CAM welcomed the Albanian parliament’s endorsement of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism. In doing so, Albania has become one of the first majority-Muslim countries to adopt the definition. The landmark decision comes just days before the first ever Balkans Forum Against Anti-Semitism. Read Here
Watch this Week's Summary of Anti-Semitic Incidents Around the World.
Anti-Semitic assaults and vandalism targeted Jewish individuals and properties in California, Greece, Ukraine and beyond. Yet in the face of rising anti-Semitism, governments and civil society are taking fresh action to blunt its spread. Albania’s parliament adopted the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism and Bahrain signed a groundbreaking agreement with the U.S. to combat anti-Semitism as the U.S. Department of State hosted the first-ever government-sponsored conference to combat online anti-Semitism.
THIS WEEK’S CONTENT
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SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
SPECIAL FEATURE
TAKING AIM AT ONLINE ANTI-SEMITISM
By Elan S. Carr, U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor & Combat Anti-Semitism
Elan Carr, U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism, writes in an op-ed in The Hill, that for all the benefits that the internet and social media have brought to humanity, malign actors misuse these platforms as vectors of our societal ailments, including anti-Semitism. In response, the State Department just hosted the first-ever U.S. government-sponsored conference on combating online anti-Semitism, titled “Ancient Hatred, Modern Medium.” Read Here
Watch: “Ancient Hatred, Modern Medium” Day 1
Watch: “Ancient Hatred, Modern Medium” Day 2
THE INAUGURAL 2020 BALKANS FORUM AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM
By CAM
The Albanian Parliament, in partnership with the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement and the Jewish Agency for Israel, is hosting the inaugural Balkans Forum Against Anti-Semitism on October 28, 2020. The 2020 Balkans Forum Against Anti-Semitism will serve as a model to the region in the fight against the world’s oldest hatred. This historic forum will be headlined by the Honorable Michael R. Pompeo, United States Secretary of State and David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament. Register Here
COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM MOVEMENT APPLAUDS ALBANIA’S ADOPTION OF IHRA DEFINITION, URGES OTHER MAJORITY-MUSLIM COUNTRIES TO FOLLOW
By CAM 
AN OASIS FOR THE JEWS: JEWISH COMMUNITY LEADER DISCUSSES LIFE IN ALBANIA
By CAM
CAM spoke to the head of Albania’s Jewish community, comprising just under 50 members out of a population of 3 million, a majority of whom are Muslim. Geront Koreta was born in Vlora, a coastal city in southern Albania. Koreta is grateful that Albania’s Jewish community enjoys excellent relations with its neighbors. “If you see the history, then you understand that to be a Jew in Albania people won’t see you and be anti-Semitic towards you. They will see you with sympathy.” Read Here
THE MOST HORRIBLE FOUR HOURS OF ZARIE SIBONY’S LIFE
By CAM
Zarie Sibony, 28, who now lives in Israel, tells her harrowing story as a survivor of the Paris kosher super market massacre. Zarie Sibony was at her checkout counter at the Hyper Cacher supermarket when an ISIS terrorist, wielding two Kalashnikov rifles, burst through the doors. Five years after the attack, Sibony returned to France to testify in the trial of 14 people suspected of helping the gunman. Read Here
UNITED STATES
OAKLAND, CA SYNAGOGUE HIT WITH SWASTIKA VANDALISM
By CAM
A swastika was painted on the historic wooden sanctuary doors of Temple Sinai in Oakland, California. The graffiti is being investigated as a hate crime and police have been pouring over the the synagogue’s security camera footage. Read Here
SAN DIEGO COPS ARREST 14-YEAR-OLD BOY FOR ANTI-SEMITIC ASSAULT ON RABBI
By Algemeiner Staff
A San Diego teenage boy was arrested in connection with a violent assault on a rabbi in the University City neighborhood. The 14-year-old was alleged to have punched Rabbi Yonatan Halevy to the ground while referencing “white power,” as he walked to synagogue with his father for Shabbat services. Read Here
WORLD NEWS
United Kingdom
BBC JOURNALIST EXPOSED BY THE JC OVER ANTI-SEMITISM TWEETS LEAVES THE CORPORATION
By Lee Harpin
Nimesh Thaker, who worked at BBC World News as a journalist and producer, and used an anonymous Twitter account to attack a speech made by Jewish presenter Emma Barnett, has resigned from his job as a broadcast journalist during the disciplinary process – meaning he would escape further scrutiny. Read Here
BRITISH TRADE UNION LEADER SORRY FOR TELLING JEWISH EX-BANKER TO GO COUNT HIS GOLD
By JTA
Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite the Union, made the remark about Peter Mandelson, a Jewish former Labour parliamentarian, in an interview aired on the BBC. “I stopped listening to anything Peter Mandelson says years ago,” said McCluskey, whose union has over a million members. “I would suggest Peter goes into a room and counts his gold and not worry about the Labour Party. Read Here
GERMANY
FOLLOWING BRUTAL ATTACK JEWISH STUDENT, GERMAN INVESTIGATION REVEALS DEEPGRAINED ANTI-SEMITISM INSIDE ELITE FRATERNITIES
By Ben Cohen
German politician Boris Weirauch has urged the country’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution—which guards against neo-Nazi and extremist threats—to investigate a group of elite German university fraternities following a brutal anti-Semitic attack upon a Jewish student who was attending a fraternity party in August at Heidelberg University. Read Here
EUROPEAN JEWISH GROUP SLAMS MUNICH AUCTION HOUSE FOR SELLING NAZI MEMORABILIA
By JNS
Hermann Historica, an auction house in Munich has come under fire for selling Nazi memorabilia, including various speaking notes from Adolf Hitler. In November 2019 they hosted a similar auction and the lots ended up being bought by a Lebanese businessman, Abdallah Chatila, who then donated them to Yad Vashem. Read Here
THE MIDDLE EAST
OK TO MURDER ISRAELI CIVILIANS BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL “CRMINALS” – HAMAS’ MESSAGE IN TV SERIES
By Nan Jacques Zilberdik
Murdering Israeli/Jewish civilians is legitimate according to a TV series produced and broadcast by Hamas. In a scene on the show Self-Sacrificing Fighter (Fida’i), an armed terrorist enters a restaurant in Tel Aviv and murders Israeli/Jewish diners. Following the attack, a Palestinian woman is being interrogated by an Israeli investigator. She explains that while Islam forbids murdering civilians, killing Israelis/Jews is justified because Israelis/Jews are all “criminals.” Read Here
ARAB VIDEO BLOGGER BLASTS AL JAZEERA FOR SPREADING ‘FAKE NEWS’ ABOUT HIM AND ISRAEL
By Shiryn Ghermezian
Popular Israeli Arab video blogger Nas Daily slammed the Qatari media outlet Al Jazeera for reporting “fake news” and falsely claiming that he was a propagandist for Israel. In an almost 6-minute video, the famed YouTuber slammed efforts to smear him by Al Jazeera, which is owned and funded by the Qatari government. Read Here
OTHER WORLD NEWS
JEWISH CEMETERIES AND A HOLOCAUST MONUMENT DESECRATED IN GREECE
By CAM
Another Jewish cemetery and a Holocaust memorial have been desecrated in Thessaloniki, Greece, just days after neo-Nazi leaders of the Golden Dawn party were jailed in a historic trial. Graffiti reading, “With Jews you lose,” was spray-painted onto a monument in memory of the 50,000 Jews of Thessaloniki who were murdered in the Holocaust. The words “Death to Israel” were also found at the Jewish cemetery of Thessaloniki. Read Here
JEWISH TEENAGER LIGHTLY WOUNDED IN ATTACK IN UMAN UKRAINE
By JTA
Three unidentified men assaulted two Jewish teenagers in the Ukrainian city of Uman. The incident occurred near the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, whose grave is a pilgrimage site that typically attracts about 50,000 visitors annually. One of the teenagers, aged 17, suffered a facial wound from a knife, while the other fled the scene. Read Here
ON CAMPUS
COLLEGES UNDER FIRE FOR FOREIGN GIFT REPORTING
By Elizabeth Redden
The Department of Education issued a report accusing colleges of failing to comply with a law requiring biannual disclosure of all foreign gifts and contracts totaling $250,000 or more. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said, “Our initial investigations catalyzed disclosure of approximately $6.5 billion in previously unreported foreign funds from Qatar, China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Based on Congressional and Executive Branch investigations, the Department believes this amount is a fraction of the true total. Read Here
UK ACADEMICS REJECT GOVERNMENT CALLS TO ADOPT IHRA DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM
By Lee Harpin
A demand by the government for British universities to adopt the international definition of anti-Semitism has been met with an angry backlash from many academics. Oxford University ignored the government’s warning over the definition. Academics at Soas University of London were among those to have reacted furiously to the call for IHRA to be adopted. One lecturer even suggested IHRA was part of a “Zionist” attempt to redefine the true meaning of anti-Semitism. Read Here
LANCASTER JEWISH STUDENTS ‘WILL NOT STOP’ IN BATTLE AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM
By LancsLive
The Jewish Society at Lancaster University in the UK said that they will not stop until the higher education institution officially adopts the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. “Not adopting this definition is in itself anti-Semitic. There is no disadvantage in adopting this definition. “The university should be willing to protect all of its minority students on campus by adopting communities own definitions of discrimination.” Read Here
ANALYSIS & OP-EDS
TRUMP OR BIDEN, KEEP UP THE PRESSURE ON CAMPUS ANTI-SEMITISM
By KENNETH L. MARCUS Read Here
STUDIES AND STATISTICS
NEW REPORT WARNS THAT 79% OF ANTI-VACCINATION NETWORKS HOST JEW-HATE
By Lee Harpin 
The UK’s Adviser on Anti-Semitism, Lord John Mann, released a report about the role of anti-Semitism in ‘anti-vaxxer’ conspiracy theories, a movement that has grown significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. The document’s analysis of 27 leading anti-vaxxer networks found that anti-Semitic content was present in 79% of them. Accusations that Jewish conspirators created the virus are the most dominant in anti-vaxxer communities. Read Here
THE GLOBAL PROPORTION OF JEWS LIVING IN EUROPE IS AS LOW AS IT WAS 1,000 YEARS AGO. AND THE FUTURE THERE DOESN’T LOOK BRIGHT.
By CNAAN LIPHSHIZ 
Jews’ share of the population of Europe is as low now as it was 1,000 years ago and is declining further. The study by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research found 1.3 million people who describe themselves as Jewish in continental Europe, the UK, Turkey and Russia. That figure has declined by nearly 60% since 1970, when there were 3.2 million Jews in the same area. Read Here
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WORKING TO PROMOTE HOLOCAUST-ERA RESTITUTION WORLDWIDE
By Dr. Yvette Alt Miller
Cherrie Daniels, a lively Jewish mom and career member of the Senior Foreign Service, represents the United States when it comes to Holocaust-era issues, including education, restitution, and memorials. Since 2019, she’s served as the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues. “The Special Envoy is the point of contact within the State Department for all issues related to the Holocaust,” Cherrie recently explained in an Aish.com exclusive interview. Read Here
FROM OUR PARTNERS
LEBANESE NGO ACTED AS HEZBOLLAH FRONT STORING ARMS WHICH EXPLODED
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDS
Hezbollah has been using a private non-governmental organization to cover for their activities in southern Lebanon, the Israeli research organization the Alma Education Center has revealed. According to the Alma Center, a weapons depot was stored at the business premises of NGO “Peace Generation Organization for Demining” (PGOD), a front group set up by Hezbollah with the sponsorship of an Iranian company suspected of having the patronage of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Forces. Read Here
WORLD ORT ADOPTS IHRA DEFINITION
By CAM
World ORT, the largest Jewish Education network in the world, has officially adopted the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. World ORT’s adoption of IHRA means their education network – reaching over 300,000 people in more than 30 countries – will now join the thousands of governments, NGOs, cultural and social movements around the world who have adopted the IHRA definition in recent years. Read Here
TWO YEARS AFTER PITTSBURGH: THE EVOLUTION & FUTURE OF SECURING THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
By Secure Community Network
GOVERNMENT & POLICY
SENIOR UAE DELEGATION COMES TO ISRAEL; NETANYAHU: ‘TODAY WE ARE MAKING HISTORY’
By RAPHAEL AHREN
A delegation of United Arab Emirates officials arrived in Tel Aviv for meetings with their Israeli counterparts. After landing, the delegation signed four bilateral agreements with Israel, including a visa waiver agreement. During the welcoming ceremony, the US, Israel and UAE announced the creation of a trilateral fund to foster regional cooperation and prosperity. Read Here
ALBANIA FIRST MUSLIM MAJORITY STATE TO ADOPT IHRA ANTI-SEMITISM DEFINITION
By JEREMY SHARON
The Albanian parliament has endorsed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of anti-Semitism, making the country one of the first majority-Muslim countries to adopt the definition. “It is good news that we, the Albanians…join this emancipatory action of contemporary civilization: the fight against anti-Semitism,” said Gramoz Ruci, speaker of Albania’s parliament. Read Here
US, BAHRAIN SIGN MOU ON COMBATING ANTI-SEMITISM
By JNS
The United States and Bahrain signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on combating anti-Semitism. The three-year MOU, which will be eligible for renewal, is between the U.S. State Department and the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence to develop and facilitate programs to combat anti-Semitism and promote peaceful coexistence. Read Here
HUMANITY
TIKTOK TELLS KNESSET ANTI-SEMITISM HAS NO PLACE ON OUR PLATFORM
By i24 News
TikTok told Israeli ministers they were committed to stopping anti-Semitism on their platform. A representative met with the Aliyah, Absorption and Diaspora Committee in the Knesset, after the company was absent from previous meetings. According to TikTok, 90 percent of the hateful content uploaded is removed before anyone sees it. Read More
TWITTER, FOLLOWING FACEBOOK, REPORTEDLY BANS HOLOCAUST DENIAL
By Rachel Sandler
Twitter said it will remove posts that deny the Holocaust, days after Facebook also banned Holocaust denialism. Though Twitter doesn’t have a specific policy about Holocaust denial like Facebook, the company is interpreting its Hateful Conduct Policy to include it. 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, 285 organizations and 295,000 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.
