THIS WEEK’S GLOBAL ANTI-SEMITISM REPORT
CAM’s global anti-Semitism report this week includes 27 new anti-Semitic incidents (59% far-right, 19% far-left, 11% Islamist, and 11% unidentifiable).
An imam in Miami referred to Jews as the “descendants of pigs and apes,” in a sermon slamming the Abraham Accords. In Massachusetts, a high school football coach was fired after his team used “Auschwitz” and other anti-Semitic terms as play calls.
Europe experienced two physical anti-Semitic attacks. In London a pregnant Jewish woman walking down the street was randomly punched and suffocated by a man. In Rome, a food delivery driver stabbed another man who protested his anti-Semitic rant. In Brazil, a prominent politician promoted the medieval blood libel that Jews ritually sacrifice children.
With a focus on education, Greece will take over the presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) next week. Despite recent anti-Semitic attacks, the cities of Montreal and Strasbourg rejected motions to adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism – becoming the first cities in Canada and Europe to do so. Meanwhile, there were 5 IHRA definition adoptions this week, including the Italian city of Siena.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPECIAL FEATURE
WITH FOCUS ON EDUCATION, GREECE SET TO TAKE OVER ROTATING PRESIDENCY OF INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE ALLIANCE
By CAM
Greece is set to take over the rotating presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) on April 1st. Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexandros Papaioannou said, “We attach particular importance” to the event,” adding that Greece’s IHRA presidency would focus on education. The announcement comes on the heels of an anti-Semitic incident in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, where a new street mural depicting the extermination of the city’s Jews in Nazi camps was vandalized. Read Here
FIGHTING ANTI-SEMITISM WITH JEWISH-CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PHILOS PROJECT’S ROBERT NICHOLSON
By CAM
Throughout history, Jewish-Christian relations have often been fraught, but today mllions of Christians worldwide advocate for the State of Israel and feel concern over the rise of anti-Semitism. Robert Nicholson is President and Executive Director of The Philos Project, a non-profit organization founded to imbue young Christian leaders with a deeper understanding of the Near Eastern roots of their faith. Uniquely, Nicholson’s vision involves bringing Christians closer to Jews through education, advocacy, and immersive travel. Read Here
MAYOR OF GREATER MANCHESTER VOWS ‘ZERO-TOLERANCE FOR HATE’ AT ANTI-SEMITISM SUMMIT
By CAM
Amid a rise in hate crimes around the world, leaders of cities must come together to take a strong stance against bigotry, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said in remarks at last week’s 2021 Mayors Summit Against Anti-Semitism, hosted by Frankfurt am Main in partnership with the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM). Read Here
CAM STUDENT VIDEO CONTEST WINNERS USE CREATIVITY TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF ANTI-SEMITISM
By CAM
The winners of the “Students Speak Out Against Anti-Semitism. A Creative Video Production Contest” were honored last month at a virtual awards ceremony hosted by the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM) and B’nai B’rith International, the co-sponsors of the competition. The goal of the contest was to raise public awareness of anti-Semitism by means of short educational videos produced by high school and undergraduate university students. Read Here
UNITED STATES
MIAMI IMAM SLAMS NORMALIZATION WITH ‘DESCENDANTS OF PIGS AND APES’
By Times of Israel
A Miami-based imam criticized those who seek peace and normalization with Jews, whom he referred to as “the offspring of apes and pigs” that are behind all corruption worldwide, in a sermon. Imam Dr. Fadi Yousef Kablawi’s speech at the North Miami Islamic Center was posted to the mosque’s Facebook page and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). Read Here
MAN SUSPECTED OF DRAWING SWASTIKA IN SNOW OUTSIDE HISTORIC NEW YORK TEMPLE ARRESTED
By Elisha Fieldstadt, NBC
A man suspected of drawing a swastika in the snow in front of a historic temple last month was captured after New York City police said he returned to the site to again mark it with the anti-Semitic symbol. Manuel Barrera, 50, of Harlem, was arrested on a charge of anti-Semitic aggravated harassment, according to authorities. Read Here
WORLD NEWS
United Kingdom
LONDON POLICE ARREST MIDDLE-AGED MAN IN CONNECTION WITH BRUTAL ASSAULT ON PREGNANT JEWISH WOMAN
By Algemeiner Staff
Police in London arrested a man in connection with last week’s horrifying assault on a pregnant Orthodox Jewish woman in the Stamford Hill neighborhood of the UK capital. CCTV video of the outrage showed a middle-aged man in a black coat and white sneakers running up behind the 20-year-old woman, who is seven months pregnant. He then thrust a pillow case over the victim’s head, attempting to suffocate her as he punched her repeatedly. Read Here
COUNCILLORS WHO SHARED ANTI-SEMITIC POSTS AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES READMITTED TO LABOUR
By JC Reporter
Two Labour councillors suspended for sharing anti-Semitic posts and extreme anti-Jewish conspiracy theories have been readmitted after just six months of suspension. The Haringey councillors were placed on administrative suspension in September – a move that prevented them from serving as Labour candidates or standing for the party in elections. Read Here
GERMANY
GERMAN STATE LEGISLATOR HIGHLIGHTS TINY NUMBER OF PROSECUTIONS FOR ANTI-SEMITIC HATE CRIMES IN SAXONY
By Algemeiner
A local politician in the east German state of Saxony has expressed alarm that the number of prosecutions for anti-Semitic crimes in the region remains visibly low, despite a year-on-year rise in the crimes themselves. Kerstin Köditz — who sits in the parliament as a representative of the Left Party — told reporters in the city of Dresden that during 2020, there were just 14 cases of the local public prosecutors’ office successfully pursuing anti-Semitic assailants. Read Here
OTHER WORLD NEWS
BRAZIL: JEWS FILE COMPLAINT OVER POLITICIAN WHO SAID JEWS SACRIFICE CHILDREN
By Marcus M. Gilban
Jewish groups have filed a criminal complaint against the head of a major Brazilian party for putting the age-old anti-Semitic blood libel trope in a social media post. “Baal, Satanic deity, Canaanites and Jews sacrificed children to receive their sympathy. Today, history repeats itself,” Roberto Jefferson posted on Instagram. Read Here
ITALY: FOOD DELIVERY MAN IN ROME GOES ON ANTI-SEMITIC RANT AND STABS A MAN WHO PROTESTS HIS SPEECH
By JTA
A food delivery man in Rome was stabbed after telling a fellow courier to stop an anti-Semitic rant. The victim sustained lacerations on his face and required medical treatment. The incident occurred in Rome’s Piazza dei Re di Roma square, where the two men were waiting for orders of McDonald’s to deliver. The attacker, who was working with the Deliveroo service, ranted about Jews while waiting for the food. The victim protested the anti-Semitic rhetoric. Read Here
THE MIDDLE EAST
TURKISH NAZI SYMPATHISER HAS PARK IN INSTANBUL NAMED AFTER HIM
By Benjamin Weinthal
The Istanbul metropolitan municipality’s naming of a park after a writer who showed great sympathy for the Nazi movement’s lethal anti-Semitism, has largely been ignored in the media outside of the Republic of Turkey. In November, the Istanbul city government named a park after Hüseyin Nihal Atsız who is considered by experts of Turkey to be a raging racist and anti-Semite. Read Here
ON CAMPUS
POLISH CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR WHO ENDORSED VIOLENTLY ANTI-SEMITIC ‘BLOOD LIBEL’ EXONERATED BY DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE
By Ben Cohen
A professor at Poland’s leading Catholic university has been spared from disciplinary action and exonerated for a lecture he delivered in 2018 in which he claimed that Polish Jews had engaged in ritual murder. Fr. Tadeusz Guz, a professor of philosophy at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (KUL), endorsed the “blood libel” during a public lecture in Warsaw, in which he falsely alleged that Jews in Poland had engaged in the slaughter of Christian children for ritual purposes. Read Here
US HIGH SCHOOL FIRES FOOTBALL COACH AFTER ANTI-SEMITIC PLAY CALLS
By AP
A Massachusetts high school fired its successful football coach and hired an outside consultant to assist an investigation into reports that the team used anti-Semitic language, including a mention of “Auschwitz,” in its on-field play-calling during a recent game. In response, the school has “severed ties” with head coach Dave Maimaron and canceled Friday’s game against Hingham, said a statement, signed by four members of the administration, including district Superintendent John Antonucci. Read Here
AUSTRIA: POLICE FILES CHARGES VS JEWISH STUDENTS FOR ANTI-BDS PROTEST
By Benjamin Weinthal
The Austrian Union of Jewish Students slammed the Vienna police for a heavy-handed crackdown on 15 Jewish students who protested against an organization that advocates a boycott of Israel. “…15 Jewish university students were surrounded by 100 police officers and criminal complaints filed because they are demonstrating against the anti-Semitic organization BDS,” tweeted the Austrian Union of Jewish Students. Read Here
PENFIELD, NEW YORK SUPERINTENDENT SAYS RACIAL SLUR, SWASTIKA FOUND CARVED INTO TABLES AT HIGH SCHOOL
AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ANTI-SEMITISM PROGRAM ‘ON CUSP’ OF ROLLOUT
SKIDMORE COLLEGE SAYS PROGRESISVE ZIONISTS FOR PEACE CAN FORM TRIAL CLUB
MASON, OHIO OFFICIALS SEARCHING FOR SUSPECTS IN PLAYGROUND NAZI SYMBOLS
ANALYSIS & OP-EDS
ADDRESSING ANTI-SEMITISM WITHIN AND THROUGH THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS IN THE UNITED STATES
By Kenneth L. Marcus
‘THIS HAS BEEN EXHAUSTING’: ASIAN-AMERICAN JEWS ON THE ATLANTA SPA MURDERS AND RISING ANTI-ASIAN HATE CRIMES, IN THEIR OWN WORDS
By ASAF SHALEV AND ANDREW LAPIN
STUDIES & STATISTICS
REPORT: ‘PANDEMIC CONSPIRACY THEORIES LEADING PEOPLE TO HOLOCAUST DENIAL’
By JOSH SALISBURY
The proliferation of pandemic conspiracy theories on social media is leading people to Holocaust denial, a report has warned. Around one in five Brits believe the ‘Q-Anon’ theory that ‘elites’ in the media and politics are involved in child abuse, reveals the poll from anti-racism charity, Hope not Hate. The prevalence of ‘vast’ conspiracy theories about the pandemic or elites such as these can then lend themselves into anti-Semitism and Shoah denial, found the report. Read Here
SWISS AGENCY SAYS ANTI-SEMITIC COVID CONSPIRACY THEORIES ON THE RISE
By JEREMY SHARON
The Swiss Federal Commission against Racism (FCR) has said that hate speech and intolerance are on the rise in the country, including anti-Semitic conspiracy theories surrounding the pandemic. The commission said that the pandemic had given rise to a general increase in efforts to scapegoat different communities and led to “a wave of hatred.” It noted in particular the rise of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about the coronavirus crisis and an alleged Jewish conspiracy related to the pandemic. Read Here
“THE PERCENTAGE OF JEWS IN EUROPE HAS RETURNED TO THE SAME LEVEL AS IN THE MIDDLE AGES”
By Jacques Ehrenfreund
GOVERNMENT & POLICY
CANADIAN JEWISH GROUP CRITICIZES MONTREAL MAYOR FOR NOT ADOPTING IHRA DEFINITION
By JNS
A major Jewish organization in Canada expressed outrage over Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante’s reluctance to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism following a City Council meeting. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said in a statement that Plante “once again failed to put her words into action and follow through on her commitment to take concrete action in the fight against anti-Semitism.” Read Here
FRENCH CITY OF STRASBOURG, SCARRED BY ANTI-JEWISH OUTRAGES, REJECTS IHRA DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM AT COUNCIL MEETING
By Ben Cohen
Council members in the French city of Strasbourg voted to reject a the internationally-accepted International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism adopted by dozens of governments and municipalities around the world, despite a surge in ugly anti-Semitic incidents in the same city over the last year. At its meeting, the council’s main political force, the left-wing Europe Ecology Party (EELV), refused to endorse the definition, stemming from its inclusion of examples outlining how the demonization of Israel and Zionism can be anti-Semitic. Read Here
HUMANITY
CHILDREN’S NOVEL ABOUT MUSLIM-JEWISH FRIENDSHIP OFFERS ROADMAP FOR INTERFAITH ALLYSHIP
By CAM
The children’s book A Place at the Table tells the story of an interfaith friendship between two US middle school girls. The novel — co-authored by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan — is described as a “timely, accessible, and beautifully written story exploring themes of food, friendship, family and what it means to belong, featuring sixth graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a white, Jewish girl taking a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara’s mom.” Read Here
ISRAEL VACCINATES OVER 100,000 PALESTINIAN WORKERS IN TWO WEEKS
By Jerusalem Post
The IDF’ reported that it has vaccinated over 100,000 Palestinian workers who cross into Israel over the last two weeks. In three weeks, the second dose of vaccine will be administered to Palestinian workers, completing their inoculation. Read Here
The Combat Anti-Semitism Movement is a non-partisan, global grassroots movement of individuals and organizations, across all religions and faiths, united around the goal of ending anti-Semitism in all its forms. Since its launching in February 2019, 294 organizations and 299,000 individuals have joined the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement by signing the campaign’s pledge. The CAM Pledge draws upon the IHRA international definition of anti- Semitism and its list of specific behaviors used to discriminate against the Jewish people and the Jewish State of Israel.
