As the children of Holocaust survivors, Katrina Lantos Swett of the Lantos Foundation and Yigal Carmon of MEMRI observe that neo-Nazism has yet again reared its ugly head in the United States, this time at the U.S. Capitol. In order to tackle the ancient hatred that is anti-Semitism, they argue, the modern problem of hate-filled online outlets must be addressed. Read Here
THIS WEEK’S GLOBAL ANTI-SEMITISM REPORT
As the world paused this week to commemorate the Holocaust, CAM reported 52 anti-Semitic incidents (60% far-right, 15% far-left, 17% Islamist, and 8% unidentifiable) around the world. Seventy-six years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the resurgence of anti-Semitism is a wake up call that the world must continue to fight so we can believe in an uphold the phrase “Never Again.”
A Jewish family in Argentina was beaten while on vacation by another family shouting anti-Semitic expletives; a Biden administration official was accused of dual loyalty; a Belgian Jewish boy was assaulted outside his home; Palestinian Authority TV blamed the Holocaust on Jews; and a Pakistani court ordered the release of the extremist who beheaded Jewish American journalist Daniel Pearl.
Yet in an unprecedented international showing of solidarity, 74 entities – representing diverse cross sections of society – adopted the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. These record-setting adoptions included the Republic of Guatemala, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, universities, sports teams, churches, and businesses across the world.
See below for more news, exclusive interviews, CAM’s #SmashHate campaign with TikTok star Baby Ariel, the latest IHRA definition adoptions and more.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPECIAL FEATURE
HOW THE UGLY DEPTHS OF ONLINE ANTI-SEMITISM REACHED THE U.S. CAPITOL
By Katrina Lantos Swett and Yigal Carmon for CAM
INTERVIEW WITH RABBI ANDREW BAKER: DRAFTING THE WORKING DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM
By CAM
To mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, CAM spoke to Rabbi Andrew Baker about his role in crafting the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism and in combating anti-Jewish prejudice through outreach to government institutions both in Europe and the United States. Read Here
TIKTOK STAR BABY ARIEL PARTNERS WITH CAM TO #SMASHHATE FOR INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY
By CAM
With anti-Semitism on the rise across, Baby Ariel spoke out in commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, alerting her fans to the dangers of prejudice and hatred. CAM is honored to collaborate with Baby Ariel on the #SmashHate campaign to educate millions of young people about the multiple manifestations of contemporary anti-Semitism and their dangers. Read Here
CAM HONORS ‘JAPANESE RESCUER’ CHIUNE SUGIHARA, WHO SAVED THOUSANDS OF JEWS DURING HOLOCAUST
By CAM
Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, CAM and B’nai B’rith International hosted a special virtual reception commemorating the heroic deeds of the late Chiune Sugihara, who as a Japanese diplomat stationed in Lithuania in 1940 saved thousands of European Jews by issuing transit visas that allowed them to escape the Nazis. Read Here
UNITED STATES
CALIFORNIA LAWYER UNDER FIRE AFTER CALLING FOR GENOCIDE OF JEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
By JNS
A California lawyer has come under fire from Jewish groups for making genocidal claims against Jews on social media. In past Facebook posts, the lawyer, Farhad Khorasani, claimed that Israel is “the main enemy of the human race and the world,” saying: “The Jew anywhere is an existential threat to Aryans, muslims [sic] and Iranians everywhere. Hitler has proved that he knew these terrorist semites [sic] very well. Hitler was right, we need a new Hitler.” Read Here
NBC, Mother Jones Articles On AIPAC Donations by Jewish Cybersecurity Official Spread ‘Dual Loyalty’ Canard, Say Jewish Groups
By Algemeiner Staff
Reports from NBC News and Mother Jones on a Jewish Biden Administration official drew sharp rebuke by leading Jewish groups, for implying that donations to the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC raised questions about her loyalty to the United States. Read Here
ALASKA TO INVESTIGATE ISSUE OF ‘3REICH’ LICENSE PLATE, OTHER OFFENSIVE PLATES
RACIST, HOMOPHOBIC, ANTI-SEMITIC LETTERS LEFT AT TUSCALOOSA, AL, JASPER BUSINESSES, CHURCH
METRO COUNTY NEIGHBORHOOD SHOCKED AFTER RECEIVING NAZI PAMPHLETS IN GEORGIA
CONCERNS RAISED OVER ALLEGED RISE IN NEO-NAZI CONTENT ON TELEGRAM
WORLD NEWS
United Kingdom
BRITISH REGULATOR GIVES CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH TO ISLAMIC CHARITY ACCUSED OF ANTI-SEMITISM BY U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
By Algemeiner
One day after the US State Department severed all links with Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) charity over anti-Semitism charges against the entity, the main body regulating charities in the United Kingdom has declared itself satisfied with IRW’s response to the controversy. Read Here
TORIES LAUNCH INVESTIGATION INTO ANTI-SEMITISM ALLEGATIONS
By Andrew Woodcock
The Conservative party has launched an investigation into allegations of anti-Semitism directed at a Jewish Labour Party candidate in a local election last year. Dan Ozarow made a complaint after local Conservatives in Hertfordshire allegedly distributed campaign material implying that he supported Hezbollah, while a senior councillor put his face on an electronic billboard alongside a mocked-up newspaper headline linking him with the militant Islamist group. Read Here
GERMANY
HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY: ‘ANTI-SEMITISM STARTS WITH CONSPIRACY THEORIES’
By DW
The German Bundestag commemorated the end of the Holocaust with a ceremony in the Reichstag building and online. The commemoration also celebrates 1,700 years of Jewish life in Germany. Read Here
RISE OF ANTI-SEMITISM, OTHER EXTREMISM, HAS GERMAN JEWS QUESTIONING THEIR FUTURE
By Cnaan Lipshiz
When this country’s main far-right movement entered parliament in 2017, it was a life-changing wakeup call for 38-year-old Shai Hoffman. But the AfD’s rise is only one of the distressing factors that have worried German Jews in recent years. For many, the well-documented two-pronged anti-Semitism threat on the ground has come to a head. Read Here
OTHER WORLD NEWS
POLAND: FAR-RIGHT POLITICIAN WHO DENOUNCED ‘POWERFUL U.S. JEWISH LOBBY’ APPOINTED DEPUTY MINISTER OF EDUCATION
By Ben Cohen
A far-right Polish politician who accused “the powerful Jewish lobby in the USA” of attempting to swindle money “that is not due to them in any way” has been appointed as his country’s deputy minister for education. Tomasz Rzymkowski was confirmed as secretary of state of Poland’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Read Here
ARGENTINA: DETAILS EMERGE OF SHOCKING ANTI-SEMITIC ASSAULT ON JEWISH FAMILY DURING MOUNTAIN VACATION
By Algemeiner Staff
The family of Orthodox Jews were driving through the mountain range from La Falda to La Cumbre when another car pulled up in front of them. The occupants began screaming anti-Semitic abuse that included, “You shitty Jews, get out of here!” The Jewish man was then set upon by the occupants of the other car and subjected to a “brutal beating.” The children of the assailants reportedly joined in with the assault. Read Here
LITHUANIA: IN HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY SPEECH, LAWMAKER SAYS JEWS AND COMMUNISTS SHARE BLAME
By Cnaan Lipshiz
A local senior lawmaker has been accused of distorting the history of the Holocaust and blaming Jews for it, following a speech by Valdas Rakutis, a member of Lithuania’s parliament. “There was no shortage of Holocaust perpetrators among the Jews themselves, especially in the ghetto self-government structures,” Rakutis said in the speech, which took place on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Read Here
BELGIUM: JEWISH BOY ATTACKED BY ASSAILANT IN ANTWERP DAYS AFTER MAYORS WARNING OF WAVE OF ANTI-SEMITISM
By Algemeiner Staff
Police in Antwerp arrested a man for physically assaulting a 13-year-old Haredi Jewish boy outside his home. The assailant approached the boy and the boy screamed when the assailant grabbed him by the throat, causing his father to immediately rush outside. The attacker then turned his attention to the boy’s father, grabbing him by his peyos and pulling him down to the ground. Read Here
THE MIDDLE EAST
PAKISTAN COURT ORDERS RELEASE OF ISLAMIST CONVICTED OF BEHEADING JOURNALIST DANIEL PEARL
By Reuters
Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the release of an Islamist convicted of beheading U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl, a decision that has left his family in “complete shock”, lawyers said. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the decision “an affront to terrorism victims everywhere, including in Pakistan” and said Washington was prepared to prosecute Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh in the United States. Read Here
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY: AS THE WORLD REMEMBERS THE HOLOCAUST, THE PALESTINIANS BLAME IT ON THE JEWS
By ITAMAR MARCUS
This week, Palestinians tuning in to official P.A. TV were told that the Jews brought the Holocaust upon themselves, that it was Europe’s way of punishing the Jews for their “conspiracies and wickedness.” The claim was made on the program “From the Israeli Archive,” which is currently airing parts of an Israeli documentary series from 1981, “Pillar of Fire,” misinterpreting—and even mistranslating—the original narration so it presents a Palestinian and even anti-Semitic perspective. Read Here
ON CAMPUS
CALIFORNIA: DESCRIBING JEWS AS ‘PRIVILEGED’, ETHNIC STUDIES CURRICULUM SPARKS BACKLASH
By Matthew Foldi and Adam Credo
The latest draft of a state-mandated public school curriculum is generating concerns among Jewish groups. It includes a sample lesson on Jews, recommending students discuss how Jews “sometimes have experienced conditional whiteness and privilege.” Though the proposed curriculum touches on the experiences of several other ethnic groups, the word privilege is applied to only Jews. Read Here
ONTARIO: SECOND STUDENT LEADER RESIGNS AMID ANTI-SEMITISM CONTROVERSY
By B’NAI BRITH CANADA
A second University of Toronto graduate student executive has resigned over fallout from opposition to a campaign to increase access to kosher food on campus. In a resignation letter, Ben Hjorth, the Executive-at-Large of the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU), lamented an ongoing investigation into “an allegedly anti-Semitic (in fact simply anti-Israeli, that is anti-apartheid) speech of mine sometime in 2019.” Read Here
ANALYSIS & OP-EDS
WHY THE IHRA HANDBOOK ON ANTI-SEMITISM — NOT JUST ITS DEFINITION — IS NEEDED
By Daniel S. Mariaschin, CEO, B’nai B’rith International
AUSCHWITZ SURVIVOR CONDEMNS ANTI-MASKERS COMPLAINING ABOUT PERSONAL LIBERTIES AS CLUELESS
By OSCAR QUINE
STUDIES & STATISTICS
DESPITE LOCKDOWN, NO LET-UP IN VIOLENT ANTI-SEMITIC ASSAULTS ON FRENCH JEWS DURING 2020: REPORT
By Ben Cohen
The number of violent anti-Semitic assaults on Jews in France remained consistent during 2020 despite the restrictions on movement imposed COVID-19 lockdowns. “In 2020 the number of violent attacks recorded — 44 — remained almost identical to the year 2019 — 45 — despite the three and a half months of confinement and the decrease in community activities,” the SPCJ security service stated. Read Here
ANTI-SEMITISM IS EXPECTED TO RISE SIGNIFICANTLY AROUND THE WORLD IN 2021
By Jeremy Sharon
Anti-Semitism is expected to rise sharply around the world as a result of conspiracy theories against Jews and the State of Israel regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry’s annual anti-Semitism report. The main forum for the expression of anti-Semitism in 2020 changed from the physical realm to the online one, the report said. Read Here
GOVERNMENT & POLICY
RISE IN ANTI-SEMITISM DURING PANDEMIC SHOWS WE CAN NEVER LET DOWN OUR GUARD: UN CHIEF
By UN News
António Guterres said although anti-Semitism found its most horrific expression in the Holocaust, it did not end there and continues to blight the world today. “It is sad, but not surprising, that the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered yet another eruption of this poisonous ideology. We can never let down our guard”, he stated. Read Here
BIDEN WARNS HOLOCAUST DENIERS’ VOICE GROWING LOUDER
By JACOB MAGID
Expressing concern over the increasingly amplified voice of Holocaust deniers, US President Joe Biden stresses the importance of passing down the lessons of the Nazi-perpetrated genocide to future generations, in a statement marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day. He stresses the importance of combating the “resurgent tide of anti-Semitism, and other forms of bigotry and intolerance, here at home and around the world.” Read Here
ISRAELI, GERMAN, EU COUNCIL PRESIDENTS ISSUE STATEMENT COMMEMORATING HOLOCAUST
By JNS
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and European Council President Charles Michel issued a joint statement affirming their commitment to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and fighting anti-Semitism. Read Here
PODCAST: AFTER 5 YEARS, ANTI-SEMITISM CZAR SAYS NO IMPROVEMENT FOR EU JEWS – YET
CANADA PROBES UNRWA FUNDS OVER TEXTBOOKS FOR PROMOTING HATE
AUSTRALIA REVIEWS FUNDING AFTER UNRWA DISTRIBUTES ANTI-SEMITIC MATERIAL
TRUMP PLAN TO LABEL BDS-BACKING GROUPS ANTI-SEMITIC IS ‘OFF THE TABLE’ — REPORT
BIDEN’S TOP SECURITY ADVISOR TELLS ISRAELI COUNTERPART HE AIMS TO BUILD ON ACCORDS
MONTREAL BOROUGH VOTES TO ADOPT IHRA DEFINITION IN WAKE OF SYNAGOGUE VANDALISM
BAHRAIN COMMEMORATES HOLOCAUST, COMBATS ANTI-SEMITISM
FOLLOWING RESTITUTION DEAL, LUXEMBOURG PREMIER PLEDGES TO FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM
DESPITE EARLIER STALL, NORTH CAROLINA LAWMAKERS VOW TO TRY AGAIN WITH HOLOCAUST EDUCATION BILL
HEIR OF ITALIAN KING APOLOGIZES FOR MONARCHY’S ROLE IN HOLOCAUST
HUMANITY
TOP U.S. JEWISH UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION ADOPTS IHRA DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM
By CAM
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and 51 of its member groups announced they had adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism. Read Here
FACEBOOK ANNOUNCES NEW EFFORT TO COMBAT HOLOCAUST DENAIL
By Jewish Insider
In the announcement, Guy Rosen, Facebook’s vice president of product management, explained that when users attempt to search for Holocaust-related materials, they “will see a message from Facebook encouraging them to connect with credible information about the Holocaust off Facebook.” The site will link users to aboutholocaust.org, an initiative spearheaded by the World Jewish Congress. The site contains survivor testimonies and information about the Holocaust that has been reviewed by experts in the field. Read Here
TO THE DIPLOMATS WHO RISKED THEIR LIVES TO SAVE JEWS, WE SAY THANK YOU
FANS RECALL LARRY KING’S JEWISH MOMENTS AFTER PASSING OF LEGENDARY BROADCASTER
CANTOR ADVOCATES TOLERANCE IN CHILDREN’S BOOK ON PITTSBURGH SYNAGOGUE MASSACRE AFTERMATH
FROM IRAN, CLERIC TELLS ISRAEL TV HOSTILITY BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES SHOULD END
IN A FIRST, ARAB INITIATED EVENT COMMEMORATES THE HOLOCAUST IN WAKE OF ABRAHAM ACCORDS
TOP ITALIAN SOCCER CLUB TO HOLD MEMORIAL DAY FOR TROPHY-WINNING COACH WHO PERISHED IN AUSCHWITZ
CNN PARTNERS WITH THE UN, UNESCO AND THE IHRA FOR HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION DAY
CHELSEA OWNER ABRAMOVICH ISSUES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY PLEA
EVANGELICAL CHURCH BERLIN APPOINTS ANTI-SEMITISM OFFICERS
HONORING THE JAPANESE DIPLOMAT WHO SAVED THOUSANDS OF JEWS FROM HOLOCAUST
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.
