feet, she continued: “You f***ing piece of s***. Just because you’re Jewish and a Democrat doesn’t give you the right to stay there. Move it!”

Prior to her rant, Ms Socolov had allegedly rammed the SUV with her Prius. The SUV driver called emergency services. Ms Socolov was arrested by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office.

Denying that she was antisemitic and claiming that she was Jewish, Ms Socolov said, “I’m not antisemitic, I’m getting persecuted,” adding: “Look at these Democrats getting away with bulls***.”

In a statement, MDPD condemned its former employee of 20 years and said that it was investigating. It described the “hateful speech” as “appalling”.

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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Suspicious fire at Chabad Jewish centre near Boston

A fire is believed to have been deliberately started at a Jewish centre in a small Massachusetts town near Boston.

Authorities are investigating a blaze in the early hours of the morning in a “dumpster” at Chabad of Sharon, Mass. The centre incorporates a synagogue, a school and other learning and recreational facilities.

There is not yet proof of arson but police are reportedly investigating the fire as suspicious.

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 Republican in Congress faces expulsion from committees over antisemitic conspiracy theories

An American congresswoman who has promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theory faces expulsion from her committee posts.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican congresswoman from Georgia who was elected in November, is assigned to two Congressional committees by the House Republican Leader. But Democrats have introduced a resolution to strip Rep. Greene of her committee roles over a series of social media posts in which she has espoused a number of conspiracy theories.

In one Facebook post, for example, she suggested that the 2018 California wildfires had been started for financial gain by the Rothschilds in collusion with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) using a space laser to clear areas for a high-speed rail project. “Forests don’t just catch fire, you know,” she wrote, adding that there were “too many coincidences to ignore.”

In other posts she has promoted the antisemitic conspiracy theory called the “Great Replacement,” which alleges that “Zionist supremacists” are secretly masterminding Muslim immigration to Europe to make white Europeans a minority.

Ms Greene has advanced the QAnon conspiracy theory, which includes antisemitic tropes, and wrote in one post that the Rothschild family and the controversial Jewish financier George Soros were involved in a plot against President Trump.

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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Facebook promotes new resources on Holocaust education in effort to make up for years of allowing Holocaust deniers to run amok

Facebook is now promoting new resources on Holocaust education in an apparent effort to compensate for years of allowing Holocaust deniers to run amok on its platform.

In a statement, the technology company said: “We will begin to connect people with authoritative information about the Holocaust. Anyone who searches on Facebook for terms associated with either the Holocaust or Holocaust denial will see a message from Facebook encouraging them to connect with credible information about the Holocaust off Facebook.

“We’re taking these steps given the well-documented rise in antisemitism globally and the alarming level of ignorance about the Holocaust, especially among young people. We want to help our community learn about the events that led to the Holocaust and the genocide of one-third of the Jewish people.”

The announcement comes after a report argued last year that Facebook’s algorithm “actively promoted” Holocaust denial content, and following revelations about white supremacist activity on the platform.

Last year, Facebook banned Holocaust denial on its platform and moved against promotion of the antisemitic QAnon conspiracy theory.

Campaign Against Antisemitism joined a global coalition of 140 groups to write to Facebook last year urging it to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism

.Campaign Against Antisemitism continues its robust engagement with social media companies over the content that they enable to be published, and we continue to make representations to the Government in this connection.

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Billboard campaign and significant rewards offered in search for antisemitic Alabama vandal

A campaign to find the perpetrator of antisemitic attacks on two Jewish sites in Huntsville, Alabama, will include digital billboards.

The billboards are part of a campaign to find the perpetrator behind antisemitic graffiti daubed at the Etz Chayim Synagogue and at Chabad of Huntsville last April. Rewards totalling $18,000 (£13,000) are being offered. The FBI is offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to arrest and conviction, while the ADL is offering a separate $2,000 reward and Huntsville Area Crime Stoppers a further $1,000.

Based on surveillance footage, investigators believe the same man vandalised both locations. They hope to be helped to find him through “digital billboards across north Alabama and southern Tennessee,” according to a press release.

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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Antisemitic slurs as elite San Francisco school’s virtual lesson is hacked

Antisemitic and anti-black racist slurs and pornographic images appeared online when a virtual lesson being given by an elite San Francisco school was hacked.

According to the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), the hacking took place during an anti-racism talk to students of Lowell High School. The SFUSD said that students were using the Padlet platform to share reflections on anti-racism lessons when the messages and images appeared.

The SFUSD said its Department of Technology were trying to identify the hacker and trace the origin of the posts.

Lowell principal Dacotah Swett issued a video statement, saying: “My heart goes out to the members of our community who were targeted — our Black and Jewish students.” Directing comments to the perpetrators, she said that she would pursue “by all means available” to her those who made “these racist and antisemitic attacks on our community.”

Noting that their “words and actions” had no place at Lowell, she added: “Your actions constitute hate speech and you will be held accountable.”

Students from Lowell High School have complained about ongoing racism at the elite school where nearly 70% of students are either Asian-American or White. Less than 2% of students are Black, and 12% are Hispanic.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that a petition had been started by a Lowell teacher and black student calling for a federal investigation into the hacking.

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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“Hitler was right, we need a new Hitler”: California lawyer under fire following reported antisemitic posts on social media

Southwestern Law School has issued an unequivocal condemnation of the “intensely offensive antisemitic statements” reportedly expressed by an alumnus.

A recent report revealed that a California lawyer, Farhad Khorasani, posted a number of hateful and antisemitic statements on social media across his personal platforms.

In past Facebook posts, Mr Khorasani claimed that Israel is “the main enemy of the human race and the world” and its supporters are a “satanical cartel”. He made a further statement that read: “the Jew anywhere is an existential threat to Aryans, Muslims and Iranians everywhere. Hitler has proved that he knew these terrorist semites very well. Hitler was right, we need a new Hitler”.

The lawyer, who has his own firm, has also previously promoted Holocaust denial and alleged that Israel was responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a common antisemitic conspiracy theory.

The California Bar Association stated that it investigated the complaints made against Mr Khorasani, however it said that they would not pursue any disciplinary action against the Iranian-American international lawyer.

In an Instagram post on 23rd January, Mr Khorasani claimed that his social media accounts had been hacked and that he was not responsible for the hateful content. He issued an apology and the posts were removed.

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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Early retirement for NYPD anti-discrimination officer in “racist” message scandal

The former head of New York Police Department’s discrimination office who was accused of posting “hateful” online messages is reportedly to retire.

A spokesperson for the New York Police Department said that Deputy Inspector James Kobel, commanding officer of the Equal Employment Opportunity Division, had submitted retirement papers shortly after the department said that it was planning to suspend him.

Mr Kobel is alleged to have used the name “Clouseau” on a message board called The Rant where law-enforcement officials post anonymously. As Clouseau, he is alleged to have posted antisemitic, anti-Black, misogynist and homophobic slurs. Commenting on an article about Orthodox Jews tired of being photographed by tourists, Clouseau said: “I think that eventually all of the inbreeding may lead to the demise of these clowns. The severity of birth defects will only increase. Unfortunately, the local taxpayer is going to be on the hook for the bill when the children need special programs in the local school districts and the parents continue to leach [sic] off the system.”

The Oversight Division of the New York City Council identified Mr Kobel as “Clouseau”. He Mr denied the charge but was suspended pending an investigation, and has now resigned. The Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, had said that Mr Kobel should be “terminated immediately” if found guilty.

The head of Mr Kobel’s union said that Mr Kobel had retired to avoid a departmental disciplinary hearing, believing that, “given the current political climate”, he did not expect to “get a fair administrative trial”.

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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GitHub HR chief resigns after investigation into firing of Jewish employee over comments on attack on Capitol Building

A Microsoft-owned company has apologised over the dismissal of a Jewish employee who referenced “Nazis” in a comment to colleagues, and the company’s Head of Human Resources has resigned over the episode.

GitHub, a code-sharing site for software developers, said on Sunday that its Head of HR had resigned after an investigation into the employee’s dismissal uncovered “significant errors” in judgment and procedure.

In an interview published on TechCrunch, the employee said that on 6th January, the day on which the Capitol Building was breached, he had made a comment on the Slack messaging service cautioning colleagues in Washington D.C. to “Stay safe homies, Nazis are about.” Two days later, on 8th January, the employee was allegedly fired by GitHub.

According to a statement from Chief Operating Officer Erica Brescia, other GitHub employees raised concerns about the dismissal and an independent investigation was launched. The company found that there had been “significant errors of judgment and procedure”, she said. In a blog post on Sunday, Ms Brescia said that the Head of HR had “taken personal accountability and resigned.” She added: “To the employee we wish to say publicly, ‘we sincerely apologise’.”

GitHub Chief Executive Officer Nat Friedman acknowledged in a post that the violent mob had included “Nazis and white supremacists.” In a statement, Mr Friedman said: “Employees are free to express concerns about Nazis, antisemitism, white supremacy or any other form of discrimination or harassment in internal discussions.”

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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Recently accused of failing to protect rights of Jewish students, Georgia Tech now adopts International Definition of Antisemitism

A US college which was at the centre of a row over antisemitism and failing to protect the rights of Jewish students has reached an agreement with the complainant and adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism.

In January 2020, the Georgia Institute of Technology – known as Georgia Tech – was accused of “failing to confront antisemitism and protect the rights of Jewish students.” The accusation came after Lauren Blazofsky, the then-director of Georgia Tech Hillel, was barred from attending a campus event called “Palestine 101”.

On behalf of Hillels of Georgia, the American Centre for Law and Justice asked the US Department of Education to investigate whether Ms Blazofsky was barred from attending because she was Jewish.

On 19th January, the College announced that the parties had reached an agreement and that the case was closed. A College statement declared: “Antisemitism and any other forms of discrimination are not acceptable,” and confirmed that the College was adopting the Definition.

Ms Blazofsky, who is now Associate Director of Hillel at Emory University, said that she was pleased with the outcome, noting that the  “goal all along” had been to ensure that Jewish students could “rely on Georgia Tech to protect them when faced with antisemitism or discrimination.” She added that she was happy to see that the College had recognised the Definition, as it means that the College can “move forward to educate the community about all forms of modern antisemitism.”

Mark Goldfeder, the lawyer who handled the case, said he believed the “unified statement” on this issue would “help prevent any future instances of antisemitic behaviour, and ensure that if something does happen it is dealt with appropriately.”

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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“Zionist Brain” Professor at University of California Merced will not teach upcoming semester

A professor at the University of California Merced will not be teaching in the upcoming semester after he was revealed to have allegedly posted antisemitic tweets.

Prof. Abbas Ghassemi, who teaches engineering at UC Merced, will not be teaching in the upcoming Spring semester, according to reports.

Prof. Ghassemi has deleted a Twitter account, dating from July 2019, from which he allegedly tweeted a drawing labelled “the Zionist Brain” that divided an image of a brain into sections that used antisemitic tropes such as avarice and “world domination”. Other areas of the brain were labelled “land usurpation” and “compulsive-lying”. The same image has been seen on a website dedicated to peddling antisemitic conspiracy theories.

Other tweets included wording such as “Surprise, surprise!! The entire system in America is controlled by [the] Zionist. Change of president is just a surface polish, change of veneer. Same trash different pile!” and “the Zionists and IsraHell interest have embedded themselves in every component of the American system, media, banking, policy, commerce…just a veneer of serving US interest and population – everyone pretends that is the case.”

When the tweets were first revealed, a spokesperson for UC Merced said:“As the now-inactive Twitter account made clear, these were the opinions of a private individual.” But since then it is understood that an investigation has been opened and is still ongoing while Prof. Ghassemi is apparently suspended.

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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Calls from British far-right to emulate attack on US Capitol in the UK spark concern

Concerns have been raised by calls from the British far-right to emulate the attack on the US Capitol in the UK.

Posts on 4chan and Gab, both networks popular with the far-right, were of particular concern, including a Gab group called Britfam with close to 5,000 British members.

A significant proportion of the posts were reportedly threats against British politicians and calls for action emulating the attack on the US Capitol, and included antisemitic abuse toward social media companies (for example, “another Jew silencing us”), the British Prime Minister and the President of the United States. 

There were also references to the Rothschilds and Israeli involvement.

Research by the Community Security Trust and Hope Not Hate suggests that calls for violence currently remain marginal, but called for vigilance from Government.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has been monitoring and acting against the threat from the far-right for years and continues to support the authorities following suit.

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“Potent symbol of white supremacy” placed at New York City Holocaust museum

A Confederate flag, described as “a potent symbol of white supremacy” was placed at a New York City Holocaust museum on Friday.

The incident at the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust came two days after the incident at the US Capitol which featured far-right activity.

Jack Kliger, the museum’s President and CEO, said that the police had been informed. In a statement, he described the flag as “a potent symbol of white supremacy, as evidenced by the events at the US Capitol this week”, adding that the incident showed that “hate has now arrived at our doorstep.”

The New York Police Department confirmed that the incident was being investigated, but did not confirm whether it was being treated as a “bias crime”. The spokesperson called it an “atrocious” act.

The museum played a central role in New York’s efforts to combat antisemitism in early 2020 after Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed that every pupil in a New York City public school should be required to visit a museum dedicated to the Holocaust.

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 family subjected to antisemitic abuse on Manhattan’s Upper West Side

A Jewish family was subjected to antisemitic abuse while walking on New York’s Upper West Side on 3rd January.

Dovid Efune, who runs the New York-based Jewish newspaper The Algemeiner, was walking with his wife and three young children when a man accosted them with hostile questions and antisemitic insults.

Mr Efune, who wears a kipper and tzitzit (ritual fringes) and describes himself as “conspicuously Jewish”, gave a first-person account to his newspaper saying that as he and his family were walking on Broadway and 82nd Street, a man began walking alongside and calling out questions about Jews. After being asked to go away, the man allegedly said: “Why aren’t you in Israel? Are you not Jewish?” After being asked more forcefully to go away, he allegedly shouted “Go to Israel” and then “Heil Hitler!”

Mr Efune said that the man “eventually took off” when he began calling the police, adding that the police “never arrived.”

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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US soldier who allegedly posted antisemitic joke heading for dismissal

The US Army is reportedly likely to dismiss an officer who posted an antisemitic video that went viral.

Second Lieutenant Nathaniel Freihofer, based at Fort Stewart, Georgia, was suspended from leadership roles after he allegedly posted antisemitic material on the social media platform, TikTok, in August.

An investigation was launched into the post, which allegedly included jokes about Jews and the Holocaust.

This week, the commander of the XVII Airborne Corps, Lieutenant General Michael Kurilla, said that the “antisemitic statement” was “inappropriate for anyone in a position of leadership”. As a result, the commander had recommended his dismissal and had “initiated the process” of removing the officer, explained a spokesman.

The officer, who has two weeks to offer a final defence, has posted thousands of photos and videos to social-media platforms and has some 3 million followers.

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 fliers distributed in Lexington, KY in second anti-Jewish incident in the city in as many months

Small posters with Quick Response (QR) codes that link to racist and antisemitic material were distributed around the centre of Lexington over the weekend of 2nd and 3rd January.

It is the second incident of anti-Jewish racism in the Kentucky city. In December a member of Lexington’s Jewish community was assaulted outside the Chabad House during the festival of Chanukah.

Following the latest incident at the weekend, Lexington Rabbi Shlomo Litvin is calling on the community to speak out.

In a statement Rabbi Litvin said that over the weekend “dozens of stickers” had been “illegally plastered around downtown Lexington.” He said that they had “links to incoherent racist and antisemitic drivel”.

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

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Neo-Nazis among those who breached US Capitol building, after former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke calls on followers to go to Washington DC

Photographs have emerged showing that neo-Nazis did respond to calls by Dr David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), and others to attend the demonstration that turned into an attack on the US Capitol building yesterday.

Amongst those who breached the building were men photographed wearing slogans such as “Camp Auschwitz, Work Brings Freedom”, referring to Nazi Germany’s genocide of six million Jews in the Holocaust and the slogan above the gates of Auschwitz, one of the most notorious concentration camps where over a million people were murdered. The back of the clothing reportedly read “Staff”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Online Monitoring and Investigations Unit observed neo-Nazis calling for attendance at the protest, including Dr Duke, who used an hour-long internet radio broadcast carried by the ShoutCast internet radio network and monitored by Campaign Against Antisemitism, to exhort his followers to join the protest to defend the United States against a supposed Jewish conspiracy to overthrow President Donald Trump. Dr Duke was joined throughout the broadcast by British Holocaust denier Andrew Carrington Hitchcock.

A number of antisemitic extremists were reportedly sighted at the march, from white supremacists of the National Anarchist Movement to black supremacist Black Hebrew Israelites.

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 flyers claiming Antifa is a “Jewish Communist Militia” found in Staten Island, New York

According to a local news outlet, several antisemitic flyers were discovered in public areas of Staten Island, New York on 2nd January.

The content claimed that the far-left group Antifa operates as a “Jewish communist militia” that is engaged in an active “war against all non-Jewish European-American nationalists”. The flyer claimed that this “war” is “anti-white nationalist, anti-American, [and] anti-Christian”.

Four of the flyers were spotted in total by local residents on a single commercial stretch. Two were attached to a medical office building, with one located on a bus stop, and the fourth was posted on a sign in a supermarket car park. Another flyer had been reported the previous day.

The name and website address of the New Jersey European Heritage (NJEHA), a New-Jersey based white supremacist group, were listed on the posters. One article on the website makes reference to the “forces of international Zionism acting through the Jewish supremacist state of Israel”. The NJEHA is known to encourage members to spread hateful propaganda through printed stickers, leaflets and flyers.

In January 2020 similar flyers were discovered in the same area that detailed 9/11 conspiracy theories which suggested that the Jewish people were responsible for the terrorist attack.

The New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force is currently responding to the recent incident and investigations remain ongoing.

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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Four Brooklyn synagogues daubed with antisemitic slogans in single night

Four Brooklyn synagogues were vandalised with antisemitic graffiti on a single night.

According to the New York Police Department, four synagogues in the Midwood area of Brooklyn were vandalised on Saturday night, 26th December, between 12:20 and 13:30, when graffiti and antisemitic phrases were daubed on four synagogues. The perpetrator allegedly also broke into one synagogue where he damaged property and stole a small amount of cash.

The perpetrator was allegedly caught on surveillance video vandalising one of the synagogues.

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: New York Police Department

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Antisemitic vandalism “deeply disturbing” says Maryland mayor

A car was spray-painted with a swastika in the Maryland city of Takoma Park in the run-up to the Christmas holidays.

In a statement released on 24th December, the city’s Mayor Kate Stewart described the antisemitic incident as “deeply disturbing.” She said Takoma Park Police were investigating the incident, which had been referred to the county’s hate crimes unit.

In her statement, Mayor Stewart said that she was aware of incidents of anti-Jewish racism in other parts of the United States and abroad, which she “strongly” deplored adding that Takoma Park condemned all antisemitism, Holocaust denial and “distortions about Judaism and Jewish life and culture”.

She also condemned a further incident of racism against the African-American community in the city in which two murals were vandalised.

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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United States “deeply concerned” by Pakistan Court ruling to release Daniel Pearl’s Killers

The United States has expressed deep concerns over the recent Sindh High Court ruling to release several convicted terrorists responsible for the abduction and murder of American-Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl.

On 24th December 2020, the Sindh High Court issued an order for the release of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Fahad Naseem, Sheikh Adil and Salman Saqib as their convictions were overturned.

Mr Sheikh was sentenced to death by a Pakistani court in 2002 for organising and leading the kidnap and murder of Mr Pearl. The four accused have been in jail for the last eighteen years after the Jewish Wall Street Journal reporter was brutally murdered in the country’s capital in January of that year.

In April 2019, a lower court had commuted Mr Sheikh’s sentence to a seven-year prison term and advocated for his immediate release. Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled that his detention should be extended for a week and it would then rule on his potential release while the case was appealed.

The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs of the US State Department tweeted that the accused have not been released at this time and that the case is ongoing. The four are reportedly being held under the emergency orders of the local government throughout an ongoing appeal against their acquittals.

According to acting US Attorney-General Jeffrey Rosen, if efforts to reinstate Mr Sheik’s conviction are not successful the United States “stands ready” to take custody of him to stand trial.

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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Leila Khaled resolution by “fringe” academic union at CUNY is “declaration of war” on Jewish community, say activists

Members of a “fringe” academic-staff union at the City University of New York (CUNY) have “declared war on the Jewish community,” according to an advocacy group that fights anti-Jewish racism on campus.

The accusation came after CUNY’s Professional Staff Congress (PSC) International Committee passed a resolution last week condemning what it called the “censorship” of a virtual event with terrorist hijacker Leila Khaled.

As a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Ms Khaled took part in two terrorist hijackings in 1969 and 1970. The U.S. Government has designated the PFLP as a terrorist organisation.

Ms Khaled was due to take part in the virtual event entitled “Whose Narratives? Gender, Justice, & Resistance: A conversation with Leila Khaled”.  It had been widely promoted on social media and was due to have been live-streamed on Zoom. But the video-conferencing platform and social-media platforms, including YouTube and Facebook, withdrew.

The resolution also cited “a pressure campaign” by various anti-racism groups, which it blamed for the decisions by the platforms to drop the event.

The Lawfare Project stated that “this resolution was passed so that CUNY PSC could set up a committee and begin fundraising against our efforts to keep terrorists and Jew-hatred off campuses. In doing so, this fringe union has declared war on the Jewish 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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Hate crime unit seeks suspects for antisemitic graffiti at Brooklyn yeshiva

Two suspects are being sought by New York’s hate crimes task force after “despicable” antisemitic graffiti was sprayed on the wall of a Brooklyn yeshiva.

The incident took place in the early afternoon of 13th December at the Meslias Bais Yaakov yeshiva. The city’s Hate Crimes Task Force posted video footage of two men vandalising the building with spray-paint.

In a tweet, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio described it as a “despicable” act. Governor Andrew Cuomo said that it was “simply despicable” that the “bigoted attack” took place as “the family of New York celebrated Chanukah”.

Saying that he was “disgusted”, Gov. Cuomo called for the Hate Crimes Task Force to investigate and added: “The fact that these vandals targeted an institution focused on educating our children makes their act of hate even more reprehensible.”

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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“A cowardly act”: Florida food festival sign altered by antisemitic vandals

A sign for a Jewish food festival in Sarasota County, Florida, was reportedly targeted for antisemitic vandalism on 14th December.

Letters on a sign announcing the postponement of the Jewish food festival in Venice were rearranged to say: “Jews postponed until February 2022”. Rabbi Ben Shull of the Venice Jewish Congregation said that “such cowardly acts of hatred” would not “make us back away from living proudly as Jews and active members of the larger Venice community.”

He also said that he was confident that the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and the Venice Interfaith Community Association would work together to educate the wider community “about the nature and sources of antisemitism.” In July, two synagogues in Sarasota were vandalised with antisemitic graffiti. In October, the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee hired its first community security director.

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 sprayed on home in heavily Jewish neighbourhood in Queens

Antisemitic graffiti was sprayed on a home in a heavily Jewish neighbourhood in Queens in New York City on 16th December.

The antisemitic and misogynistic graffiti was sprayed in black paint across a large area of white fencing that faces a busy road. The owner of the Forest Hills home is not Jewish.

Condemning the incident, Assembly Member Dan Rosenthal said: “This kind of hate isn’t welcome here.” He said that the New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force was investigating it as a “possible bias incident”.

Noting that Queens was a “diverse borough”, he said that it was “extremely disturbing” that somebody would want to make people feel unwelcome.

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: Assembly Member Dan Rosenthal

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Neo-Nazi “6 million wasn’t enough” t-shirts removed from sale by Amazon

T-shirts and other items claiming “6 million wasn’t enough” were briefly being sold on Amazon earlier this month.

T-shirts, hoodies and cups, emblazoned with “6MWE”, the neo-Nazi acronym for the phrase “6 million wasn’t enough”, were allegedly offered for sale on Amazon via a third party from 16th December. All of the items were removed after Amazon was made aware of the offending items.

Confirming that the products had been removed, an Amazon spokesperson reportedly said: “All sellers must follow our selling guidelines.” Those who do not would be “subject to action including potential removal of their account.”

The t-shirts were similar to those worn by members of the far-right Proud Boys group in recent rallies.

The neo-Nazi items were allegedly also available for a short time at American online site Teespring, but the apparel site reportedly said that the neo-Nazi attire had been removed and the seller “permanently banned”, with a spokesperson noting that the site “categorically” did not “allow or condone” harmful content that may lead to “harassment or violence” or “threats to the health and safety of the public.”

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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FBI joins investigation into hack of Long Island Jewish school’s website with Nazi images and slurs

The website of the North Shore Hebrew Academy High School’s was overtaken with antisemitic images, offensive slurs and songs in a cyber attack that occurred on 14th December.

The homepage presented a large swastika with a video clip of marching Nazi SS guards, and another section read “North Shore Hebrew Death Camp”. One page included details of a “field trip” to Auschwitz and listed the application deadline as “January 1945”. The description stated that students would be made to “walk into an SS office and declare themselves as Jews”.

Personal information, including the addresses and credit card details, of students and staff at the Long Island school were also harvested in the suspected cyber-breach.

The hacking of the website is believed to have lasted several hours before the webpage was taken down by administrators.

The Headmaster of the school has reassured the community that the Nassau County Police are currently investigating the incident, and the FBI has now joined the investigation.

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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Menorah vandalised at Ivy League college

An outdoor menorah on the campus of Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, was vandalised on the seventh night of Chanukah.  

Rabbi Moshe Gray, who runs the Chabad centre on the Ivy League college campus, said that he discovered seven of the menorah’s electric lights had been shot and damaged by a pellet gun as he prepared to turn it on for the seventh night. A nearby Christmas tree was left unharmed, he noted, indicating that the menorah was likely deliberately targeted. There are around 400 Jewish students at Dartmouth out of a total of 4,000.

Rabbi Gray reportedly said that “it was pretty shocking” to realise somebody deliberately shot the menorah.

Dartmouth President Philip Hanlon said that the vandalism was “an affront to all.” In a letter, he said: “To the Jewish members of our community…we stand with you in anger and sadness at this despicable act, which is much more than vandalism or a prank…”

This is the latest in a string of antisemitic incidents in the United States during Chanukah.

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: Rabbi Moshe Gray

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US Antisemitism monitor to become Ambassador to aid fight against anti-Jewish racism

A bill raising the status of the United States’ antisemitism monitor to “Ambassador-at-Large” was passed unanimously by the US Senate on 16th December.

The post of Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism was created in 2004 by the US Congress to combat anti-Jewish racism overseas. As ambassador, the envoy will have easier access to the Secretary of State as well as increased funding. It is also believed that recommendations are more likely to be seen as having the backing of the administration.

Nevada Democrat Senator Jacky Rosen, who led sponsorship of the bipartisan bill, said that, as antisemitism continued to rise at “an alarming rate across the globe”, it was “critical” to elevate the monitor role. The House of Representatives passed a similar bill last year, meaning it is almost certain to become law soon.

Jewish groups welcomed the measure.

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 hero of Chanukah” is assaulted while trying to protecting menorah-lighting

A Jewish man in Lexington, Kentucky was assaulted outside a Chabad House as members of the Jewish community prepared to light the Menorah for the festival of Chanukah.

According to a Facebook post by Blue Grass Chabad, members of the local community were preparing to light the Menorah on the third night of Chanukah when a car drove up and allegedly nearly hit the volunteer camera crew. The driver began yelling abuse and the man, who was helping in the lighting, then “heroically” stepped between the assailant and the Chabad House where children were gathered.

The attacker allegedly grabbed the man and held his arm, “dragging him for a block, and running over his leg,” before speeding off.

According to the post, before leaving for the hospital, the “newest hero of Chanukah insisted we light the Menorah, and not allow darkness to quench our light.” The post also expressed thanks to the Lexington Police Department and emergency medical services for their quick response to the incident.

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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Accusations of antisemitism return to a New York village

The Justice Department announced on 2nd December 2020 that it had filed a lawsuit against the village of Airmont, New York, with allegations that it violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalised Persons Act.

It was reported that the village had targeted the local Orthodox Jewish community through zoning ordinances that restricted and prevented the potential approval of religious schools and synagogues. The complaint alleged further that, by enforcing its zoning code in a discriminatory manner and an implementation of an eighteen-month moratorium, Orthodox Jews were intentionally limited from using their private property to construct Sukkahs (tabernacles) and Mikvahs (ritual huts), in line with religious observance.

In 1995 the village’s first Mayor, trustees and zoning board reportedly engaged in a conspiracy to deprive Orthodox Jewish residents of their civil rights to practice their faith freely, with one local allegedly stating: “the only reason we formed this village is to keep those Jews…out of here.”

The Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division stated that the recent alleged abuse of power was explicitly aimed at the exclusion of a specific minority group from the wider community and it was therefore “unlawful” and overtly antisemitic in nature.

The Department of Justice has assured residents that it will continue to use “full force” to ensure that the right to worship with undue interference is protected to prevent a recurrence.

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 suspected of screaming antisemitic abuse at Jewish father and son in South Florida is arrested

A man has been arrested on charges, including assault, after reports that he chanted antisemitic remarks at a man and his twelve-year-old son who were visiting South Florida.

According to local authorities, the victims were subjected to the verbal abuse on the evening of 13th December by a lone assailant. The attacker reportedly began shouting, “I am going to f****** kill you, you f****** Jews”, and followed the father and son when they tried to escape into a local eatery.

Other members of the Jewish community gathered around the father and son to offer support, and the offender subsequently screamed antisemitic and hateful language at the group of adults and children. He left before the authorities arrived at the scene.

After an alert was issued to the public, the suspect was arrested on 14th December. Two hunting knives were discovered in his backpack upon arrest and he reportedly continued to make antisemitic comments while in custody.

He is currently held in Miami-Dade’s Turner Guildford Knight Correctional Centre on a $3,500 bond.

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.

Member of neo-Nazi Atomwaffen Division in Seattle sentenced to 16 months in prison after making threats to Jewish journalists and activists

A member of a neo-Nazi group that made terror threats against American Jewish journalists and activists was sentenced to sixteen months in federal prison in Washington state.

Prosecutors said Johnny Roman Garza, 21, a member of the Atomwaffen Division (German for “Atomic weapon”) went to the home of a Jewish journalist and put a poster on a window showing the journalist’s name and address, a house-fire and a figure in a skull mask holding a Molotov cocktail.

He was also convicted of threatening members of the organisation and targeting people in several states outside Washington.

Mr Garza was one of four men indicted for conspiracy and cyber-stalking. Prosecutors accepted that he was not the leader but had “enthusiastically embraced” the plot, researching addresses of journalists and “those who oppose hate.” The alleged leaders are scheduled for trial in March. Another man pleaded guilty in September and will be sentenced in February.

According to a prosecutor, Mr Garza said that the plot was “designed to have them all wake up one morning and find themselves terrorised by targeted propaganda.”

In sentencing Mr Garza, District Judge John Coughenour said that prison was necessary, “given the severity”, but that the sentence was less than the recommended term as he had factored in his age and “turbulent childhood” as well as his belief that Mr Garza was genuinely remorseful.

Atomwaffen Division is an paramilitary neo-Nazi group that trains its members in the use of firearms and reportedly seeks to ignite a race war in 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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Idaho Anne Frank memorial defaced with swastikas

The Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise was defaced with Swastikas and antisemitic messages on 1st December.

The Memorial, dedicated in 2002, is an adjunct to Boise’s Wassmuth Centre for Human Rights, which shared photos on Facebook showing the swastikas and racist messages.

Describing the memorial as “the heart” of Boise, Dan Prinzing, Executive Director of the Wassmuth Centre, said it was “a sad day”  and the organisation was questioning why “hate has become so emboldened.” 

Mr Prinzing said that police were investigating, though the incident was not immediately designated as a hate crime. 

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: Wassmuth Center for Human Rights

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Germany drops investigation into “possibly the last” Nazi guard, who is currently living in America

Germany has dropped an investigation into a Nazi guard expected to be “possibly the last” suspect allegedly complicit in the Holocaust.

Friedrich Karl Berger, 95, has been living in the US since 1959. He was accused of aiding and abetting the killing of prisoners as a guard at two concentration camps as well as overseeing a brutal evacuation march.

In March, a court ordered Berger’s deportation saying that he was “part of the SS machinery of oppression.”

However, German prosecutors claimed that American investigations had not found further evidence or been able to link Mr Berger “to any specific act of killing”, adding that no further information could be expected from a hearing in Germany.

Mr Berger was allegedly a guard in forced labour camps. Though not extermination camps, thousands died due to horrific living conditions and malnutrition.

In 1979, the US government created the Office of Special Investigations to find Nazis. According to its director, the unit helped to bring about 67 deportations, with Mr Berger’s case expected to be “possibly the last.” The most recent such deportation was of a 95-year-old former SS guard in 2018.

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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Iowa synagogue daubed with New Testament hate reference

An Iowa synagogue was defaced with antisemitic graffiti on the first night of Chanukah, 10th December.

The phrase “John 8:44” was daubed near the entrance to Temple Emanuel in Davenport, Iowa. This is a New Testament verse stating: “You belong to your father the devil and you want to carry out your father’s desires.” It implies that Jews are the spawn of the devil, explained the congregation’s Rabbi Linda Bertenthal.

Rabbi Bertenthal said that she knew that “Christian and Muslim friends” and “atheist friends” in the region were united against acts of hate, but it was “still deeply upsetting.”

An investigation by Davenport Police is continuing.

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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Financial Times fails to recognise antisemitic blood libel and refuses to apologise for providing no clarification in the article

The Financial Times has failed to recognise an antisemitic blood libel that it printed and has refused to apologise or provide any clarification in the article.

In an article published on 19th November about a visit by the U.S. Secretary of State to a winery in Psagot, the reporter wrote: “The fate of the Palestinian project has often been prey to the vicissitudes of US domestic politics. Barack Obama, during a 2013 visit to the Holy Land, visited the other side of the fence from the Psagot winery, meeting Palestinian leaders at a youth centre in the Arab community of al-Bireh. ‘We want to tell our fellow Americans, that when you drink [Psagot’s] wine, you are drinking the blood of the Palestinian people,’ said Abdel Jawad Saleh, an American citizen who has served as Mayor of al-Bireh.”

The quotation from the Mayor is highly inflammatory and invokes the centuries-old antisemitic blood libel which falsely accuses Jews of killing non-Jews for nefarious or ritualistic purposes and drinking their blood, in particular associating the victims with the blood of Jesus, whom the Jews were for millennia also accused of having killed. The blood libel has been the basis for the persecution and murder of Jews for centuries and, in new iterations, remains popular in certain parts of the world and even in some pockets of British society.

It also contravenes the International Definition of Antisemitism which states that “Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g. claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterise Israel or Israelis” is antisemitic.

It is regrettable that the Mayor chose to express his political views in racist terms, but it is disgraceful that the Financial Times to have printed the statement without clarification that it is antisemitic.

The article was brought to our attention by a member of the public and we wrote to the Financial Times, which has now responded saying that the quotations was merely a “metaphor to refer to the Palestinians killed and wounded in occupied territories during decades of conflict”. Consequently, there was apparently nothing to apologise for nor was any context or clarification in the article necessary.

The Financial Times has totally failed to grasp the meaning of the words used – a severe and embarrassing shortcoming for journalists seeking to explain foreign conflicts and cultures to a domestic readership. The newspaper has printed a racist statement without even realising it has done so. Like its editors, the Financial Times’ readers may now conclude from this article that it is acceptable to express political opinions in antisemitic terms.

The newspaper is not a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), apparently believing it is capable of upholding standards by itself. This episode suggests otherwise.

Campaign Against Antisemitism regularly contacts traditional media over antisemitism in coverage or workplaces. If you find media reportage that may need investigating, please contact us.

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Florida State University passes resolution acknowledging International Definition of Antisemitism despite “shameful attempts” to halt it

A resolution seeking to combat campus antisemitism at Florida State University (FSU) has finally been passed following multiple “shameful attempts to derail and distort” it by opponents. 

The resolution, which included an acknowledgement of the International Definition of Antisemitism, was approved in the FSU Student Senate by 26 votes to fourteen.

The local chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and other groups reportedly campaigned heavily against the resolution.

According to one activist in favour of the resolution, Jewish students had been “disappointed” by the many “shameful attempts to derail and distort” the resolution. “Multiple amendments” had been put forward, he said, some of which had been adopted “without the consent” of Jewish students or the Jewish community.

“The worst” he said, was an amendment introduced by a non-Jewish student senator to replace the Definition with a definition put forward by Jewish Voice for Peace, a highly controversial and fringe American organisation.

“Fortunately, despite all of this, we got the resolution to pass and we’re looking forward to keeping this momentum moving forward,” he added.

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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Dead pig left at rabbi’s home in Lakewood, NJ to be investigated as hate crime

A dead pig left outside the home of a rabbi in a heavily Orthodox New Jersey town is being investigated as a hate-crime

The dead pig was found on Shabbat outside the rabbi’s home in Lakewood, a town of 106,000 roughly 45 miles south of New York City.

 According to a local publication, The Lakewood Scoop, the police department is treating the incident as a hate crime because of the symbolism of a pig for an Orthodox Jew. Pigs are among the most well known of the unkosher animals prohibited to traditional Jews who observe Jewish dietary laws and historically have been used to mock Jews.

“We will not tolerate such acts in our town,” Lakewood Police Chief Greg Meyer reportedly said.

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: The Lakewood Scoop

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“There was [sic] no six million Jews living in Europe at that time”: American rapper Lord Jamar denies scale of Holocaust

An American rapper has produced a podcast denying the scale of the Holocaust.

Lord Jamar, 52 (real name Lorenzo Dechalus), former member of hip-hop band Brand Nubian, is now a record producer and podcaster.

In a podcast with Muslim Scientologist Rizza Islam, Lord Jamar claimed that a far smaller number of Jews died in the Nazi genocide, saying that the numbers have been exaggerated because “there was [sic] no six million Jews living in Europe at that time.”

Rizza Islam appeared to agree, asserting that he “did the research.” If he had, he would have seen census records confirming that there were more than 9.5 million Jews in Europe before WWII, more than six million of whom were murdered in the Holocaust.

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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Holocaust denial and rape threats made against Jewish pupils in California in second wave of antisemitic incidents to hit same high school

A California high school was in the spotlight for the second time last week after it emerged that students had been subjected to a second wave of offensive social media posts that included Holocaust denial and threats of rape.

In an email to parents, the principal of Redwood High School in Marin County, David Sondheim, revealed that the most recent social media posts again targeted Jewish students and families “with hateful messages” including denying the Holocaust, rape and homophobia.”

The disclosure marks the second time this year that Redwood High School has experienced antisemitism directed at its students.

In September, an Instagram account was found to be targeting specific Jewish students at Redwood. The account, which has now been removed, was named “Redwood students organised against Semitism.” It was accompanied by an antisemitic caricature.

Local schools’ superintendent, Tara Taupier reportedly said that it was not clear who was behind the latest incidents, but that the perpetrators had used the same caricature as appeared on the earlier Instagram account. Ms Taupier said that her office was “still engaged with law enforcement” to try to identify the perpetrator of the earlier antisemitic posts.

One Redwood parent reportedly told the media that antisemitism at the school had often gone unaddressed over the years, but that this occasion was “different, because they’re threatening to rape students.”

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 attack on Ohio couple being investigated as hate crime

A Jewish couple in Columbus, Ohio say that they received antisemitic abuse and threats, and had rocks thrown at their home earlier this month.

According to the local TV news, the incident is being investigated as a hate crime by Federal, State and County authorities.

Nick and Tiffany Kinney claim that on the night of 7th November, which was Election Day in the United States, a neighbour who allegedly knows that they are Jewish approached them and spat at them.

According to Mr Kinney, the neighbour allegedly told him that he was “tired of liberals” and that it “was no wonder Hitler burned your people.”

Mrs Kinney claims that the neighbour said: “I’ll put a bullet through your head like Hitler.”

The couple believe that the neighbour then threw the rocks that smashed their window and door.

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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Ferris State University professor in Michigan who tweeted antisemitic conspiracy theories placed on administrative leave

A professor at a Michigan university has been placed on administrative leave after allegedly posting tweets which contained antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories relating to the coronavirus pandemic.

The tweets by Thomas Brennan, a professor of physical science at Ferris State University (FSU), included references to a “Jewish mafia” and a claim that COVID-19 was “another Jewish revolution” and a “stunt” to create a “new world order.”

FSU President David Eisler announced on Monday that Prof. Brennan had been placed on administrative leave following his comments, and said that the University condemned the professor’s offensive statements. “We strongly reject these statements, condemn them and will not tolerate them,” Mr Eisler declared. The Board of Trustees also issued a statement backing the move to our Prof. Brennan on leave.

Prof. Brennan denied being an antisemite. In a statement he said: “I do not believe that middle-class Jews are involved in an international conspiracy, only that a small number of their elites are.” He continued: “Israel and the Jews should not be blamed for the crimes of a small number of mobsters like Jeffery Epstein or Ghislane Maxwell [sic] who used paedophile blackmail to control American politicians. I’m not an antisemite. I love and respect Jews just as I do all races, and I pray for Israel, just as I pray for America.”

Prof. Brennan went on to warn that the “entire world has fallen under the spell of a satanic, globalist elite” whose “end-goal is a technocratic, one-world government, where everyone, Jew and Gentile, will be micro-chipped and tracked 24/7.”

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Jewish communal leaders and local politicians condemn antisemitic white supremacist leaflets distributed in Lexington, KY

For the second time in recent months, neo-Nazi white supremacist leaflets have been seen in Lexington, KY.

A photo of the offensive antisemitic and anti-Black fliers was shared by local rabbi, Rabbi Shlomo Litvin. The leaflets said that Jews were “the masterminds” in the media, “behind every anti-white post” and “defend your children, Hitler was right.”

In a statement, Rabbi Litvin said that hateful words against the Jewish community must be “countered” or could “lead to hateful deeds.”

A spokesperson for Lexington police reportedly said that the department was investigating after a report about the leaflets was filed on 19th November. The fliers appear to have been distributed by a neo-Nazi group calling itself 14First The Foundation.

In August similar offensive, racist leaflets, were sent to homes in Kentucky. At the time, a man claiming to be Vice-President of the group behind the leaflets claimed that they already had up to 60 members in the state and had “received interest” from prospective members. He explained that the group puts its pamphlets in plastic bags “with a rock” and throws “them onto properties” because placing offensive material “in a mailbox” is illegal.

Cherlynn Stevenson, the State Representative for the County said the group’s threats must be taken seriously. In a tweet, Ms Stevenson said: “I am beyond heartbroken that we have this type of hatred in our community and that these fliers were distributed in my district.”

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Image credit: Rabbi Shlomo Litvin

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Federal investigation officially opened following complaint of antisemitism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced on 17th November that it has officially launched a formal investigation into a complaint of antisemitic harassment, spanning over five years, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).

The federal investigation will examine the complaint, submitted on behalf of UIUC’s Jewish student body, into allegations of numerous antisemitic and anti-Zionist incidents at the University. Several instances include offensive graffiti, particularly swastikas, discovered across campus, the vandalism of religious items and frequent harassment and abuse by members of the student activist group, Supports for Justice in Palestine.

The recent complaint also outlined how administrators and UIUC leaders have continually allowed a hostile environment to develop, with University employees, on occasion, being complicit in the facilitation of a hateful atmosphere on campus in what was alleged to be a direct violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The complaint maintains that all Jewish college students deserve the right to learn and live peacefully and freely in a safe, welcoming academic setting.

Various other higher education institutions agreed to implement steps to combat rising antisemitism and discrimination threatening the wellbeing and experiences of Jewish students.

In a public statement, the UIUC expressed a commitment to create and implement concrete solutions, alongside the Jewish community, to encourage Jewish students to express their heritage, faith and support for Zionism. Several Jewish groups involved in collating the complaint stated that they look forward to “ongoing collaborative work” with the Chancellor and his team to convert promises and objectives into successful action.

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Antisemitic e-mails amongst thousands sent to high school pupils in Skokie, IL after teacher’s account hacked

A teacher of mathematics at Niles West High School in Skokie, Illinois, saw her e-mail account hacked to send messages described by school leaders as being of a “lewd, racist, antisemitic and homophobic” nature to thousands of students across the district on 11th November.

School administrators declined to comment on the abrasive content contained, however students have described the e-mails as ranging from swastikas and fascist propaganda to pornographic and indecent images.

A Jewish Niles West senior expressed shock at the overtly antisemitic content and stated that: “It’s hard not to feel targeted when you are part of the minority that those e-mails were about.” She added that it was inconceivable that the e-mails could have originated with the teacher, and there is no suggestion that the e-mails were the product of anything other than a hack.

Local leaders have denounced the torrent of “patently offensive” e-mails, and reportedly reassured the public that Student Services teams would work directly to support students affected by the incident in the days following.

Skokie police and Dist. 219 staff are working together to investigate the incident and identify the perpetrator. A representative has said that student access to district e-mail accounts has been temporarily suspended and instructions have been given for greater online security, including the changing of all passwords.

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Chicago suburb adopts International Definition of Antisemitism

A Chicago suburb is the latest American town to adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism.

Forest Park, Illinois, adopted the Definition at a village council meeting on 9th November. The meeting, held online over Zoom, was addressed by senior Jewish figures.

The resolution means that the Definition will be available as an “educational resource” to assist police and local government in determining whether a crime or incident was antisemitic.

Pointing out that there had been a rise in antisemitism over recent years, and that some cities and counties in Florida had already adopted the resolution, the Jewish speakers explained that they were trying to get as much “awareness of it as possible” in Illinois and wanted to show how Forest Park could “take a leading role in addressing” the disturbing trend of increasing antisemitism.

At the meeting, the Mayor, Rory Hoskins, explained that recent protests in the Illinois state capital involving antisemitic imagery had motivated him to have the Definition adopted, adding that a spate of graffiti around town in September that had included swastikas would now be investigated as hate crimes rather than merely property damage.

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Leading white supremacist, Tom Metzger, dies

Tom Metzger, a leading white supremacist, died from Parkinson’s disease on 4th November in Hemet, California, according to a spokesperson for the Riverside County Department for Public Health.

In the 1970s, Mr Metzger attained the level of State Leader for the Ku Klux Klan in California, and subsequently left to form the White Aryan Resistance (WAR) group.

Mr Metzger pioneered the use of radio and television to spread racist and antisemitic propaganda, with his own public-access cable television show, appearances on popular talk shows and a telephone hotline. He also published a newspaper and managed an electronic bulletin board through which skinheads could communicate and share hateful content.

In 1990, an Oregon jury ordered Mr Metzger to pay $5 million in punitive damages after skinheads he reportedly incited to violence pleaded guilty to criminal charges in the racially motivated murder of the 27-year-old Ethiopian, Mulugeta Seraw.

Though in recent years his influence diminished, he reportedly stated that he remained active with the WAR hotline and the publishing of several white supremacist leaflets.

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Leader of the far-right ‘Proud Boys’ is trying to rebrand the group as explicitly antisemitic

A leader and administrator of the far-right group, Proud Boys, is reportedly attempting to rebrand the organisation as unashamedly white supremacist and antisemitic.

The group originally described itself as a “Western chauvinist” fraternal organisation, and has previously insisted that its preference for an established “Western civilisation” was not fundamentally racist or antisemitic in nature.

However, the founder of the “tactical defence arm” of the Proud Boys, known for their engagement in street violence, Kyle Chapman, claimed in a recent message on the encrypted app Telegram that he has staged a “coup” against the current leader of the group, who is himself a member of an ethnic minority.

Mr Chapman wrote: “We will confront the Zionist criminals who wish to destroy our civilisation,” while also expressing an active desire for white supremacy in the country. He also quipped that he renamed the group the “Proud Goys” in a reference to the Jewish term for non-Jews that has been appropriated by neo-Nazis to represent their antisemitic beliefs.

The founder of the Proud Boys, Gavin McInnes, also has an extensive history of alleged antisemitism, despite ostensibly decrying hatred and racism. He has shared several video recordings of himself giving the Nazi salute and repeatedly shouting “Heil Hitler”. In March 2017, he allegedly posted a video on Rebel Media titled “Ten Things I Hate about Jews” that was later renamed after media backlash.

Other members and channels of the group on Telegram have rejected Mr Chapman’s desired changes, and it is unclear whether Mr Chapman has indeed obtained total control of the controversial group.

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Host of Iron Chef America apologises for “flippant” comment about Auschwitz uniforms

Alton Brown, the host of the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” and creator of “Good Eats”, issued an apology last week following a “flippant” remark he posted on Twitter about the uniforms worn by prisoners at the Auschwitz extermination camp during the Holocaust.

The post, originally shared on 10th November, read: “Do you think the camp uniforms will be striped, like the ones at Auschwitz or will plaid be in vogue?” Mr Brown claimed that the remark was a comment on the current political climate. In response to an individual comment, he also tweeted, “I have no gold fillings”, a reference to the fillings often stolen by the Nazis from the bodies of murdered Jews.

A few minutes after the post was tweeted from his account, another user of the networking site responded with criticism and Mr Brown replied: “F*** you”.

With 4.5million Twitter followers, numerous followers expressed shock at the television host’s gross insensitivity, describing his remarks as “hurtful” and “disgusting”. Several Jewish organisations called for the removal of the celebrity chef from the Food Network too demonstrate zero tolerance for antisemitic language.

In a public statement, Mr Brown maintained that the allusion to the victims of the Holocaust was not for a “humorous effect” and it was a “very poor use of judgement and in poor taste”. The tweet has subsequently been removed from the platform.

The Food Network, and the culinary entertainment industry more broadly, has not yet taken any further action or spoken out.

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Joshua Malina calls out Hollywood for employing Mel Gibson despite past antisemitic remarks

The American Jewish actor Joshua Malina levelled criticism at Hollywood last week for continuing to employ Mel Gibson following past antisemitic comments.

The actor is set to star in the upcoming film “Dangerous” and has recently been cast in the action-thriller “Leo From Toledo”. Retweeting a tweet from Variety that outlined Mr Gibson’s recent work, Mr Malina wrote: “Antisemite Continues To Get Work.”

Mel Gibson has a long history of offensive comments and causing controversy . He first came under public scrutiny from Christian and Jewish activist groups and organisations in 2004 for his movie “The Passion of Christ”, and, in 2006, he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and told the police officer that “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world” and asked if the police officer was himself a Jew in what became a widely publicised incident.

He subsequently issued a public apology for the antisemitic remark and claimed that “[He is] not an antisemite. [He is] not a bigot.”

Fellow American Jewish actress Winona Ryder has also previously accused Mr Gibson as describing her as an “oven dodger” in the 1990s, in a direct reference to the crematoria at Nazi concentration camps. The actor strongly denies making the comment, reportedly calling the actress “a liar”.

Mr Gibson nevertheless enjoyed wide critical acclaim following the premiere of his film “Hackshaw Ridge” in 2016 and has maintained a high level of support from others in the industry. Others have continued to protest his continued high profile in Hollywood.

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In startling new report, FBI reveals that of all the reported hate crimes committed in 2019 against a religious minority in America, 60% were against Jews

A new report on hate crimes released today by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has shown that 60.2% of hate crimes against a religious minority in the United States are “motivated by offenders’ anti-Jewish bias”.

Not only does this figure represent a significant majority of the 1,715 victims of anti-religious hate crimes that were reported in 2019, but given that Jews represent only around 2% of the entire population of the United States, the discrepancy is extraordinary and startling.

In light of these figures, not to mention the numerous high-profile and many lower-profile antisemitic incidents in recent years, it is vital that federal and state authorities take antisemitism seriously.

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Oceanside, NY commissioner called on to resign over hateful social media posts

Several Nassau Country, NY elected officials, various organisations and the local Jewish community have made calls for the immediate removal of an Oceanside Sanitation Commissioner for alleged antisemitic social media posts.

On the morning of 10th November, elected officials and activists convened in front of the sanitation office with a bipartisan group of Nassau County legislators and organisations to publicly condemn the actions of Ryan Hemsley.

The Sanitation Commissioner is believed to have shared more than thirty offensive posts, dating back several years, that featured swastikas and Nazi imagery as well as the denigration of Holocaust victims.

The series of Facebook posts were anonymously sent in a letter and mass e-mail to the other four board members and the media in October. One politician said: “It’s just hate, hate, hate”. However Mr Hemsley has maintained that many of the posts were not created by him and none of the memes were directed towards any specific group.

Mr Hensley has refused to resign after he was elected commissioner for a two-year term that commenced in September this year. In a recent post on his Facebook page, however, he stated that he would donate his pay checks to the Long Island Coalition Against Bullying, and promised to donate his $7,500 annual salary for the remainder of his two-year term.

The Nassau County District Attorney’s Office is currently reviewing Mr Hensley’s position. The Sanitation Board’s attorney has requested that all offensive posts be identified, having been deleted from the social media platform, and has asked the Attorney General for potential legal routes. Elected officials may be removed by the District Attorney under state law or if a local resident petitions a court with material that shows misconduct while in office.

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NASCAR driver suspended for antisemitic social media post

Josh Reaume, a part-time driver in the Xfinity and Truck series this season, has been suspended for a recent controversial post on one of his social media channels following a violation of NASCAR’s anti-discrimination behavioural policy.

The driver reportedly posted an image of a slice of toast, with a spread in the shape of a swastika, on his Snapchat account on 5th November. The photograph was then captured by an unidentified source and submitted to NASCAR for review.

In a recent public statement, the NASCAR driver said: “On Thursday I posted a picture of my evening snack and it was taken out of context. It was never meant to offend anybody and I’m sorry if it did.” He expressed that he is proud to have grown up in an ethnically diverse family and argues that his team has the most diverse set of drivers in the history of stock car racing. Mr Reaume hopes to participate in Daytona International Speedway following the apology.

NASCAR officials have confirmed that the indefinite suspension and behavioural penalty will remain in place.

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Neo-Nazi leaflets prompt disgust by local residents in San Antonio, Texas

Neo-Nazi and white supremacist propaganda has been discovered by local residents in San Antonio, Texas.

Individual posters and plastic wallets that contained antisemitic and racist leaflets were left outside homes in multiple neighbourhoods in the city’s Northside district. A mobile phone number was also included in an alleged attempt to recruit more members to the cause of those behind the leaflets.

Residents shared photos and video recordings of the concerning materials created by an organisation known as the 14First Foundation, a self-proclaimed white supremacist group operating in the area.

The group’s Vice President has openly admitted that he drove across the city in his truck to distribute the hateful flyers. Despite the widespread use of swastikas and Nazi imagery in the material, he maintained that he does not identify as an antisemite or affiliate himself with the Nazis.

For the previous six months, his organisation has been hoping to recruit people from the most affluent neighbourhoods with mostly white American residents, he said.

The local community has expressed fears and disgust over rising hatred in the city, and the seemingly widespread distribution of divisive and offensive content.

The FBI, when asked for comment, reportedly said that if information “comes to light of a potential federal violation” in local investigations, the FBI will be prepared to undertake its own investigation. Hollywood Park Police and the San Antonia Police Department, however, have stated that no crime was committed and thus charges cannot be filed.

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Antisemitic posters discovered on Florida campus

Antisemitic posters were placed around the Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) campus last weekend.

The University said that two posters were placed on Edwards Hall and one on Marieb Hall on 7th November. All three have been taken down.

According to FGCU President Mike Martin, the perpetrator has been identified. The University police department said that after identifying the alleged culprit through its licence plate recognition system, a “trespass warning” had been issued.

Students in the Alpha Epsilon Pi Jewish fraternity replaced the antisemitic posters with a message reading: “No place for hate.” They are urging college authorities to take legal action.

One Jewish fraternity member said that he was absolutely disgusted. “I’m appalled that something like this would happen on this campus,” he said.

In a statement about the incident President Martin stated: “We can and should all speak out to reject and condemn these hateful communications…”

According to the statement, similar flyers have also been found on other campuses around Florida.

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NYPD anti-discrimination chief accused of racism

A New York Police Department official in charge of combating departmental discrimination allegedly posted antisemitic and other racist comments.

The commander of the Equal Employment Opportunity Division of the NYPD, Deputy Inspector James Kobel, is alleged to have used the name “Clouseau” on a message board called The Rant where law-enforcement officials post anonymously. As Clouseau, he is alleged to have posted antisemitic, anti-Black, misogynist and homophobic slurs.

The Oversight Division of the New York City Council claims to have identified Deputy Inspector Kobel as “Clouseau.” Mr Kobel denied the charge to the New York Times but has been suspended from his job, pending the completion of an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation.

Commenting on an article about Orthodox Jews tired of being photographed by tourists, Clouseau said: “I think that eventually all of the inbreeding may lead to the demise of these clowns. The severity of birth defects will only increase. Unfortunately, the local taxpayer is going to be on the hook for the bill when the children need special programs in the local school districts and the parents continue to leach [sic] off the system.”

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Mezuzah broken and homes vandalised with antisemitic slurs in Williamsburg, New York

The New York Police Department is currently investigating a hate crime that occurred in the Hasidic community of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, at the beginning of November.

Local residents discovered several doors defaced with hateful, Jewish slurs and slogans that read: “F*** the Jews” and “There is no G-d”, among many others. Numerous mezuzahs were also vandalised in the apartment block.

On 15th October an Orthodox Jewish man was attacked in an alleged attempted robbery in Williamsburg. While authorities indicated that the incident lacked discriminatory motivations, residents have expressed growing concerns for their safety in the area and suggest that antisemitic bias cannot be ruled out when such crime occurs.

Following the recent incident, the community alerted the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Williamsburg Shomrim neighbourhood patrol group, and security footage has been analysed to identify a potential suspect. The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident as an antisemitic act and has appealed to the public for further information on the event and those responsible.

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Image Credit: Yeshiva World News

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Pace University student government adopts international Definition of Antisemitism

The student government of Pace University in New York City adopted the International Definition of Antisemitism on 28th October.

Within the resolution, the student government is described as a forum in which students can voice their concerns on issues presented by the administration and student body more widely, with aims to create a diverse, empowering and inclusive community. Referencing a recent spike in antisemitic incidents across the country, the resolution outlines how Jewish students constitute a significant part of the University’s community, while still remaining a distinct and important cultural and religious community which the University is determined to support and defend on campus.

Students noted the 2019 shooting at a kosher supermarket in Jersey City and a recent series of assaults against Jews in Brooklyn as key motivating factors for the adoption of the Definition. Furthermore, concerns have grown amongst the Jewish student body following the vandalism of a Pace University building when a wall was desecrated with a Star of David drawn in faeces in 2019.

The resolution also notes that Jews and Jewish institutions are increasingly the most targeted victims of hate crimes in the United States.

The resolution was introduced by a student at the school and the President of its chapter of Students Supporting Israel, and it was supported by other Jewish groups.

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Alaskan man imprisoned for antisemitic incitement says sorry after learning about the Holocaust

A man imprisoned for antisemitic incitement has apologised for his actions after being required to learn about the Holocaust during his jail term.

Michael Graves, 21, of Anchorage, Alaska, was jailed last year for posting hate messages calling for violence against Jews and Muslims and for illegally owning a machine gun and silencers. As part of his eighteen-month prison sentence, he was required to take classes and read books about the Holocaust and other forms of race-hate and was then required to write essays about what he learned.

At a hearing on Wednesday, Mr Graves apologised for his comments and acknowledged that he was part of a group that expressed vile views.

Prosecutors said that Mr Graves had the means “and the mentality” to commit a violent act. The classes were described as a creative way to “stop potential mass shooters” who spew hate-speech.

“I’m sorry for what I said. I do not believe in prejudice or violence of any kind,” he declared.

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Anger as NY Police treat Brooklyn attack as robbery, not as Hate Crime

Members of Brooklyn’s Hasidic community has protested a decision by the New York Police Department to to treat what they deem to be an antisemitic hate crime merely as an attempted robbery.

Police are investigating an attack on a Hasidic Jewish man in Williamsburg at 22:40 on Thursday, 15th October as an attempted robbery.

Surveillance video footage shows two individuals approaching the victim, chasing him, beating him and trying to steal his bag. The victim’s face was injured but he managed to hold on to his belongings. The suspects – two men in their twenties, according to police – fled the scene empty-handed.

Former NY State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a vocal communal activist, reportedly described the attack as a hate crime, while two eye-witnesses who spoke to CBS News claimed that the attack was sparked by antisemitic hatred.

One of the eye-witnesses, however, conceded that robbery might have been an “additional” motive as the area was “not the best.”

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Youth charged with hate crime for assault on rabbi in San Diego

A fourteen-year-old in San Diego, California, has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly punching a rabbi in the face and knocking him to the ground.

The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, allegedly assaulted Rabbi Yonatan Halevy, 31, while the rabbi was walking with his father on Shabbat two weeks ago.

Rabbi Halevy told police that the teenager hit him so hard that he was knocked to the ground.

The teenager has been charged with hate-crime and battery.

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Leaders of synagogue vandalised in Southern Illinois appealing for information from the public

Leaders of the United Hebrew Temple in Benton, Illinois are asking the public to provide any information on a recent spate of vandalism against the synagogue.

The synagogue remained closed due to COVID-19 prevention measures, however upon reopening approximately a month ago leaders discovered a vast amount of damage to the property. Local authorities were consequently notified and an investigation was launched to identify the suspect or suspects responsible.

On 9th October further vandalism was found with ten antique stain-glass windows broken, prayerbooks and skullcaps thrown across the floor, and damage to the building’s kitchen. The windows were purposefully made for the synagogue on its construction in 1957 and are irreplaceable.

This is the third act of vandalism in less than a month. Another incident saw two of the windows broken and more than a week earlier there was a further break-in, including the theft of electronic equipment, reported to Benton Police.

The Vice President of United Hebrew Temple said that the local community simply wants to worship “in peace and safety” without fear of potential antisemitism. She added that the organisation is currently exploring ways to protect and preserve the remaining windows, and supporters of the United Hebrew Temple raised nearly $6,000 in under a week to repair the damage to the building.

Benton Police are continuing investigations into the vandalism, however they have released no further information.

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Image credit: Google

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Neo-Nazi pleads guilty to plotting to blow up synagogue in Colorado

A neo-Nazi has pleaded guilty to plotting to blow up a local synagogue in Pueblo, Colorado.

Self-confessed white supremacist Richard Holzer, 28, had stated throughout the trial that he hated Jewish people, according to prosecutors.

Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division for the District of Colorado said that the defendant had tried to orchestrate a plan to bomb the Temple Emanuel Synagogue in an attempt to remove the Jewish presence from his local community.

Officials reported that Mr Holzer advocated for white supremacy and acts of extreme violence across his social media accounts, particularly against Jewish people. It was also recorded that he had visited the site of the synagogue in Pueblo to watch and taunt the congregants on several occasions.

According to the FBI, Mr Holzer told an undercover agents that he wished to threaten Jews and show them that they were not welcome in the city. Authorities described his motivation and ideology as unambiguously antisemitic. On one occasion the defendant sent images of himself with automatic weapons to prepare for what he described as “RAHOWA”, a shorthand for a racial holy war.

On 1st November 2019, Mr Holzer met with undercover agents to acquire explosive devices, including two pipe bombs and fourteen sticks of dynamite that had been fabricated by the FBI. Upon providing several inert devices, agents reported that Mr Holzer took out a copy of Mein Kampf, and claimed that “this was a move for our race” and he intended to “get that place off the map”.

The defendant confessed to planning to detonate the explosives several hours later at the synagogue in the early hours of the morning on 2nd November 2019.

In the plea agreement reached on 15th October, Mr Holzer pleaded guilty to a count of intentionally attempting to obstruct persons in the enjoyment of their free exercise of religious beliefs through force and the attempted use of explosives and fire; and an attempt to damage and destroy a building used in interstate commerce, by means of fire and explosives. He was also charged with use of fire and explosives to commit a felony, however he did not plead guilty to this count and may therefore continue to be prosecuted.

Sentencing is set for 20th January 2021 in a District Court and the defendant faces a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison for the hate crime charge and twenty years for the explosives charge, with a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release.

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White supremacists are “most persistent threat” says report on second anniversary of deadly antisemitic Pittsburgh attack, as hero police officer who defended Synagogue congregants returns to duty

The Department of Homeland Security has issued a report warning that white supremacists are the primary threat facing the United States.

The report was released on 6th October just ahead of the two-year anniversary of the white-supremacist, antisemitic terrorist attack at a Pittsburgh synagogue in which eleven people were killed. The alleged assailant, Robert Bowers, is currently on trial.

The second anniversary of the attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue, which took place on 27th October 2018, also marks the return to duty of the Police Officer who heroically defended congregants, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Police officer Timothy Matson was shot seven times in the attack. He returned to duty last week following extensive rehabilitation for his injuries and amid acclaim for his heroism that included a ‘Shield of Israel’ award and the Police Department’s ‘Act of Valour’ award.

The Department of Homeland Security report states that “racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists…specifically white supremacist extremists…will remain the most persistent and lethal threat…”.

In his foreword to the report, Chad Wolf, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, wrote:  “I am particularly concerned about white supremacist violent extremists who have been exceptionally lethal in their abhorrent, targeted attacks in recent years.”

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NY Governor brings in State’s Hate Crimes Task Force to investigate antisemitism on Long Island and Hofstra University campus

The Hate Crimes Task Force for New York State is assisting in an investigation following a spate of antisemitic incidents on Long Island.

A swastika was carved into the driveway of a home in the suburb of Merrick on 9th October, and antisemitic graffiti was twice spray-painted at student residences belonging to the nearby Hofstra University.

Noting that he was “appalled and disgusted”, Governor Andrew Cuomo said: “Our state has zero-tolerance for antisemitism.”

“I want to assure the homeowner whose property was damaged and the Hofstra community that we will do everything in our power to bring the perpetrators to justice. That is why I am directing our Hate Crimes Task Force to assist the police in their investigations into these incidents,” he declared.

President Stuart Rabinowitz said that the University condemned “discrimination, bias, and prejudice in all its forms” and would hold accountable members who failed to live up to Hofstra’s core values of diversity and inclusion.

“Creating a welcoming supportive environment is a shared responsibility,” he said. “Incidents like these are a painful reminder that we must be vigilant.”

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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“Not a coincidence”: Swastika discovered on Columbia University campus shortly after vote to divest from Israel

According to Columbia University’s Office of University Life, a swastika was discovered on 6th October on campus following the recent passage of an Israel divestment resolution.

The swastika was found by students on the steps of the Ivy League University’s main library, the Low Library. The administration condemned the act and has made a public commitment to investigate the antisemitic act to ensure that the campus remains a “welcoming and inclusive place where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.”

The swastika appeared days after the undergraduate student body voted in favour of a BDS resolution targeting Israel. Jewish communities have long contended that such measures are related to a rise in antisemitic incidents.

Students Supporting Israel (SSI) at Columbia University alleged, in an 8th October post on their social media page, that there was almost certainly a link between the vote and the swastika, described as a “despicable act of antisemitism”, and noted, as the group did before the vote, that it poses a threat to Jewish students.

Bryan Leib, chairman of Jewish millennial group HaShevet, drew parallels between the graffiti in Columbia and other on-campus incidents across the country, expressing concern that this may soon be “the new normal”. Last year a group of far-left students painted swastikas on the dorm room doors of Jewish students soon after a similar vote at the University of Indianapolis.

The SSI have expressed concern that the matter will not be taken seriously by the University administration and that the perpetrators will remain unpunished following previous failings to tackle antisemitism.

Campaign Against Antisemitism have 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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American-Jewish leadership appeals to US and Pakistan to keep Daniel Pearl killer behind bars

Amid uncertainty over the continued detention of the Islamist terrorist convicted in Pakistan of the murder of American-Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl, a statement by a leading American Jewish organisation said that Mr Pearl’s murderer “should be behind bars for the rest of his days”.

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations, issued its statement after it appeared that Mr Pearl’s murderer, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh  –   a British national  –   could be released imminently.

Mr Sheikh was sentenced to death by a Pakistani court in 2002 for masterminding the kidnap and murder of Mr Pearl. The Jewish Wall Street Journal reporter was murdered in the capital, Karachi, in January of that year.

However, earlier this year, a lower court commuted Mr Sheikh’s sentence to a seven-year prison term and argued that he should be released immediately as he had already served eighteen years.

Responding to an appeal from the Pearl family’s lawyer, Faisal Siddiqui, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled that Mr Sheikh’s detention should be extended for another week. The court will then rule on whether to release Mr Sheikh or keep him in custody while his case is again appealed.

Following the hearing and noting that the appeal “could take years”, Mr Siddiqui told the AP news agency that he was pressing for Mr Sheikh’s continued incarceration during the appeal process.

Mr Siddiqui added that there was “ample evidence” to dismiss Mr Sheikh’s appeal. “There is eye-witness evidence, there is forensic evidence, there are confessional statements,” he said.

In a statement welcoming the Pakistani Supreme Court’s decision not to release Mr Sheikh, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations said: “This killer should be behind bars for the rest of his days. Anything less would be a painful insult to the Pearl family. They have suffered enough in the years since this atrocity occurred.”

Those responsible for the death of “an American citizen” who affirmed his Jewishness with his last words, were “motivated by their hatred of who he was and must be held accountable, the organisation said, adding: “We call on the US government to do all it can to ensure that justice is served in this case.”

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

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Pittsburgh Jews told to be vigilant as violent white supremacist who said ‘target Jew Hill’ is released from prison

The head of security for Pittsburgh’s Jewish Federation has urged members of the community to “be vigilant” following the release from prison of white supremacist Hardy Lloyd.

Mr Lloyd, 42, is said to have espoused antisemitic rhetoric and to have held beliefs similar to Robert Bowers, the neo-Nazi gunman currently on trial for the massacre of eleven worshipers at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in October 2018. Mr Lloyd was released last week after serving a one-year sentence for violating his parole.

The Director of Community Security at the Jewish Federation said: “The notion is to be vigilant, to be mindful, but also to feel empowered because we’ve done such great work trying to build and protect our community.”

Mr Lloyd reportedly declared on social media: “Anyone who supports such laws [a ban on assault rifles] must be targeted, and their families murdered. Lone Wolves GET BUSY.” In another post, he is alleged to have directed the “lone wolves” to a Pittsburgh neighbourhood with a large number of Jewish homes. “Target: Jew Hill,” Mr Lloyd allegedly wrote.

At his last hearing, Lloyd reportedly apologised for his actions and acknowledged that he was suffering from mental illness, but local Jews have been encouraged to be cautious nonetheless. “I would hope that he is getting mental health counselling, and the appropriate rehabilitation, but as a community, we need to be vigilant,” the Director said.

Mr Lloyd is alleged to have been active with white supremacist groups for nearly 20 years, beginning with his affiliation to the World Church of the Creator, which has been described as “espousing antisemitic and racist ideology.” In 2004 Mr Lloyd was acquitted of murdering a 41-year-old woman whom he had met via an online dating service when a jury accepted his claim of self-defence.

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

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Antisemitic remarks yelled at students during Yom Kippur service at Indiana University

During an evening Yom Kippur service at Indiana University (IU) on 27th September, an individual drove passed a group of Jewish students and yelled antisemitic statements at the congregation.

According to the IU Police Department (IUPD) Deputy Chief, members of the student body IU Hillel were having an outdoor service on the lawn at the front of the building in line with local COVID-19 prevention measures. The perpetrator shouted “Heil Hitler!” out of the vehicle’s window during the service.

Several IU freshman students said that although leaders anticipated some form of confrontation with such a public service, the lack of security led to greater anxiety following the incident. One female freshman stated: “There’s been so many shootings and antisemitic acts. Even though it was just words, that doesn’t mean they can’t take action later.”

In response to the recent incident, IU Hillel leader Rabbi Sue Silberberg requested that IUPD patrol the site and the surrounding area to ensure that Jewish students are protected and can continue to connect with the centre and its activities without fear of abuse. In a social media post on 2nd October the organisation condemned the offensive act as evidence for the antisemitic beliefs “of a small minority.”

As a result of the incident, IU’s Dean of Students, Dave O’Guinn, encouraged all students to shine a light on the issue of antisemitism on campus in solidarity with the Jewish community. He said that he stands with the Jewish students, faculty and staff as they engage with cultural and religious customs in peace.

While IUPD took a case report of the incident, it is not actively investigating the act at present as the car description and license plate are currently unknown. If the IUPD receives further information from the public, however, the investigation would be opened to identify the suspect, according to the IUPD.

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 investigating political flyer emblazoned with swastika in New Jersey town

Flyers combining a swastika and a political message were found on cars and in mailboxes in a small New Jersey town on 9th October.

The leaflets in Harrison Township in Gloucester County, NJ were from a group calling itself “The Mullica Hill Militia.” The flyer had a swastika along with a political message and a phone number.

Angry residents posted a picture of a flyer on a Facebook group for the local community. In an accompanying statement they rejected its message, saying: “We are very saddened and extremely disappointed to learn that a flyer from a group called the Mullica Hill Militia was placed on cars and in mailboxes in our community today.

“The racist content of the flyer is NOT a reflection of our community but rather the hatred act of disturbed individuals.”

The Harrison Township Police are reportedly investigating and have asked that those with information about “their source or the so-called Mullica Hill Militia” make contact with the detective conducting the investigation.

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

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Outrage after sacked Florida High School principal who doubted ‘historical reality’ of Holocaust is reinstated

A Florida high school principal who was fired in November 2019 for suggesting that there was doubt over the historical truth of the Holocaust has been reinstated.

William Latson, the Principal of Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, allegedly told the parent of a student in an April 2018 e-mail that “not everyone believes the Holocaust happened.” His comment came in response to the parent’s request to ensure that Holocaust education was treated as “a priority”.

In the same e-mail, the principal said that “we are a public school” and educators had “to be politically neutral” adding: “I can’t say the Holocaust is a factual, historical event because I am not in a position to do so as a school-district employee.”

On Wednesday, the seven-member Palm Beach County School Board voted 4-3 in favour of rehiring Dr Latson.

The Palm Beach County School District said in a statement in July 2019 that Dr Latson had “made a grave error in judgment in stating, ‘I can’t say the Holocaust is a factual, historical event.’ In addition to being offensive, the principal’s statement is not supported by either the School District Administration or the School Board.”

Dr Latson later apologised, saying: “I regret that the verbiage that I used when responding to an e-mail message from a parent…did not accurately reflect my professional and personal commitment to educating all students about the atrocities of the Holocaust.”

In August, Administrative Law Judge Robert Cohen, the judge in Dr Latson’s appeal, ruled that the offence was “not serious enough to warrant termination.”  

“These acts of poor judgment on Dr. Latson’s part should result in a verbal or written reprimand,” wrote Judge Cohen. Last week, Schools Superintendent Donald Fennoy recommended that Dr Latson be reinstated and given $152,000 (£117,000) in back pay.

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

Image credit: WPTV News segment

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Police in New York seeking witnesses after Torah stolen from Yonkers Synagogue

An investigation is being undertaken after a large Torah scroll was stolen, along with other religious items, from a synagogue at the Lincoln Park Jewish Centre in the city of Yonkers in New York on 25th September. The incident occurred only days before Yom Kippur.

Surveillance footage of the incident, captured from the interior and exterior of the building, was released on 5th October in an effort to find the thief. The CCTV showed the perpetrator, with a beard and Harvard t-shirt, entering the synagogue and then leaving in a change of clothes, carrying several large objects, including a laptop and guitar.

The Torah had been donated to the synagogue by a veteran of WWII and has been housed in the synagogue for many years, according to police. The scroll was kept securely behind a curtained-off sanctified cabinet in a section of the building that faces Jerusalem, as per Jewish custom.

Earlier this year, eighteen Jewish community centres around the US were deliberately targeted with a series of threatening e-mails that mentioned the use of weapons, including bombs. New York’s Albany Jewish Community Centre was among the recipients. The synagogue was closed off by authorities who searched the entire building. Authorities found no evidence that the e-mailed threats were intended to be carried out.

The Yonkers Police Department is currently appealing to the public for information or help identifying the suspect, who is believed to be local, and locating the stolen Torah.

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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Brooklyn synagogue windows smashed and premises vandalised on Sukkot

A Brooklyn synagogue was reportedly broken into and vandalised last week. 

A 25-year-old man suspected of causing damage to the Shore Parkway Jewish Centre in Gravesend last Sunday, during the Jewish festival of Sukkot, was arrested by police in New York last Wednesday. The assailant allegedly grabbed an Israeli flag from outside the synagogue and used it to smash synagogue windows. He then reportedly broke in and destroyed property including items relating to the festival. 

The incident was reported to police by the building’s caretaker, who apparently found the intruder wrapped in the Israeli flag shouting antisemitic slurs. 

The synagogue’s director reportedly said that the attack was “a disaster for the synagogue. We’re a poor shul. We don’t have the funds to replace our glass. I don’t know how we’re going to get out of this.” She added that the attack had alarmed the local Jewish community, with many members afraid to go to the synagogue alone. “A lot of our members are concerned. We’re scared,” she said.

She further noted that efforts had already been taken to enhance the building’s security and make members feel safe, but she remained concerned about the future.

Three of the six charges faced by the suspect are classified as hate crimes, which dramatically increase the penalties he may face if convicted.

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 hate preacher Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam YouTube channel is finally deleted

The online video-sharing site YouTube has finally deleted the account of the Nation of Islam (NOI), which is led by the antisemitic hate preacher Louis Farrakhan.

According to the platform, the NOI channel was removed on 2nd October for content in violation of the site’s policies against hate speech, specifically the widespread circulation of ideas that target members of a protected group as being part of evil conspiracies. Mr Farrakhan has made several claims that the Jewish people orchestrated the slave trade and the 9/11 terrorist attacks and that the Jewish community conspires to control the country’s media, economy and foreign and domestic legislation. These are all antisemitic conspiracy theories.

During a speech on 4th July, Mr Farrakhan referred to Jews collectively as “Satan” and “the enemy of God”, claiming Jews had “broken their covenant relationship with God.” He encouraged listeners to actively fight “the imposter Jews who are worthy of chastisement of God”. The controversial speech has been viewed over 1.2 million times on numerous YouTube channels, one of which is a digital cable network founded by Sean “P Diddy” Combs. The video has since been removed from the platform.

In an online lecture series between 2013 and 2014, which had an average of around 40,000 views per sermon, the NOI leader made claims that the “Jewish media”, referencing Hollywood, was responsible for “normalised sexual degeneracy, profanity and all kinds of sin.”

A spokesperson for YouTube reportedly said: “We have strict policies prohibiting hate speech on YouTube, and terminate any channel that repeatedly or egregiously violates those policies.”

The site has reportedly updated guidelines to tackle content that spreads hateful or discriminatory conspiracy theories, leading to five times more videos being removed and over 25,000 channels terminated for directly violating the revised hate speech policies.

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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US legislators launch new Interparliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism to combat online hate

An international effort to generate legislative and political pressure on social media companies to raise awareness and protect platforms from individuals or groups who engage in hate speech, propaganda and disinformation online has been launched by the US Congress.

The Interparliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism was announced on 29th September by a bipartisan group of US legislators. The task force will work across party lines and in cooperation with fellow lawmakers from Australia, Canada, Israel and the UK.

The concept for the group was first introduced at the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem earlier this year.

Rep. Chris Smith, a co-founder of the Task Force, has noted that it is the responsibility of social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, to maintain safeguards and ensure that users do not abuse communication tools to spread messages of hate. The Task Force has attributed a lack of regulation to the rise in antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes online and via networking apps.

Other parliamentarians active in the Task Force include the Canadian Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, Knesset Member Michal Cotler-Wunsh of Israel’s Blue and White Party and British Labour MP Alex Sobel.

Ms Cutler-Wunsh expressed disappointment in a recent Knesset committee hearing, organised to address social media companies’ policies on antisemitic content, when a representative from the video-sharing platform TikTok failed to attend. She argued a lack of accountability was responsible for the “virulently antisemitic content” that is accessible to millions of children and young people worldwide.

Campaign Against Antisemitism continues its robust engagement with social media companies over the content that they enable to be published, and we continue to make representations to the Government in this connection.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has recently 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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Invite-only social-media app for tech entrepreneurs alleged to have hosted discussion invoking antisemitic tropes

An exclusive, private American social media app has found itself caught in controversy after antisemitic stereotypes were allegedly invoked during an online discussion it was hosting on relations between Jews and African Americans.

The Clubhouse is a live audio app which emerged during the COVID-19 lockdown. According to various online reports, it is “the top virtual hang-out for venture capitalists and tech-industry entrepreneurs, along with the occasional celebrity,” while Bloomberg News calls it a favoured haunt for “venture capitalists and other Silicon Valley insiders.”

Last Monday night, the by-invitation-only app hosted a virtual conversation on “Antisemitism and Black Culture,” which, according to reports, had more than 300 participants.

Some of those present reported that antisemitic tropes linking Jews with controlling commerce and banking were repeatedly invoked during the conversation.

One Clubhouse member declared on Twitter that she had listened in for “only three minutes, but heard enough” in that time to close the app and leave the discussion. She tweeted: “There’s a room on Clubhouse right now that is literally just a bunch of people talking about why it’s ok to hate Jews so I’m done with that app for a while.”

According to another attendee, who did not want to be named, the “essential thesis” was that Jewish people and Black people face the same amount of historical trauma but “because Jewish people control the banking system they were able to claim their own reparations.”

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New York University pledges to curb antisemitism after assault and flag-burning

New York University (NYU) has reached an agreement with the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to revise its Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy following a legal complaint filed last year over campus antisemitism.

The administration was accused of failing to take steps to “prevent the discriminatory attack” or of acting “to prevent its reoccurrence,” following the arrest of two students who physically assaulted a celebrant at an Israel Independence Day party in April 2018 and trampled and set fire to an Israeli flag. The OCR opened the investigation into NYU last November.

Following the agreement reached with the OCR, NYU has said its updated policy would set out “the procedures for addressing and responding to … incidents and complaints of antisemitism.” The agreement also set out a description of “the forms of antisemitism that can manifest in the [NYU] university environment.”

It also pledged to issue a statement to all NYU students, faculty, and staff saying that the university does not tolerate acts of discrimination or harassment.

Among other requirements, the policy will make it mandatory for NYU to “train students, faculty and staff” about the issue of antisemitism. NYU also vowed to take disciplinary action against students who violate the policy and promised to report to the OCR on the implementation of the changes.

NYU’s settlement with the OCR was “ground-breaking,” declared attorney Neal Sher, one of those who filed the legal complaint. He hoped it would “send an important message to all colleges and universities,” he added.

The move was also welcomed by Alyza Lewin, president of the Louis D. Brandeis Centre: “This is a defeat of antisemitism that will undoubtedly improve the climate on NYU’s campus.”

Referring to the OCR’s requirement that colleges must use the International Definition of Antisemitism when addressing the issue, she added: “Other universities that are serious about combating antisemitism should follow suit and, similarly, incorporate the [Definition] into their university policies.”

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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After students make ‘list of Jews’, thousands sign petition calling for action against antisemitism at high school in California

A petition has been launched urging school authorities in Marin County, California to take immediate action against high school students who were active on an antisemitic social media page.

Earlier this month, an Instagram account titled “Redwood students organised [against] semitism” was discovered. The social media account, accompanied by an antisemitic caricature, named specific, local Jewish students and urged its followers to contribute additional Jewish names to a public Google document. The online list was decorated with images of bullets and a swastika. Several other accounts linked to the high school have also been found to feature antisemitic content.

The petition, which has attracted thousands of signatures, is addressed to the Tamalpais Union High School District’s (TUHSD) superintendent, Tara Taupier. It voices concern and disappointment at the lack of action taken against antisemitism by young people in the area. Redwood school officials were allegedly alerted to potential suspects in the case as early as March this year. Demands have been made for the swift discipline of the offenders to reflect a transparent zero-tolerance policy for antisemitism.

The Redwood student behind the petition said that her and fellow students were fearful that online harassment and psychological abuse could become a physical threat if this form of hatred was “swept under the rug”, and she drew parallels between the Google document and lists used during the Holocaust to record the Jewish population.

Others in the community have said that they are frightened of signing the petition and consequently being identified as Jewish.

Ms Taupier said that Marin County education, law enforcement, religious and community officials recently conducted an online forum on the controversy. The superintendent stated that members of various institutions united to express abhorrence at the incidents and share information and resources on combating antisemitism in the county.

Local law enforcement is working alongside the Northern California Computer Crimes Task Force to continue its investigations into the incident.

The social media account has been removed from the platform.

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 family reportedly abused by flight attendant on American Airlines

A Jewish family has alleged that they were subjected to anti-Jewish racial abuse by a flight attendant on American Airlines.

The family were boarding flight AA142 at New York City’s JFK Airport en route to Heathrow yesterday, and whilst stowing their bags were accosted by a female crew member who allegedly shouted: “you f***ing Jews think you control the plane”.

The incident was reported by Stamford Hill Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer neighbourhood watch patrol, and is being investigated by authorities at Heathrow.

American Airlines tweeted in response that “our company culture celebrates diversity on all levels. It’s part of who we are,” inviting the victim to contact the company directly.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has contacted the airline for further comment.

If you have any more information, please contact Stamford Hill Shomrim on 0300 999 0123, quoting reference number: CAD1954 7/1/2020.

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Pittsburgh, Poway — and now Jersey City

On 10th December, two antisemitic gunmen attacked a kosher grocery store in Jersey City, New Jersey, killing three civilians. A Jersey City Police Department detective was also shot and killed at a nearby cemetery shortly before the attackers targeted the store, and the gunmen themselves were killed by law enforcement.

It is now understood that the attackers — a man and a woman — were motivated by hatred towards Jews. At least one is believed to have had connections with the Black Israelite Hebrews, an extremist Black supremacist group that has also harassed and intimidated Jews on the streets of the UK and the London Underground.

Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “First Pittsburgh, then Poway and now Jersey City. Yet again American Jews are being murdered for who they are, and by those with connections to a racist group active in the UK as well. Although white supremacists pose a serious and violent threat to Jews in the United States and throughout the Western world, antisemitism is by no means confined to their extremist ideology alone, but is present among the far-left, Islamist circles and, evidently, other racist groups. It is also desperately clear that what begins as intimidation of Jews on the streets eventually escalates to violence and murder, and we call on the authorities to show zero tolerance toward anti-Jewish hate crime whenever it arises. Once more we are reminded why all decent human beings must all stand #TogetherAgainstAntisemitism, not just in word but in deed.”

Those wishing to show solidarity with the Jewish community at this time may wish to visit TogetherAgainstAntisemitism.com to add a badge to their social media profiles.

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CAA reacts to the attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh: “All over the world, far-right, far-left and Islamist extremists are stoking the flames of Jew-hatred, with too little done to stop them.”

Gideon Falter, Chairman of Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Today the peace of the Jewish Sabbath was shattered when a terrorist targeted Jewish innocents at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. As the Sabbath ends, families have been broken and lives have been taken. All over the world, far-right, far-left and Islamist extremists are stoking the flames of Jew-hatred, with too little done to stop them. Antisemitism is an age-old disease which begins with hatred and violence towards Jews and ends with the unraveling of society. We mourn with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh. May the memories of those who fell today be a blessing. Today we are reminded so brutally and heartbreakingly why we must stand together against antisemitism.”

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The US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism should not be scrapped, as Ira Forman’s legacy shows

Campaign Against Antisemitism strictly confines its output to antisemitism in the United Kingdom, leaving antisemitism elsewhere in the world to our Everyday Antisemitism project, which reports daily on antisemitic incidents across the globe, and is well worth visiting and subscribing to. However, sometimes events overseas impact the fight against antisemitism in Britain. Today is such an occasion.

Bloomberg has reported that due to budgetary considerations, the United States of America is considering removing various special envoy positions, including that of Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. Whilst Special Envoy positions may sound like an extravagance, we formed a very successful relationship with the last Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Ira Forman.

Over meetings with Special Envoy Forman in Brussels and London, Campaign Against Antisemitism helped to create an understanding that the one of the most effective ways in which the United States of America could help Jews around the world would be to pursue the adoption of the International Definition of Antisemitism. This is a cause which Special Envoy Forman embraced wholeheartedly. He brought the gravitas that the United States of America commands to international negotiations. One of Special Envoy Forman’s legacies is his involvement in the adoption by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance of the International Definition of Antisemitism. He also helped to secure support from 56 of the 57 member states of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe for adopting the definition, with only Russia disgracefully blocking its adoption.

The Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism is a hugely valuable asset to Jewish communities around the world, not only in Britain, but particularly in countries where smaller Jewish communities struggle to find a champion who will fend off their oppressors.

We hope that the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism will be one of the Special Envoy posts to survive the budget cuts under consideration.

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US Senate unanimously passes Antisemitism Awareness Act adopting International Definition of Antisemitism

The United States Senate has unanimously passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which requires the US Department of Education to use the International Definition of Antisemitism “In reviewing, investigating, or deciding whether there has been a violation of title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964”.

The Act specifically notes that “Antisemitism remains a persistent, disturbing problem in elementary and secondary schools and on college campuses. Jewish students are being threatened, harassed, or intimidated in their schools (including on their campuses) on the basis of their shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics including through harassing conduct that creates a hostile environment so severe, pervasive, or persistent so as to interfere with or limit some students’ ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by schools.” It also particularly praises the International Definition for including “useful examples of discriminatory anti-Israel conduct that crosses the line into antisemitism.”

The legislation was proposed by Senators Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat, and Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, who said in a statement that the purpose of the Act was to “ensure the Education Department has the necessary statutory tools at their disposal to investigate anti-Jewish incidents.”

In 2005, the EU Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC), now the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), adopted a “working definition on antisemitism” which became the standard definition used around the world, including by the European Parliament, the UK College of Policing, the US Department of State, and the 31 countries comprising the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. The US Senate is the latest body to formally adopt it.

Earlier this year, the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee joined Campaign Against Antisemitism’s longstanding call for the British Government and its agencies, as well as all political parties, to formally adopt the International Definition of Antisemitism, and for educational institutions to use it in disciplinary cases.

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American academic receives antisemitic postcard from Britain demanding “Juden raus!”

A professor at Harvard Law School has received an antisemitic postcard sent from the UK.

The full details of the postcard’s message have been masked, but the sender addresses Professor Sanford Levinson by name and the message is clear: “Sandy,  You just got your like ass kicked. F*** you Hymie. We’re gonna drain the swamp at Harvard Law. Juden raus!”

The Nazi demand of “Juden raus!” means “Jews out!” and was also the name of a children’s board game, the goal of which was to round up Jews and place them at a “collection point”. The phrase “Drain the swamp” was used by supporters of Donald Trump during the presidential campaign as a shorthand for purging politics of corruption and corporate interests. “Hymie” is a Jewish name sometimes used by antisemites as a jibe.

Professor Levinson told the Boston Globe: “It certainly is as hostile as it could be…This is a level of antisemitic hostility that I have not seen before.”

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Campaign Against Antisemitism Meets United States Antisemitism Envoy

On Thursday, 29th January 2015, Campaign Against Antisemitism Chairman Gideon Falter met with the United States’ Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Ira Forman, and representatives of other Jewish organisations from around Europe at a meeting in Brussels arranged by the European Jewish Association.

The discussion focussed on ways that the United States could help to fight antisemitism in Europe. The CAA asked the United States for help on four fronts:

  1. Highlighting the growth of antisemitism and the importance of taking firm action against it. The CAA raised President Obama’s absence from the rally following the terrorist attacks in Paris and the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and contrasted this with his presence at the funeral the late King Abdullah, a lifelong antisemite, Holocaust denier and funder of terrorism.
  2. Vocally supporting the British government in taking firm measures against antisemitism as it is likely to have to take bold steps that other European governments have not.
  3. Pressuring the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency to formally adopt the “working definition” of antisemitism developed by the now-defunct EU Monitoring Centre on Xenophobia and Racism which has been adopted by the United States government.
  4. Ensuring that social networks based in the United States enforce their own terms of service in relation to hate speech and comply with legal requests by the British authorities for information on the perpetrators of hate crime online.

The Special Envoy and the Chairman of the CAA will be continuing their discussions by telephone.

Earlier in the month, Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Director of Communications met with Gideon Behar, the Israeli envoy for combating antisemitism.

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.