THIS WEEK’S GLOBAL ANTISEMITISM REPORT
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called on the United Nations to remove U.N. Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry (COI) member Miloon Kothari, following his antisemitic remarks about the “Jewish lobby” controlling social media. Kothari has since apologized, as the COI’s chairwoman continued to defend the remarks.
U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt briefed the American Jewish community on her recent overseas travel, remarking that progress is underway to combat antisemitism in Gulf states.
A Jewish man was beaten by an assailant who said “If I had a gun I would shoot you,” while riding the subway in New York City. A teenager in nearby Rockland County was arrested for shooting an Orthodox Jewish man in the face with a projectile.
Antisemitic rhetoric by extremists across the ideological spectrum has been monitored during midterm primary elections in the U.S. A local Michigan Democrat party group posted on social media saying “Zionists have no place in office,” and Gab users called for antisemitic violence following Pennsylvania’s Republican gubernatorial nominee having disavowed the far-right platform.
A series of antisemitic assaults and disturbances took place in London, with at least four assaults, and vandalism targeting Jewish businesses. Former UK Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn returned to the spotlight blaming “powerful forces” including Israel’s former prime minister, for his downfall in an interview with a Hezbollah-linked media outlet in Lebanon.
Repeating a pattern of state-sponsored antisemitism, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted, “Western powers are a mafia. At the top of this mafia stand the prominent Zionist merchants, the US is their showcase, and they’re spread out everywhere.”
Meanwhile, during a sermon at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, an imam prayed to “bring annihilation upon the plundering and occupying Jews.” Memorials to Holocaust victims were also vandalized in Spain and Germany.
This week’s global antisemitism report highlights 38 new media reports of antisemitic incidents. The total includes 12 (31.6%) from the far-right, 7 (18.4%) from the far-left, 5 (13.2%) with Islamist motivations, and 14 (36.8%) unidentifiable in nature.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
UNITED STATES
JOYRIDING TEENS SHOOT ORTHODOX JEWISH RESIDENTS IN MONSEY, NY WITH GEL PROJECTILE
By MIDHUDSON STAFF
Ramapo Town Police detectives, with the aid of a Chaverim Rockland member, were able to track down and arrest a 16-year-old Spring Valley youth who was out for a joy ride with friends and shot an Orthodox Jewish man in the face with a gel projectile. The teen had been shooting garbage cans with the gel-gun when one projectile struck the pedestrian in the face while he standing in a driveway on Decatur Avenue at around 2:20 a.m. on Sunday. The youth has been charged with attempted assault, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon.
‘IF I HAD A GUN I’D SHOOT YOU’ – JEWISH MAN PUNCHED ON NYC SUBWAY
By MICHAEL STARR
A Jewish man was punched while traveling on a New York City subway last Tuesday, in another incident in a spate of assaults on Jewish New Yorkers. Fima Zlatsin said in an interview with Americans Against Antisemitism (AAA) founder Dov Hikind that he was on the subway when a group entered his car with speakers, and one of the men did a dance flip, landing on Zlatsin’s foot. The suspect, described by Zlatsin as an African-American man in his 20s, reportedly expressed that he thought that Zlatsin was filming with his phone following the alleged attacker’s jumping on Zlatsin’s foot.
MICHIGAN DEM GROUP APOLOGIZES FOR ‘OFFENSIVE’ TIKTOK ATTACKING ‘ZIONISTS’ ON THE EVE OF CLOSELY WATCHED HOUSE PRIMARY
By ANDREW LAPIN
The chair of a county Democratic Party in Michigan apologized after the group made a social media post reading “Zionists have no place in office,” apparently meant to support a member of Congress, Rep. Andy Levin, who identifies as a Zionist. Washtenaw County Democratic Party chair Chris Savage issued an apology Saturday for the TikTok post, which was sent Friday by the @WashtenawDems account and referenced the millions of dollars’ worth of pro-Israel money that has flowed into Michigan’s 11th District primary. The race, a redistricting battle between progressive Jewish member Levin and centrist non-Jewish Rep. Haley Stevens, concludes Tuesday. The party group has since deleted the post, but a screenshot of it was shared on social media by Jordan Acker, a Jewish Democrat who is an elected member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents. It contains the text “Zionists have no place in office” under a headline reading “AIPAC VS ANDY LEVIN” and a hashtag reading “#nastywoman” with a devil-horns emoji.
SWASTIKA FOUND DRAWN ON PORTABLE LIGHT TRAILER AT LONG ISLAND, NY PARK
WORLD NEWS
UNITED KINGDOM
APPEAL FOR WITNESSES AFTER THREE ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS IN NORTH LONDON
By LEE HARPIN
A woman has been assaulted close to Seven Sisters underground station in Tottenham, north London in one of three antisemitic attacks to take place in the area. Onlookers claimed the woman was hit over the head with a wooden stick in the incident last Thursday, with the attacker allegedly heard shouting: “I am doing it because you are a Jew.” A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed: “Officers were called at around 3.45pm on Thursday, July 28 to reports of a woman assaulted by another woman close to Seven Sisters Underground station.“The incident happened around 30 minutes prior to the call. The victim was not seriously injured during the incident. Due to comments made during the assault, this is being treated as a hate crime.”
UK LABOUR EX-CHIEF CORBYN CLAIMS SUPPORT FOR PALESTINIANS LED TO ANTISEMITISM CHARGE
By TOI STAFF
Former British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has claimed that his support for the Palestinian cause contributed to accusations of antisemitism that eventually led to his downfall and his ongoing suspension as a member of parliament for the party. In an interview with Al Mayadeen, a Lebanese network that is close to the Hamas and Hezbollah terror groups, Corbyn said that ever since he ran to become Labour leader in 2015 he faced “powerful forces,” and named Israeli then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as one of them. “I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that my clearly stated support for the right of Palestinian people to be able to live in peace free from occupation, free from being under siege as in Gaza, and for those living in refugee camps… played a factor in all this,” Corbyn said in the interview, broadcast Sunday.
GERMANY
LUFTHANSA WILL CREATE A POSITION TO FIGHT ANTISEMITISM AFTER KICKING MORE THAN 100 HASIDIC PASSENGERS OFF A FLIGHT
By ANDREW LAPIN
The Lufthansa airline is creating a senior management role dedicated to preventing discrimination and antisemitism two months after it barred a large group of Orthodox Jewish passengers from boarding a flight. However, an independent investigation commissioned by the airline said there was no evidence of institutional antisemitism behind the incident, which the company’s CEO deemed “categorically inappropriate.” The CEO promised that the German airline would take further action, including establishing a senior management role “for the prevention of discrimination and antisemitism,” creating new staff training around issues of antisemitism and adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.
GERMANY – THREE STUMBLING BLOCKS FOR HOLOCAUST VICTIMS DAMAGED
CANADA
CANADIAN MUSIC FESTIVAL FEATURES RAPPER IN SWASTIKA T-SHIRT
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A number of Jewish groups have expressed outrage following images circulating of a British rapper performing at a Canadian music festival on Saturday wearing a T-shirt adorned with a swastika. Organizers of Montreal’s Osheaga music festival have since apologized for the 27-year-old British rapper who goes by the name “Slowthai” after he performed in a shirt depicting the word “destroy” above a swastika, local media reported. In a follow-up tweet, Osheaga organizers apologized for “confusion” and claims the T-shirt “denounces the regime.” “We sincerely apologize to anyone who may have misinterpreted this message and felt hurt,” the tweet said.
FRANCE
FRANCE – ANTI-ISRAELI GRAFFITI ON ROADS IN NANTERRE
By TIMES OF ISRAEL
Roads in Nanterre, in the Hauts-de-Seine, were tagged this Sunday, reported the National Bureau of Vigilance against Antisemitism (BNVCA). These large anti-Israel inscriptions indicate in particular “Boycott Israel”, “Free Palestine”, or even “Palestine will live, Palestine will conquer”. A Palestinian flag was also painted.
OTHER WORLD NEWS
SOUTH AFRICAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS ISRAEL ‘IMPLEMENTING APARTHEID’
By KATE BARTLETT
South Africa’s chief rabbi has condemned Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor for saying that Israel is “implementing apartheid” in its treatment of Palestinians. Pandor made the comparison to South Africa’s past oppressive system of racial segregation during a meeting of the Palestinian Heads of Mission in Africa, held in Pretoria. Wearing a traditional Palestinian scarf, Pandor reiterated South Africa’s steadfast commitment to the Palestinian cause, comparing it to the 20th century struggle against white minority rule in South Africa. “For many South Africans, the narrative of the Palestinian people’s struggle does evoke experiences of our own history of racial segregation and oppression,” she said.
HUNGARY – ANTISEMITIC POSTERS APPEARED RELATED TO THE NAZI SPEECH OF THE PRIME MINISTER
By VISAVIS
After the speech delivered by Viktor Orbán, the streets of Budapest, capital of Hungary, woke up with antisemitic posters. Orbán generated repudiation and controversy after issuing a “pure Nazi” speech, according to his own adviser, who later resigned. Twitter user Anita Zsurzsan shared images of the anti-Semitic posters, saying, “I hate to share this but I need to raise awareness of antisemitism in Hungary.” He further added: “Posters appeared in Budapest today saying that ‘There are two races: Jews and goyim’ just days after Orbán’s Nazi-style speech. Jewish organizations say it is an antisemitic provocation by hate groups.”
ISRAELIS OUTRAGED AS BIG BROTHER CONTESTANT PERFORMS NAZI SALUTE
MIDDLE EAST
JORDANIAN ATHLETE REFUSES TO COMPETE AGAINST ISRAELI PEER
By JNS STAFF
A Jordanian athlete withdrew from a taekwondo championship in Bulgaria to avoid facing an opponent from Israel, reported Middle East Monitor. Maysir Al-Dahamsheh, a member of the Jordanian women’s junior taekwondo team, made the move on Sunday after reaching the finals of the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships, which were held in late July.
IMAM PRAYS FOR ‘JEWS’ ANNIHILATION’ IN SERMON AT MECCA GRAND MOSQUE
By TOI STAFF
Imam Saleh Bin Al-Humayd prayed for God to “bring annihilation upon the plundering and occupying Jews” and to protect the Muslims from their evil during a Friday sermon at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute. The sermon came less than two weeks after Israeli journalist Gil Tamari illegally entered the site where non-Muslims are banned.
US DENOUNCES KHAMENEI OVER ZIONIST MERCHANTS, MAFIA REMARK
ON CAMPUS
NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL MEMBER URGES NY GOVERNOR TO ADDRESS ‘HOSTILE CLIMATE’ FOR JEWISH CUNY STUDENTS
By Dion J. Pierre
New York City Council Member Inna Vernikov issued a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday urging her administration to address “pervasive” antisemitism at the City University of New York (CUNY). Vernikov urged Hochul to push CUNY to commit to a host of reforms, including adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism — which the governor endorsed in June — creating new cultural sensitivity programs, and hiring a diversity officer who works exclusively with victims of antisemitism.
ANALYSIS & OP-EDS
THE NEXT ETHNIC STUDIES BATTLEGROUND: LOOK WHO’S TEACHING THE TEACHERS
By TAMMI ROSSMAN-BENJAMIN
STUDIES & STATISTICS
JEWS REMAIN MOST-TARGETED RELIGIOUS GROUP FOR HATE CRIMES IN CANADA, NEW STATS SHOW
By CAM
The number of antisemitic hate crimes in Canada rose 47% in 2021 from the previous year, and Jews remained the country’s most-targeted religious group, according to new police-reported crime data published by Statistics Canada on Tuesday. There were a total of 487 hate crimes against Canadian Jews last year, up from 331 in 2020 and 306 in 2019. Offenses targeting Jews comprised 14% of all reported hate crimes in Canada in 2021, even though Jews comprise merely one percent of the overall Canadian population. “We are deeply concerned that incidents of hate crime rose yet again in Canada in 2021,” Shimon Koffler Fogel — President and CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) — stated. “This disturbing trend clearly proves the need for proactive measures to stop the rising hate targeting diverse Canadians based on their identity.”
GOVERNMENT & POLICY
ISRAELI PM YAIR LAPID CALLS FOR U.N. COMMISSION OF INQUIRY TO BE DISSOLVED FOLLOWING MEMBER’S ANTISEMITIC COMMENTS
By AARON BANDLER
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid urged United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a July 31 letter to immediately remove U.N. Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) Commission of Inquiry (COI) member Miloon Kothari as punishment for his antisemitic comments. Lapid wrote that in a July 25 interview, Kothari accused the “Jewish lobby” of attempting to denigrate the inquiry, which is investigating Israel’s actions in the 2021 conflict with Hamas, and questioned why the U.N. ever granted Israel membership status. “This latest shameful is a further example of [the inquiry’s] flawed and biased nature,” Lapid wrote. “The fight against antisemitism cannot be waged with words alone; it requires action. This is the time for action; it is time to disband the commission.”
DEBORAH LIPSTADT, BACK FROM SAUDI ARABIA, SAYS PROGRESS UNDERWAY ON COMBATTING ANTISEMITISM IN GULF STATES
When Deborah Lipstadt recently met with a Saudi diplomat, she recalled, “He stood up and he said to me, ‘I come from a city where there were Jews.’” That interaction in Saudi Arabia, a country that has been widely criticized for its human rights abuses, was a highlight of Lipstadt’s recent Middle East trip, her first tour as the U.S. State Department’s special envoy for antisemitism, which she recounted in a virtual briefing Monday. She characterized the interaction as cordial — but it also spoke to the costs of the sentiments that she has been charged with monitoring. In the briefing, Lipstadt acknowledged that the kingdom was not “perfect according to our human rights standards,” but said that she believed her presence in “a place which had once been the source of so much Jew hatred, so much extremism,” would prove to be a net positive.
UNHRC PRESIDENT: JEWISH LOBBY REMARK IS REASONABLY CONSIDERED ANTISEMITIC
HUMANITY
JEWISH SUPERHERO LIBERTY FIGHTS ANTISEMITES IN NEW COMICS ANTHOLOGY
By JACOB HENRY
Daniel Kalban is a 33-year-old law firm assistant who lives in Flatbush, Brooklyn. But when he’s not working his day job, he moonlights as a comic book writer, in a sort of double-life scenario that’s reminiscent of the caped crusaders he’s invented. In 2016, Kalban created American Dreams, a comic book series centered on Jake Gold, a Jewish New Yorker in 1900 who, thanks to “a Thomas Edison experiment gone awry,” gains the ability to fly, as well as super strength to fight monstrous antisemites and other bad guys.
VISITING ISRAEL, NBA STAR ENES KANTER FREEDOM SAYS HE IS ‘MORE MOTIVATED THAN EVER’ TO FIGHT ANTISEMITISM
By RUTH MARKS EGLASH
Turkish NBA star and human rights activist Enes Kanter Freedom received a warm welcome in Israel over the weekend, visiting national and holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as hanging out at the city’s most happening hot spot, Mahane Yehuda, and launching his long-dreamed-of basketball camp for Muslim, Jewish and Christian children in the capital. “It’s hard to describe in words how I feel about being here,” Freedom, who is a practicing Muslim, told Jewish Insider in an interview on Sunday after spending the early morning praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site. “This is the holiest place I’ve ever been,” continued Freedom.
DOZENS GATHER FOR HOLOCAUST EDUCATION EVENT IN TIVERTON, RI AMID ANNE FRANK MEME CONTROVERSY
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