The Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM) announced that Elan S. Carr, the former United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, has joined its Advisory Board. Carr, who was appointed by the President of the United States and the Secretary of State as the country’s senior diplomatic representative on the subject of anti-Semitism, joins an impressive list of advisors helping CAM spearhead the fight against anti-Semitism across the world. Read Here
THIS WEEK’S GLOBAL ANTI-SEMITISM REPORT
In the past week, CAM covered 49 anti-Semitic incidents (59% far-right, 10% far-left, 19% Islamist, and 12% unidentifiable) around the world.
Germany reported a sharp uptick in hate crimes. A North Carolina kindergarten teacher defended Hitler’s action’s against the Jews. And former Lebanese Foreign Minister Farez Bouez claimed the Biden Administration is dominated by Jews, repeating a fake Nazi propaganda quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin warning Americans that “Jews will eat your children.”
Meanwhile, the Biden Administration said it will champion the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, and Germany’s cabinet codified into law its relationship with the IHRA as an important international institution.
CAM recorded 17 new IHRA definition adoptions this week, including the cities of Paris and Nice in France. These cities, which have faced horrific anti-Semitic attacks, have set a tremendous example for municipalities everywhere in the struggle against Jew-hatred.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPECIAL FEATURE
FORMER U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY ELAN CARR JOINS COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM MOVEMENT’S ADVISORY BOARD
By CAM
CAM WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS AT FIRST-EVER ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
By CAM
The Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM) held its first-ever Advisory Board meeting, and welcomed six new distinguished advisers into its fold. “It’s a great honor to have such a wonderful board with people from all the corners of the world,” CAM Director Sacha Roytman-Dratwa said at the start of the virtual gathering. “CAM is a global movement of people of all faiths. We have Muslims, Christians and Jews, and we all come together to fight the world’s oldest hatred and make humanity better.” Read Here
COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM MOVEMENT WELCOMES PARIS’ ADOPTION OF IHRA ANTI-SEMITISM DEFINITION
By CAM
The Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM) welcomed yesterday’s decision by the city of Paris, led by Mayor Anne Hidalgo, to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism. The decision was taken by the Council of Paris, headed by Mayor Hidalgo. The Council, which consists of 163 councilors, is responsible for governing the French capital. Read Here
CAM OBSERVES FIRST-EVER INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HUMAN FRATERNITY
By CAM
The Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM) was pleased to join millions around the world on Thursday, February 4, in observing the first-ever International Day of Human Fraternity. The new annual occasion, which falls during World Interfaith Harmony Week, was created by a UN General Assembly resolution passed in November. Read Here
UNITED STATES
MAN DRAWS SWASTIKA IN SNOW AT UPPER EAST SIDE SYNAGOGUE
By Nick Garber, Patch Staff
Police are searching for a man who drew a swastika in the snow in front of an Upper East Side synagogue. The unidentified man approached the Temple Emanu-El. Video shows the man walking up to the synagogue’s doors, then descending the steps, bending down and using his finger to carve the symbol into the fresh snow. Read Here
VIDEO SHOWS A RETIRED POLICE EMPLOYEE IN AN ANTI-SEMITIC RANT. SHE SAYS SHE’S THE ONE BEING ‘PERSECUTED.’
By Katie Shepherd
When an SUV blocked in Leslie Socolov’s Toyota outside a restaurant in Boca Raton, the retired homicide stenographer began screaming. Socolov, clad in a Miami-Dade Police Department sweatshirt, hurled anti-Semitic comments. “Move your f—ing car, you stupid Jew,” she screamed. “Just because you’re Jewish and a Democrat doesn’t give you the right to stay there.” Read Here
WORLD NEWS
United Kingdom
PIERS CORBYN ARRESTED OVER VACCINE ‘AUSCHWITZ LEAFLET’
By BBC News
Piers Corbyn has been arrested over leaflets comparing the UK’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout to Auschwitz that were distributed to homes in South London. The 73-year-old brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he voluntarily attended a police station and was then arrested on suspicion of malicious communications and public nuisance. Read Here
NEW CHAIR OF EQUALITIES WATCHDOG IS AGAINST CALL FOR UNIS TO ADOPT IHRA
By Jewish News
The new chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has said that she is against the call for universities to sign up to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism. Speaking in a personal capacity during a House of Lords debate around anti-Semitism on campus, Baroness Falkner said: “I am afraid that I do not support the call for an IHRA definition.” Read Here
GERMANY
GERMANY NAMES DUTCH SS VETERANS WHO RECEIVE PENSIONS FOR SERVING HITLER
By JTA
Germany has handed over to the Netherlands a list of 34 Dutch citizens who are receiving army stipends from Berlin for serving in the military under the Nazis, including some suspected war criminals and possibly former guards at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. Most of the beneficiaries are SS veterans or their relatives. Read Here
OTHER WORLD NEWS
INDIA: BLAST OUTSIDE ISRAEL’S NEW DELHI EMBASSY DAMAGES CARS; SECURITY RAISED WORLDWIDE
By TOI Staff
A blast outside the Israeli embassy in New Delhi damaged cars but did not cause injuries, police said. Israeli authorities were treating the explosion as a suspected terror attack aimed at the embassy, and was stepping up security precautions at missions around the world. Read Here
FRANCE: NORTH AFRICAN RADIO STATION KICKS HOST OFF AIR FOR INTERVIEWING ISRAELI AMBASSADOR ON PEACE DEAL WITH MOROCCO
By Ben Cohen
The principal radio station serving the large North African community in France was facing possible legal action over its decision to suspend two of its most popular presenters for interviewing the Israeli Ambassador in Paris. Rose Ameziane and Malik Yettou — hosts of the program “L’Actu Autrement” on Beur FM, a national station that broadcasts in the French, Arabic and Berber languages — declared themselves “amazed and disgusted.” Read Here
POLAND: FORMER ADL CHIEF FOXMAN CRITICIZES HYPED POLISH LANGUAGE EDITION OF HITLER’S MEIN KAMPF
LITHUANIA: LAWMAKER WHO BLAMED JEWS FOR HOLOCUAST QUITS PARLIAMENT’S MEMORIAL COMMISSION
BELGIUM: SHAMEFUL USE OF AUSCHWITZ IMAGE AT PROTEST AGAINST CORONA MEASURES IN BRUSSELS
BULGARIA: SWASTIKAS SPRAY PAINTED ON A MEMORIAL PLAQUE IN PLOVDIV
ITALY: NAZI-FASCIST HACKERS TRY TO SABOTAGE A CONFERENCE ON ANTI-SEMITISM
THE MIDDLE EAST
LEBANON: FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER FAREZ BOUEZ: BIDEN’S TEAM DOMINATED BY JEWS; BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WARNED AMERICANS THAT THE JEWS WOULD EAT THEIR CHILDREN
By MEMRI
Former Lebanese Foreign Minister Farès Bouez said that Biden’s presidency would not mean a great change in U.S. policies because of Jewish and Israeli influence. He added that ten members of Biden’s team are Jewish, and this indicates how much he is influenced by Israel. Bouez alleged that Ben Franklin had said in Congress that the Jews would starve the American children and then eat them. Read Here
ALGERIA: MEDIA ATTACK MOROCCO’S HAKIM ZIYECH IN ANTI-SEMITIC REPORT
By Yahia Hatim
Algerian news outlet Ennahar TV has used an anti-Semitic discourse to attack Moroccan football player Hakim Ziyech. Ennahar TV shared a photo showing Ziyech with his teammates at Chelsea FC paying tribute to Holocaust victims. The Algerian channel then went on to call Ziyech’s participation in the Holocaust memorial “a scandal.” Read Here
ON CAMPUS
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA STUDENT GOVERNMENT ADOPTS DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM
By JNS
The student government at the University of Georgia has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism. The resolution was approved unanimously one day before International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27. The resolution also called on the university as a whole to adopt the definition. Read Here
UCSB PASSES IHRA RESOLUTION
By Aaron Bandler
UC Santa Barbara’s (UCSB) student senate unanimously passed a resolution adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism. Students Supporting Israel (SSI) at UCSB announced the passage of the resolution in a Facebook post, noting that this makes UCSB the first UC school to pass such a resolution. Read Here
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER IN CHARLOTTE FIRED OVER ANTI-SEMITIC TWEET DEFENDING HITLER
By Algemeiner
A kindergarten teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina, was fired from his job following the discovery of anti-Semitic tweet that he posted. Jarrin Wooten — a teacher at Sugar Creek, a K-12 charter school — posted the tweet defending Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. “Hitler was trying to keep those demonic … Rothschilds and fractional reserve banks out of Germany and then we let those same ‘Jews’ come to America and teach us he was a terrorist…,” Wooten wrote. Read Here
THE UPROAR OVER THE CALIFORNIA ETHNIC STUDIES PROGRAM, EXPLAINED
By Jewish Insider
The upcoming March meeting of the California State Board of Education is the culmination of a years-long effort spearheaded by a group of activists to provide ethnic studies resources to California’s education system. The various drafts of the curriculum have been subject to intense scrutiny — due in large part to earlier drafts’ inclusion of material deemed anti-Semitic and the omission of Jewish history — and reworked several times to produce the version that is slated for a vote next month. Read Here
ANALYSIS & OP-EDS
COMBATING ANTI-SEMITISM: WE NEED SWIVEL-HEADED JEWS
By David Harris, CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
STUDIES & STATISTICS
GERMANY REPORTS NEW JUMP IN FAR-RIGHT CRIME, NEARING 20-YEAR RECORD
By AFP
The number of crimes committed by right-wing extremists in Germany jumped to its highest level in at least four years in 2020, according to provisional police figures. Police recorded 23,080 far-right crimes last year — around 700 more than the previous year. The number is the highest since 2016, and could yet rise to the highest level since records began in 2001 by the time the final figures are released. Read Here
CEP REPORT: UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORY AND 21ST CENTURY MANIFESTATIONS OF ANTI-SEMITISM
By Counter Extremism Project
The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) published new reports that chronicle the historic roots of anti-Semitism, its persistent themes, and its modern manifestations. CEP’s Anti-Semitism resource is comprised of two reports, which provide a basis for understanding modern anti-Semitism, its resurgence in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, and how historic tropes are re-packaged to fit into mainstream political discourse. Read Here
ALUMS FOR CAMPUS FAIRNESS RELEASES REPORT ON CAMPUS ANTI-SEMITISM, TOXIC CLIMATE FOR JEWISH STUDENTS ACROSS THE U.S.
By Miller Ink
Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF), America’s unified alumni voice on issues of antisemitism, demonization of Israel, and bigotry, released a groundbreaking report outlining the 50 most flagrant anti-Semitic incidents at American universities and detailing recommendations for alumni to combat bigotry at their alma maters. Read Here
IN DEFENCE OF THE IHRA WORKING DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM
By Fathom Journal
Fathom has published a new eBook about the IHRA Working Definition of Anti-Semitism. In Defence of the IHRA Working Definition of Anti-Semitism features Andrew Baker, Deidre Berger, Eve Garrard, Bernard Harrison, David Hirsh, Alan Johnson, Lesley Klaff, Dave Rich, Derek Spitz and Michael Whine. Read Here
GOVERNMENT & POLICY
BIDEN ADMIN ’EMBRACES’ IHRA ANTI-SEMITISM DEFINITION
By Jacob Magid
A senior US State Department official announced that the Biden administration “embraces and champions” the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. “As prior US administrations of both political stripes have done, the Biden Administration embraces and champions the working definition We applaud the growing number of countries and international bodies that apply it. We urge all that haven’t done so to do likewise,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Kara McDonald. Read Here
GERMANY UPGRADES IHRA’S LEGAL STATUS
By LAHAV HARKOV, OMRI NAHMIAS
Germany recognized the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance as an international institution, strengthening in law its commitment to fighting anti-Semitism. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Germany will put IHRA “on equal footing with other international organizations,” saying this is “a signal of international cooperation.” Read Here
MUSLIM-MAJORITY KOSOVO FORGES TIES WITH ISRAEL; WILL OPEN EMBASSY IN JERUSALEM
By TOI STaff and Agencies
Israel and Kosovo formally established diplomatic ties, with the Muslim-majority territory also recognizing Jerusalem as the Jewish state’s capital — putting it at odds with the rest of the Islamic world. In a ceremony held over Zoom in Jerusalem and Pristina, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and his counterpart from the Republic of Kosovo, Meliza Haradinaj Stublla, signed a joint declaration establishing ties. Read Here
LAWMAKERS URGE BIDEN TO SWIFTLY APPOINT AMBASSADOR ON ANTI-SEMITISM
By JNS
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging U.S. President Joe Biden to swiftly nominate an Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, citing the growing threat of anti-Semitism at home and abroad. The letter, signed by 53 members of Congress and spearheaded by Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), states that “violence inspired by anti-Semitism is an everyday concern for Jewish families, who must weigh the decision to freely practice their Judaism against the risk of violence that these rituals can invite. With threats of anti-Semitism increasing every year, strong American leadership is required to address them.” Read Here
PARIS ADOPTS THE IHRA DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM
By SARAH CHEMLA
The city of Paris adopted the IHRA Definition of Anti-Semitism during a session of the Council of Paris, joining a growing number of cities around the world, including the French city of Nice, to make the move. The decision was taken by the Council of Paris, headed by Paris’ Mayor Anne Hidalgo, which consists of 163 councillors and that is responsible for governing the French capital. Read Here
HUMANITY
AUSTRIAN JEWISH MAN LEAVES FORTUNE TO FRENCH VILLAGE THAT SAVED HIM FROM NAZIS
By CAM
An Austrian Jewish man who passed away last month left behind what has been described as a “large amount” of money for a village in southcentral France to thank its residents for saving him and his family during the Holocaust. Read Here
170 CELEBS, EXECS TO LAUNCH ‘NEW BLACK-JEWISH ENTERTAINMENT ALLIANCE’
By Erin Ben-Moche
More than 170 leaders of the entertainment industry released a unity statement after launching the Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance (BJEA), a joint initiative by Black and Jewish entertainment industry professionals devoted to countering racism and anti-Semitism. In the face of institutional racism and rising anti-Semitism the members of the Alliance feel it is critical to stand together and support one another. 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.
