THIS WEEK’S GLOBAL ANTI-SEMITISM REPORT
As the pandemic recedes, last year’s increase in online antisemitism has begun to have real-world consequences. In June, CAM tracked a total of 175 media reports of antisemitic incidents, a 31.6% drop from May’s sharp spike. Despite the overall decrease, the number of far-left antisemitic media reports rose 32.6%.
Meanwhile, with more attention on antisemitism, June saw a steady rise in national, regional, and municipal government entities taking the important step of adopting the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, with five IHRA adoptions by government entities and one by a university.
This week, a Jewish cemetery in Baltimore was vandalized with Nazi graffiti. Jews across London were threatened with violence and verbally harassed in the streets.
Sadly – political leaders worldwide expressed dangerous antisemitic rhetoric. Belarus’ president said that the Jews caused the world ‘to kneel’ before them, and a leading Chilean presidential candidate also faces accusations of Jew-hatred. A far-right Bulgarian political candidate denied the Holocaust and a local UK Labour party leader outrageously accused “some Jewish people” of failing to learn the lessons of the Holocaust. Such rhetoric has no place in civilized societies.
With Jew-hatred spreading across all layers of society, we can not remain silent. CAM is proud to co-sponsor No: Fear: A Rally In Solidarity With The Jewish People in Washington, D.C., this Sunday July 11th. Join us to stand in solidarity with a diverse coalition of Jews and allies from across the political and denominational spectra to loudly reject antisemitic hate.
CAM’s weekly global antisemitism report highlights 31 new media reports of antisemitic incidents, including 12 (38.7%) from the far-right and 8 (25.8%) from the far-left, as well as 5 (16.1%) with Islamist motivations, and 6 (19.4%) unidentifiable in nature.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPECIAL FEATURES
CAM AND UNITED HATZALAH ANNOUNCE WINNER OF ‘BREAKING BARRIERS: LIFE SAVING VIDEO SHARING CONTEST’
The winner and runners-up of the “Breaking Barriers: Life Saving Video Sharing Contest,” sponsored by CAM and United Hatzalah, have been selected. Dozens of entries were reviewed for their originality, visibility, and potential impact in the fight against antisemitism. Contestants from across the globe used their creative talents to demonstrate the Jewish people’s steadfast commitment to making the world a better place and highlight the vibrant diversity of Israeli society. The winner is Shani Fisher, and the runners-up are Georgia Leatherdale Gilholy and Fitra Wicaksana, with all three receiving cash prizes.
DOZENS OF JEWISH GROUPS PLAN WASHINGTON RALLY TO RAISE AWARENESS OF ANTISEMITISM
Dozens of national and local Jewish organizations are banning together for “No Fear: A Rally in Solidarity With the Jewish People,” to be held on July 11 in Washington, D.C., to raise awareness about growing antisemitism in person and online. The rally will feature Israeli actress and author Noa Tishby; Elisha Wiesel, son of the late Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel; and Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
CAM DATA: AMID OVERALL DROP IN ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS IN JUNE, FAR-LEFT JEW-HATRED ON THE RISE
June saw a total of 175 antisemitic incidents reported in the media worldwide, a 31.6% drop from May’s sharp spike linked to the outbreak of Israel-Gaza violence, according to data compiled by CAM. However, while Islamist and far-right antisemitism both decreased, the number of far-left incidents rose 32.6%. In June, there were five IHRA adoptions by government entities — Switzerland, Quebec Province, Nassau County (New York), Town of New Castle (New York), and Bracknell Forest Council (UK) — and one by a higher education institution — University of Bradford (UK).
UNITED STATES
JEWISH CEMETERY VANDALIZED IN DUNDALK AREA OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
By Bryna Zumer
City officials are investigating swastikas that were spray-painted on gravestones in Jewish cemeteries in southeast Baltimore near Dundalk. Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka, who represents parts of northwest Baltimore County, posted photos of the defamation on social media. He said more than a dozen gravestones were vandalized at cemeteries along German Hill Road. Read Here
FIREWORKS THROWN AT HASSIDIC YESHIVA STUDENTS IN UPSTATE NEW YORK – REPORT
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A pack of fireworks was thrown at a group of yeshiva students in the small hamlet of Round Top in upstate New York by unidentified individuals in a car, according to video. The video, shared on Twitter by the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council (OJPAC), shows a black pickup truck driving by some Orthodox Jews, who OJPAC identifies as hassidic, with fireworks being thrown out its window at them. Read Here
WORLD NEWS
United Kingdom
JEWISH MAN VERBALLY HARASSED TWICE ON LONDON PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN SAME HOUR
By CAM
A Jewish man received a “torrent” of antisemitic abuse twice in just one hour aboard public transport in London, England. In footage shared on Twitter by the victim’s brother, a man can be seen threatening to “slit [the] throat” of a Jewish commuter “for Palestine” during one incident, which took place on a bus. The aggressor also called the commuter a “f***ing scumbag,” told the driver “You are Jewish too” when asked to leave, and shouted “Free Palestine” multiple times from outside the vehicle. Read Here
JEWS ON WAY TO SHUL TARGETED BY ASSAILANT SHOUTING ABOUT ‘HITLER AND NAZIS’
By Jewish News
Two Orthodox Jewish men were targeted in Stamford Hill by a man shouting about Nazis and Hitler last Shabbat. Neighbourhood watch group Shomrim confirmed the alleged victims were wearing striemels and talits as they travelled to synagogue. The suspect is described as a black man who was wearing dark clothing.” Read Here
GERMANY
ANTISEMITIC GRAFFITI SPRAY-PAINTED ONTO SIDE OF BUILDING IN GERMAN VILLAGE
By Campaign Against Antisemitism
Antisemitic graffiti was found spray-painted onto the side of a building in Wemmetsweiler, a village in the German state of Saarland. The graffiti depicts three black Stars of David along with the word ‘Jude’, the German word for Jew. The perpetrators are still unknown. However, local police are investigating the matter. Read Here
THE GERMAN GREEN PARTY’S ANTISEMITISM PROBLEM
By Benjamin Weinthal
For many German Jews and Israel, and for all those concerned with the sustainability of democracy in the Federal Republic, the Green Party remains stained by a significant blemish: It has failed to confront the growing antisemitism within its ranks. Read Here
CANADA
FRANCE
ANTISEMITIC GANG WHO ASSAULTED AND ROBBED JEWISH FAMILY IN PARIS SENTENCED BY FRENCH COURT
By Algemeiner Staff
A court in Paris has sentenced nine individuals to prison sentences ranging from four to 12 years after they were convicted for a vicious gang robbery of a French Jewish family in 2017 that was motivated by antisemitism. Three of the nine offenders sentenced by the Assize Court in Seine-Saint-Denis were directly involved in the Sept. 2017 assault on Roger Pinto, who was 83-years-old at the time, his wife Mireille, who was 73, and their son David, who was 41. Read Here
FRENCH ANTISEMITIC COMEDIAN M’BALA M’BALA SENTENCED TO 4 MONTHS IN JAIL
OTHER WORLD NEWS
BELARUS LEADER: JEWS CAUSED THE WORLD ‘TO KNEEL’ BEFORE THEM
By TOI Staff
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that Jews caused the world “to kneel” to them. The authoritarian leader made the remarks in a speech for Belarusian independence day, which marks Soviet forces’ liberation of the capital Minsk from the Nazis in 1944. “The Jews succeeded in causing the entire world to kneel to them and no one will dare raise a voice and deny the Holocaust,” Lukashenko said. Read Here
LEADING CHILEAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DANIEL JADUE FACES ACCUSATIONS OF ANTISEMITISM
By JTA
Chile’s lower house of parliament asked leading presidential candidate Daniel Jadue to deny that he is antisemitic in the wake of some of his past statements. Jadue, the grandson of Palestinian immigrants who runs the Communist Party of Chile, has taken criticism after his high school yearbook page circulated online. In it, his classmates wrote that the best gift they could give him was “a Jew to target.” Descriptive paragraphs call him an “antisemite” and says he is destined to become “Chief of PLO to clean the city of Jews.” Read Here
THE MIDDLE EAST
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PM: THERE IS NO CONNECTION BETWEEN ISRAELIS AND THE JEWS; MODERN JEWS ARE KHAZAR
By MEMRI
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said that “there is no connection between Israelis and the Jews.” He said modern Israelis are not descendants of Jacob, but are “Khazar Jews” who converted to Judaism in the sixth century CE. “The Israelites are the sons of Jacob. 1,300 years separated Jacob and Prophet Moses. Therefore, 1,300 years separated the Israelis and Judaism. So there is no connection,” he said in a public address on Palestine TV. Read Here
ON CAMPUS
WARWICK ACADEMICS VOTE ‘OVERWHELMINGLY’ TO CHALLENGE IHRA DEFINITION OF ANTISEMITISM
By Lee Harpin
The University of Warwick Assembly – the body representing the institution’s academic staff – have voted to “overwhelmingly” pass a motion challenging the IHRA working definition of antisemitism. The anti-IHRA motion called on the university to suspend the use of the IHRA definition of antisemitism in disciplinary processes until the working group reports by the end of the year.
NEA VOTES DOWN ANTI-ISRAEL MEASURE
By Aaron Bandler
The National Education Association (NEA) voted down a measure calling for the United States to cease support for Israel during their July 3 virtual assembly. The measure, New Business Item 29, stated that the union would “publicize its support for the Palestinian struggle for justice” and urged the U.S. to “stop arming and supporting Israel and Saudi Arabia.” The final vote margin was 73% against and 23% in favor out of a total 8,000 delegates.
ANALYSIS & OP-EDS
GOVERNMENT & POLICY
GLOBAL FORUM TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM TO MEET IN JERUSALEM NEXT WEEK
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Global Forum to Combat Antisemitism (GFCA) will meet next week, July 13-15, in Jerusalem, under the title “Collective Efforts for Collective Impact.” The GFCA will be led by the Foreign Affairs ministry in collaboration with the Diaspora Ministry, with the intention of turning global discourse against antisemitism into concrete actions to achieve broad impact. The conference will present a picture of the state of growing antisemitism across the world.
SENATORS ADVOCATE FUNDING BOOST FOR STATE DEPARTMENT ANTISEMITISM ENVOY OFFICE
By Marc Rod
With antisemitic incidents on the rise globally, a bipartisan group of senators is calling for a $250,000 funding boost for the office of the State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism in 2022. Twenty-eight senators urged Sens. Coons (D-DE) and Graham (R-SC) — the ranking members of the Senate Appropriations State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs subcommittee — to provide a total of $1.25 million for the office in the 2022 budget.
HUMANITY
BOSTON JEWS RALLY TOGETHER AFTER STREAK OF ATTACKS IN THE AREA
By PENNY SCHWARTZ
Days after a series of violent acts stunned Greater Boston and threatened its Jewish community, residents are jolted but resolute, vowing to continue taking pride in their Jewish identity. With only hours of advance notice, hundreds of people gathered Friday morning in Brighton for a rally in support of Noginski, drawing a wide swath of Greater Boston’s Jewish community, its allies and scores of elected leaders, police and officials.
FREE SPEECH WRITER’S GROUP PEN ‘CONCERNED’ ABOUT DEPARTURE OF CHILDREN’S BOOK ORG OFFICER AFTER ANTISEMITISM STATEMENT
By Algemeiner Staff
The leading US writer’s group advocating the freedom of expression voiced “serious concern” about the recent resignation of a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) diversity officer over a statement condemning antisemitism, and its aftermath. PEN America — a group of more than 7,500 writing professionals that advocates for free expression — called on the SCBWI to “clarify” the circumstances of Powers’ departure and “make clear its unequivocal, unapologetic denunciation of antisemitism…”
NEW CANADIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION LAUNCHING TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM
ISRAEL SENDS NEPAL VITAL SUPPLIES TO FIGHT COVID-19 PANDEMIC
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, 330 organizations and 341,000 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.
