“I’ll enter synagogues and kill everyone”: online hackers in Brazil disrupt Jewish mourning ceremony with violent threats and images of Hitler

Online hackers in Brazil reportedly disrupted a shiva, a period of mourning following a funeral, for a Jewish school principal by issuing violent threats and posting Nazi imagery.

The hackers allegedly told the mourners: “I’ll enter synagogues and kill everyone,” as well as “Death to Jews,” “I’ll explode,” “Sieg Heil” and “dirty Jews”. In addition to this, they also reportedly used images of Adolf Hitler, Nazi symbols and slogans, loud music and pornography.

The shiva was held on Sunday over Google Meet to honour Dora Fraifeld, a school principal at Rio de Janeiro’s Eliezer Max school. In response to the disruption, the online shiva of about 50 mourners was terminated and restarted on a separate link.

In an email to families from Eliezer Max, the school wrote: “As the intention was to reach a larger audience, the link was disclosed on our social networks and this lapse allowed the invaders easy access to the event.”

On social media, Alberto Klein, President of the Rio Jewish federation, said that “Authorities from federal, state and municipal circles must take a stand against antisemitism and the persecution of minorities.”

Brazilian authorities are said to be investigating the incident. Rio State Deputy Atila Nunes, who is understood to be a long-time activist against religious discrimination, has filed a formal complaint in the Rio State Assembly.

In a similar incident last year, a virtual Zoom shiva for a grieving husband mourning his late wife was disrupted by neo-Nazis broadcasting antisemitic messages and images of swastikas and Hitler.

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.