THIS WEEK’S GLOBAL ANTI-SEMITISM REPORT
Last month the CAM Information Hub tracked 213 reports of antisemitic incidents in the media worldwide, a 30.7% increase from the previous month and the highest number since May’s Israel-Gaza violence. This week, Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine urged 111 Ohio university presidents to take concrete action against antisemitism on campus.
Germany’s new Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to protect Jewish citizens and combat all forms of antisemitism, and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg accused both major U.S. political parties of ‘coddling antisemites,” urging action against the politicization of Jew-hatred. Jewish actor Joshua Malina called on Hollywood to cancel Mel Gibson for his history of antisemitism, in reaction to a new director role for Gibson.
As Hanukkah came to a close, CAM tracked a surge in antisemitic incidents, owing to the public visibility of the holiday. This week’s global antisemitism report highlights 67 new media reports of antisemitic incidents – a 39.6% increase over last week. The total includes 35 (52.2%) from the far-right, 10 (14.9%) from the far-left, 11 (16.4%) with Islamist motivations, and 11 (16.4%) unidentifiable in nature.
In particular, at least 17 reports of antisemitic incidents were specifically tied to public menorah displays and Hanukkah celebrations. Vandals destroyed the interior of a Chabad center in Kansas City, Missouri, and synagogues in Miami, Florida and Mount Laurel, New Jersey were vandalized with swastikas. A Jewish family’s home in Pittsburgh was spray painted with a large white swastika, and antisemitic graffiti was painted near an Anne Frank Memorial in Idaho.
An official from the Council on American-Islamic Relations gave a speech in which she called “Zionist synagogues,” the Jewish Federation, the ADL, and Hillel chapters, “enemies,” blaming them for Islamophobia. An elderly French Jewish man was attacked and robbed at gunpoint by antisemitic assailants in his Paris apartment.
On campus, Hitler stickers were found at the Dickinson College Jewish Center, and pro-Palestinian students chalked “Happy Hanukkah & happy day of int’l solidarity with the Palestinian people,” with an image of the Palestinian flag outside the University of Wisconsin-Madison Hillel. Antisemitic graffiti was also found at Vanderbilt University, University of Buffalo, Syracuse University and Indiana University.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPECIAL FEATURES
ANTISEMITISM SPIKES WORLDWIDE DURING HANUKKAH, DRIVEN BY PUBLIC MENORAH DESECRATIONS
The annual eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is generally accompanied by a spike of antisemitic incidents worldwide, and this year was no different, unfortunately. The high visibility of the “Festival of Lights,” in prominent open locations and the windows of private homes, provides an easily-accessible, target-rich environment for Jew-haters. During Hanukkah this year, which ran from November 28th-December 6th, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Information Hub monitored 17 reports of antisemitic incidents specifically tied to public menorah displays or other Hanukkah celebrations.
NOVEMBER SEES GENERAL RISE IN ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS, HIGHEST NUMBER SINCE ISRAEL-GAZA FLARE-UP IN MAY
The CAM Information Hub tracked a total of 213 antisemitic incidents reported in the media worldwide in November 2021, an across-the-board 30.7% increase from the previous month and the highest number since a surge in May that accompanied a flare-up of Israel-Gaza violence.Of November’s incidents, 51.2% (109) had far-right motives, while 12.2% (26) had far-left motives, and 12.2% (26) had radical Islamist motives. The remainder — 24.4% (52) — had unidentifiable motives. The largest percentage increase came in the radical Islamist category, where the number of incidents jumped 52.9%.
TOP LEADERS TO CELEBRATE ISRAEL-UKRAINE TIES, DISCUSS GLOBAL CHALLENGES AT THIRD-ANNUAL KYIV JEWISH FORUM
Top global leaders are gathering next week at the third-annual Kyiv Jewish Forum — co-hosted by the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, the Center for Jewish Impact, and the Combat Antisemitism Movement — to discuss and share their insights on the most pressing issues facing Jewish communities worldwide. The two-day virtual event coincides with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of official diplomatic relations between Israel and Ukraine. The distinguished lineup of speakers includes Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba, and Israel’s President Isaac Herzog.
CAM HISPANIC OUTREACH DIRECTOR SPEAKS AT REGIONAL MEETING OF ICEJ NATIONAL DIRECTORS
CAM Director of Hispanic Outreach Shay Salamon took part in a regional meeting of International Christian Embassy Jerusalem national directors. Attendees at Tuesday’s online gathering included representatives from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, Argentina, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Israel. Salamon presented the work of CAM and the possibilities for collaboration throughout the Americas.
UNITED STATES
VANDALS TEAR THROUGH CHABAD HOUSE IN KANSAS CITY, MO.
By ERIK YABOR
Police in Kansas City, Mo., continue to search for the vandal or vandals responsible for destroying a Chabad center in the city. Chabad on the Plaza was vandalized with electrical wires damaged, water lines broken, and items torn and strewn everywhere. The ark was found open, though the Torah was still inside. The space was deemed completely unusable. “Upon arrival, we observed a broken glass window on the north side of the building and shattered glass on the ground in the immediate area,” said a police spokesperson.
ZIONISTS ARE BEHIND ISLAMOPHOBIA, US POLICE BRUTALITY – CAIR OFFICIAL
By MICHAEL STARR
“Zionist synagogues,” the Anti-Defamation League, Hillel and other Jewish organizations are “enemies” who are part of a conspiracy behind Islamaphobia, American police brutality, and US border control, according to a speech made by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) San Francisco executive director and former Women’s March board member Zahra Billoo. “When we talk about islamophobia, we often think of the vehement fascists… but I also want us to pay attention to the polite Zionists, the ones that say ‘let’s just break bread together,'” said Billoo on November 27 at the American Muslims for Palestine’s (AMP) Annual Convention for Palestine in the US.
WORLD NEWS
United Kingdom
RABBI IN TEARS AFTER MENORAH IN CAMDEN ‘VANDALISED’ OVERNIGHT
By FELIX POPE
Police are investigating a hate crime after a public menorah in Camden was damaged overnight. Rabbi Yossi Baitz, who put up the menorah, told the JC he was convinced it had been deliberately vandalised. He said the menorah’s lights had been ripped from it and thrown to the ground. Photos show the structure to have been bent in half and tipped over. Rabbi Baitz said it revealed there was “darkness against light”.
BBC DEMONISED OUR CHILDREN, PARENTS OF OXFORD STREET VICTIMS SAY
By JONATHAN SACERDOTI
Parents of the Jewish victims of last week’s antisemitic incident on Oxford Street have accused the BBC of “demonising” their children, as outrage continues to mount over the corporation’s reporting of the story. The BBC’s coverage read: “A slur about Muslims can also be heard from inside the bus.” “BBC News has demonised my son, who was on that bus, to serve their anti-Jewish agenda,” said Yechiel Wilhelm in a tweet. The BBC originally claimed that several “racial slurs” were expressed by the Jewish children. But the GnasherJew Twitter account said that it had investigated the clip and found the phrase “Tikra lemishehu, ze dachuf” translated into English as “call someone, it’s urgent” could be heard rather than a slur.
LIB DEM CANDIDATE SORRY FOR ‘SICK, INACCURATE AND OFFENSIVE’ GOEBBELS COMMENT
GERMANY
DEUTSCHE WELLE SUSPENDS COOPERATION WITH JORDAN BROADCASTER
By Associated Press
German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle said it is suspending cooperation with a Jordanian partner, Roya TV, because of concerns about anti-Israeli and antisemitic content and caricatures on its social media. Deutsche Welle said it had entered a partnership with Roya TV because the broadcaster addressed issues such as gender equality, the rights of minorities in Jordan and promoting young people’s media literacy.
UNKNOWN DAMAGED THE MENORAH IN NÜRNBERG
CANADA
NORTHWEST B.C. MLA’S BILLBOARD IN SMITHERS VANDALIZED WITH ANTI-SEMITIC GRAFFITI
By Binny Paul
FRANCE
‘ARE YOU A JEWELER AND A JEW?’: ELDERLY FRENCH JEWISH MAN ATTACKED AND ROBBED IN HIS PARIS APARTMENT BY ANTISEMITIC ASSAILANTS
By Algemeiner Staff
Details have emerged of the terrifying ordeal of a 70-year-old Jewish man in Paris who was beaten, robbed and tied to a chair in his own apartment by antisemitic intruders who remain at large. Two hooded assailants armed with a handgun carried out the attack. One of the two assailants was of Arab origin, while the second was of African origin. After banging on the door of the victim’s apartment with their fists before they forced their way in. The assailants rained blows on their victim and then pointed the gun at his temple. One of the assailants then asked the victim whether he was a “jeweler and a Jew.” The assailants asked him repeatedly where the “gold” was kept and warned that if he attempted to raise himself from the chair, “I’ll put a bullet in your head.”
GRAFFITI AGAINST JEWS, THE POLICE AND THE MAYOR FOUND IN LIMEIL-BRÉVANNES
OTHER WORLD NEWS
SPANISH TOWN UNTIL RECENTLY CALLED FORT KILL THE JEWS HIT WITH ANTISEMITIC GRAFFITI
By ORGE CASTELLANO
A tiny Spanish town that has veered over the centuries from being a refuge for Jews to a rallying cry for their death was defaced with widespread antisemitic graffiti. Residents of Castrillo Mota de Judíos, a village in Northern Spain, began to discover the graffiti almost as soon as they woke Monday. They ultimately found vandalism in four locations: on the entrance to the town hall, the signpost on the road entering the village, the planned site for the future Sephardic center and the sign commemorating the town’s sisterhood with the Israeli city of Kfar Vradim.
FOURTH PUBLIC HANUKKAH MENORAH TOPPLED BY ANTISEMITIC VANDALS IN UKRAINE
By Algemeiner Staff
Police in western Ukraine are investigating an act of antisemitic vandalism in the city of Uzhhorod, after a Hanukkah menorah was toppled and then dumped into a local river. The incident brought the number of antisemitic incidents in Ukraine during the week-long festival of Hanukkah to four. Members of the Jewish community alerted police when they arrived at the site of the menorah to celebrate the last night of candle lighting, only to find that it had been torn from its spot and dragged into an adjacent river.
THE MIDDLE EAST
LEBANESE TV STATION’S ANTISEMITIC PROPAGANDA CREATES NEW HEADACHE FOR GERMAN PUBLIC BROADCASTER’S EXTENSIVE ARAB MEDIA TIES
By Algemeiner Staff
Germany’s public broadcaster was under renewed pressure again over its content partners in the Arab world as evidence emerged of yet another partner channel spreading antisemitic propaganda. Deutsche Welle (DW) — a taxpayer-funded international channel — had already experienced sustained criticism for its links with Roya TV, a Jordanian station whose antisemitic social media posts were the subject of an investigative piece. On Wednesday, a fresh article in Vice examined DW’s partnership with Al Jadeed TV, a Lebanese station that regularly praises Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shi’a terrorist organization, as well as radical Palestinian factions.
ON CAMPUS
HITLER STICKERS APPEAR AT DICKINSON COLLEGE JEWISH CENTER NEAR HARRISBURG, PA.
By JNS.org
Police are investigating an antisemitic incident at the Milton B. Asbell Center for Jewish Life at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. Someone placed stickers with Hitler’s image at the Jewish center. Rabbi Marley Weiner, director of the Asbell Center, said the sticker had “two little young smiley face stickers, but with a little mustache, a little swoopy, so clearly indicating a cartoon iced version of Hitler’s face.” He added, according to the report, that “as a community, we have to take it seriously every single time. Because we don’t know whether it’s just somebody trying to shock or whether it’s truly a sign that something that is dangerous to the physical safety of our students is coming.”
‘ANTISEMITIC’ MESSAGES, PALESTINIAN FLAG CHALKED OUTSIDE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN HILLEL
By Dion J. Pierre
Antisemitic messages were chalked on the sidewalk outside the Hillel building at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The messages, “Happy Hanukkah & happy day of int’l solidarity with the Palestinian people,” an image of the Palestinian flag, and the hashtag “Palestine Day,” were drawn after UW Jewish students celebrated the first night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. The incident came months after Madison’s Jewish community experienced a rise in reported hate crimes.
ANTISEMITIC GRAFFITI DISCOVERED AT TORREY PINES HIGH SCHOOL IN CALIFORNIA
ANALYSIS & OP-EDS
STUDIES & STATISTICS
TOP AUSTRALIAN JEWISH ORGANIZATION FINDS 35% RISE IN ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS OVER LAST YEAR
By Algemeiner Staff
Australia has seen a serious rise in antisemitism over the past year, largely fueled by Israel’s May conflict with Hamas and the COVID-19 pandemic. Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) research shows a 35% rise in antisemitic incidents over 2020, with 447 incidents in total. This includes 272 physical attacks and 175 threats made through various channels. Abuse and harassment were up 14%, graffiti by 152%, antisemitic posters and stickers by 157%, and vandalism by 10%.
NYPD STATS: NEW YORK HATE CRIMES DOUBLED IN 2021, WITH 50% SPIKE IN ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS
By Algemeiner Staff
Hate crimes in New York City have risen a shocking 100% over the past year, including a serious spike in antisemitism, the New York Police Department said. NYPD statistics showed 503 reported hate crimes, twice the 252 reported in 2020. Antisemitic hate crimes rose sharply as well, with 183 incidents, a rise of 50% over 2020’s 121 incidents.
SWEDEN: HATE CRIMES REPORTED TO THE POLICE IN 2020
GOVERNMENT & POLICY
NEW GERMAN CHANCELLOR VOWS TO FIGHT ANTISEMITISM AT EVENT HONORING HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS
By JNS.org
Incoming German Chancellor Olaf Scholz talked about Germany’s commitment to combating antisemitism at the annual International Holocaust Survivors Night hosted by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. “Antisemitism, the belittling of Jewish citizens, hatred towards Israel—we will not tolerate any of it in Germany. Be assured: Our commitment will not waiver,” Scholz said. “Today, Jewish life is once again enriching our society. Israel and Germany are close partners. We must not put these precious gifts at risk. That is why I promise you: We will continue to do everything we can to protect Jewish citizens in the future and to counter all antisemitism.”
OHIO GOV. DEWINE TAKES PUBLIC STANCE AGAINST ANTISEMITISM, ESPECIALLY ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES
By DMITRIY SHAPIRO
Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine issued a strong statement recently against antisemitism on college campuses in a letter to all 111 college and university presidents in the state calling for them to take a serious look at how Jews are treated at their campuses. He asked letter recipients to take three steps to help develop a plan of action moving forward. That includes reaching out to on- and off-campus Jewish communities, and work with them to ensure a safe environment online and off; direct campus chiefs of police and public safety directors to work with Jewish communities and local and state law enforcement to ensure that services and other celebrations are safe and uninterrupted; commit personally to the issue and find ways to speak out against anti-Semitism; and urge their campus communities to protect and promote free, open and civil debate.
PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES $6.6 MILLION IN STATE FUNDING TO REDEVELOP TREE OF LIFE SITE
HUMANITY
BLOOMBERG: BOTH MAJOR PARTIES ‘CODDLING ANTISEMITES,’ NOT CONDEMNING THEM
By Melissa Weiss
The fight against antisemitism was front and center at UJA-Federation of New York’s Wall Street Dinner, where former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was honored with the UJA’s Gustave L. Levy Award. The former mayor addressed both political intolerance — singling out Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) by name — and efforts by Jewish groups to combat antisemitism. Bloomberg suggested that both parties have been “increasingly coddling antisemites, rather than condemning them.”
JEWISH ACTOR JOSHUA MALINA CALLS ON HOLLYWOOD TO CANCEL MEL GIBSON OVER ANTISEMITISM
By GADI ZAIG
Actor Joshua Malina, known for his roles on TV series such as The West Wing, The Big Bang Theory, Scandal and Shameless, called on Hollywood to “cancel” filmmaker and actor Mel Gibson over his antisemitism. Writing an article for The Atlantic, the Jewish actor responded to news of Gibson directing the fifth installment of the Lethal Weapon franchise, saying that he is a “well-known Jew-hater” and that “you couldn’t pay me enough to work with Mel Gibson.” Malina compares Gibson to other controversial historical figures, and the fact that he is still living and working in the industry makes it more difficult to enjoy his artistic endeavors, according to Malina’s argument.
The Combat Antisemitism Movement is a non-partisan, global grassroots movement of individuals and organizations, across all religions and faiths, united around the goal of ending antisemitism in all its forms. Since its launching in February 2019, 360 organizations and 355,000 individuals have joined the Combat Antisemitism Movement by signing the campaign’s pledge. The CAM Pledge draws upon the IHRA international definition of antisemitism and its list of specific behaviors used to discriminate against the Jewish people and the Jewish State of Israel.
