Oxfam has pulled from its online shop two editions of a forged anti-Semitic pamphlet purporting a Jewish plot for world domination. The virulently anti-Semitic tract first published in Czarist Russia, inspired countless conspiracy theories and was invoked by Adolf Hitler. An Oxfam spokesperson said: “As soon as the books were brought to our attention we removed them from sale and they are being destroyed. Read Here
Please forward to your family and friends and ask them to join the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement today!
THIS WEEK’S CONTENT
WATCH THE WEEKLY CAM NEWSLETTER SUMMARY BELOW
TAKE ACTION
(1 Piece)
THEODOR HERZL TAKE ACTION CONTEST – ROUND 2
Submit a plan for social venture to help stop anti-Semitism. The award prize will be a seed investment to jumpstart your social start-up. Creative solutions are needed to help end anti-Semitism. Propose an idea for a social venture that can contribute in a meaningful way to the struggle against anti-Semitism. Outstanding ideas will receive seed funding to turn the idea into action – with the top idea receiving up to $50,000.
Round 2 Deadline: June 15, 2020
Special Feature
(4 Pieces )
1. ‘This Is Nothing New’: Jewish Human Rights Icon Natan Sharansky Addresses Anti-Semitic Propaganda Around Coronavirus
By Algemeiner Staff
Natan Sharansky — the former Soviet refusenik who spent nine years leading the Jewish Agency — has spoken out against anti-Semitic conspiracy theories linking Jews to COVID-19 , observing that these were “nothing new.” Speaking to an online gathering, Sharansky invoked the Black Death of the 14th century as a precedent for today’s woes. Addressing the first digital awards ceremony of the US-based Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM) — held online because of the rapid spread of the virus — Sharansky emphasized that the “difference between then and now is that today the State of Israel is strong, we are fighting anti-Semitism and we will defeat it.” Read Here
2. Conference combating anti-Semitism goes digital amid coronavirus spread
By ZACHARY KEYSER
The Combat Anti-Semitism Movement (CAM) held a digital conference amid the coronavirus spread to announce the 37 winners of its Venture Creative Contest, highlighting outside-the-box thinking to fight anti-Semitism worldwide. CAM, founded in 2019 and led by its director Sacha Roytman-Dratwa, describes itself as a non-partisan grassroots movement made up of individuals sharing all different types of faiths and backgrounds, who are united around the notion of stopping anti-Semitism in all of its forms. Read Here
3. Sharansky, Carr blast those attempting to blame Jews for coronavirus
By JNS
The Combat Anti-Semitism Movement held a digital awards ceremony amid the coronavirus pandemic. Human-rights advocate and former Jewish Agency head Natan Sharansky and U.S. Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism Elan Carr discussed anti-Semitic efforts to use coronavirus for spreading anti-Jewish sentiment. Around 30,000 watched the online event, after the original event at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia was cancelled due to coronavirus concerns. Read Here
4. Natan Sharansly blasts recent anti-Semitic propaganda accusing Jews of spreading coronavirus
By YOSSI LEMPKOWICZ
Sharansky and Special U.S. Envoy Elan Carr discussed anti-Semitic efforts to use coronavirus for spreading anti-Jewish hatred. Around 30,000 watched the online event. Sacha Roytman-Dratwa, The Combat Anti-Semitism Movement Director, commented: “The spread of coronavirus is also fertile ground for the spread of anti-Semitism. We have seen a number of anti-Semitic statements from officials in Iran, from both extremes of the political spectrum in Europe, United States and the Middle East. In light of the rise in anti-Semitism, we urge governments to take firm action against hatred against Jews and for Jewish communities to be aware.” Read Here
UNITED STATES
(6 Articles)
1. Conspiracy theory that Jews created virus spreads on social media, ADL says
By ERIC CORTELLESSA
As the infectious disease has spread across the globe, a new conspiracy theory has been brewing on the fringes of society: The Jews are behind it. Extremists began promulgating the notion in January that the coronavirus was created by a cabal of Jews. “The most popular conspiracy theory is that Jews are using this virus as a means for profit. They are saying Jews manufactured it and are going to take advantage of the market collapse through insider trading.” Read Here
2. Mandeville, LA Police arrest man for anti-Semetic hate crime
By Chris Finch
Investigators arrested a Jefferson Parish man for spraying anti-Semitic symbols on the Northshore Jewish Congregation in 2018. Caine Zander Brown, 20 was arrested and will be charged with damage to property by defacing with graffiti and one count of a hate crime. Additionally, Brown was discovered to have made numerous social media posts, including denial of the Holocaust and use of the term “synagogue of satan.” Brown posted pictures of himself in Nazi head wear and making Nazi salute hand gestures, officers added. Read Here
3. ViacomCBS Cancels Linda Sarsour Women’s History Month Event
By JACKSON RICHMAN/JNS
ViacomCBS canceled an event featuring former Women’s March leader Linda Sarsour, who is known for her support of the anti-Israel BDS movement and has been accused of spreading anti-Semitism. The Women’s History Month event was specifically going to be hosted by the multinational media conglomerate’s Office of Global Inclusion. Read Here
4. Security footage shows suspect starting fire inside Pueblo, CO’s Temple Emanuel
By Dan Beedie
A Pueblo woman is facing arson charges after lighting the inside of the Temple Emanuel School Building on Fire. This is the same synagogue that a white supremacist planned to bomb back in November. Firefighters quickly put out the flames on the inside of the building. Investigators quickly identified a suspect, 62-year old Patricia DeCesaro. The woman was found at the scene and was taken into custody on first-degree arson and second-degree burglary charges. Read Here
5. Amazon bans most sales of ‘Mein Kampf’ after decades of lobbying from Jewish groups
By JUSTINE COLEMAN
Amazon has banned the sale of most editions of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” after decades of lobbying from Jewish groups and Holocaust charities. The tech company informed booksellers that they would not be permitted to sell a selection of Nazi-authored books within the online store, including Hitler’s autobiography and children’s books that were written to spread anti-Semitic ideas. Amazon said “they can no longer offer this book” because it breaks its code of conduct. Read Here
6. Rapper Jay Electronica sparks anti-Semitism controversy with Rothschild and ‘synagogue of Satan’ lyrics
By GABE FRIEDMAN
The respected rapper and producer Jay Electronica, a friend of Louis Farrakhan, released his debut album and it’s already causing controversy. On the “Ghost of Soulja Slim” track, about a late rapper friend, Electronica raps in the second verse: “And I bet you a Rothschild I get a bang for my dollar. The synagogue of Satan want me to hang by my collar.” The song also begins with audio from a speech by Farrakhan, the anti-Semitic leader of the Nation of Islam who has called Jews “satanic”. Read Here
ISRAEL AND THE REST OF THE WORLD
(4 Pieces)
1. IN-DEPTH: THIS WEEK’S NEWS ON ANTI-SEMITISM IN THE UK
Oxfam pulls Protocols of Elders of Zion from online shop
By MATHILDE FROT
Green mayoral hopeful on her ‘frustration’ at IHRA motion being ‘out of order’
By JEWISH NEWS REPORTER
The Green Party’s London mayoral candidate has told of her “frustration” after a motion she sponsored to incorporate a new definition of anti-Semitism was deemed to be “out of order”. Sian Berry, who hopes to replace Sadiq Khan as mayor of London, was speaking at a JW3 breakfast briefing with candidates organised by the London Jewish Forum and Jewish Leadership Council. On her personal efforts, she said: “I’ve been trying to push the IHRA definition through. I see no problem with signing up to it. I signed up to it as a Camden councillor.” Read Here
Labour councillor steps down from housing role over anti-Israel placard at council demo
By Jo Wadsworth
A Labour councillor has stepped down from her housing role after pictures of her holding a banner saying Israel is racist were published. Nikkie Brennan was appointed as deputy housing chair in May last year, shortly after being elected on a Momentum slate to represent East Brighton. It was already well known in local Labour circles that she had taken part in the protest outside Hove Town Hall the previous autumn when councillors, including now council leader Nancy Platts, voted to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) full definition of anti-Semitism. Read Here
Robert Peston: I feel I have to say I’m Jewish when covering toxic Labour anti-Semitism
By Jacob Judah
Journalist Robert Peston has said the issue of Labour anti-Semitism has become so “toxic” he feels he has to identify himself as Jewish when reporting on it. “In the current febrile political climate, it matters – and I say this with regret – that I am Jewish.” He said Jeremy Corbyn’s communications chief Seamus Milne had cited his interview with the Chief Rabbi – who had made a rare public intervention to condemn Labour’s Jew-hate – as a reason to bar ITV News from interviewing the Labour leader. Read Here
Pete Willsman condemned over ‘virus’ tweet about Ian Austin
By JC Reporter
Former senior Labour figure Pete Willsman, who was suspended from the party after being recorded claiming its anti-Semitism crisis was manufactured by Israel, has sparked outrage over a tweet linked to coronavirus which mentions ex-Labour MP Ian Austin. Mr Willsman tweeted: “Virus or no virus; nasty, foul, treacherous pieces of work like Ian Austin and Co. should have been in self isolation/lock down many years ago.” Read Here
West Ham Labour Party NEC candidate suspended ahead of national governing body elections
By Jon King
A “leading” candidate for Labour’s governing body has been suspended from the party. The party is investigating allegations West Ham constituency Labour Party vice-chairman Mehmood Mirza shared a reportedly anti-semitic cartoon online and applauded a campaigner who urged Labour to fight for the NHS rather than fighting ‘false’ internal anti-semitism claims. The cartoon reportedly shows a sticker with the words ‘anti-semitism’ placed over the mouth of a man who has a ‘free Palestine’ band round his head. Read Here
NEW CORBYN-BACKED CHAIR OF LABOUR’S DISPUTES PANEL, YASMINE DAR, DOES NOT BELIEVE LABOUR HAS AN INSTITUTIONAL ANTI-SEMITISM PROBLEM, EVEN AS HER BROTHER IS SUSPENDED
By CAA
Former senior Labour figure The new chair of the Labour Party’s disputes panel does not believe that the Party has a problem of institutional anti-Semitism, even as her brother is suspended over anti-Semitism allegations. Yasmine Dar, a councillor in Manchester and member of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), was elected to head up the Party’s disputes panel, which oversees its disciplinary processes. Ms Dar has previously responded to the opening of an investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in May 2019 by saying that “I haven’t seen any evidence that this prejudice among a minority of members is an institutional problem.” Read Here
2. IN-DEPTH: THIS WEEK’S NEWS ON ANTI-SEMITISM IN GERMANY
Dresden law firm receives anti-Semitic mail with powder – state protection investigated
BY fkä
A very short but abusive letter was received by a Dresden law firm. According to the police, the content was limited to one sentence: “Filthy Jews.” In addition, a black powder was found in the letter, which according to preliminary knowledge is harmless, but reminiscent of ash. Due to the anti-Semitic content of the letter, the state security has taken over the investigation. Read Here
Discovery in Mönchengladbach, Germany: Swastika on the mailbox of the Jewish community
BY Express.de
Disgusting offense in Mönchengladbach: Unknown perpetrators have painted a swastika on the mailbox of the Jewish community. The swastika, which was painted in a light color on the white mailbox, was only recognizable up close. The Mönchengladbach police are investigating. Read Here
3. IN DEPTH: THIS WEEK’S NEWS ON ANTI-SEMITISM ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST
Turkey downplays Holocaust in migrant crises with Greece
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Turkey insulted the memory of the Holocaust in comments directed against Greece. Ankara has sent thousands of refugees to the border with Greece after preventing refugees for years from fleeing Turkey. After Greek border police fired tear gas at refugees, Turkish officials compared the Greeks to Nazis. “There is no difference between what the Nazis did and those images from the Greek border,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. It is one of many comments over the years where Turkish officials compare every adversary to “Nazis” in various public spats. Read Here
Jordanian Islamic Scholar Ahmad Al-Shahrouri: The Jews Are More Dangerous Than Coronavirus
By MEMRI
Jordanian Islamic scholar Ahmad Al-Shahrouri said on his show on a Jordanian TV channel affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood – that the Jews are more dangerous than coronavirus, AIDS, cholera, and every disease in the world. He also said that to be saved from these illnesses, one should remember the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jihad, which he explained is a means of purification of one’s soul and body. Read Here
Journalist for Tehran Regime Mouthpiece Mocked for Saying He’d Rather Get Coronavirus Than Use Israeli Vaccine
By Algemeiner Staff
A journalist for the Tehran regime’s official English-language mouthpiece was widely mocked online after he said he would prefer getting the coronavirus over using an Israeli-produced preventative shot. Roshan Salih — of Press TV — tweeted a Haaretz article about an expected announcement by an Israeli research center that it had developed a vaccine for the disease currently spreading around the world with the comment, “I’d rather take my chances with the virus than consume an Israeli vaccine.” Read Here
Turkish Politicians, Press, Public React To Coronavirus: ‘This Virus Serves Zionism’s Goals Of Decreasing The Number Of People’
By MEMRI
Fatih Erbakan, who is the head of Refah Party and the son of late Turkish Islamist politician and former prime minister Necmettin Erbakan, said of the virus in a speech reported on March 6: “Though we do not have certain evidence, this virus serves Zionism’s goals of decreasing the number of people and preventing it from increasing, and important research expresses this. [Necmettin] Erbakan said: ‘Zionism is a five-thousand-year-old bacteria that has caused the suffering of people.'” Read Here
4. IN DEPTH: OTHER WORLD NEWS
City of Mississauga, Canada cancelled event with speaker called anti-Semitic, homophobic
BY Mississauga News
An event scheduled to take place at a Mississauga community centre was cancelled by the City of Mississauga after urging by the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center. Ustadh Daniel Haqiqatjou was scheduled to speak at the South Common Community Centre during the two-day event, but FSWC said it brought the appearance and “the speaker’s hateful rhetoric” to the attention of Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Upon learning of the potential of this speaker at a City facility, City staff were dispatched to South Common Community Centre,” Crombie said. Read Here
Jewish cemetery in southern Hungary vandalized
By MARCY OSTER
Gravestones in the Jewish cemetery of Kiskunfélegyháza were pushed over and severely damaged, the Mazsihisz Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary said. The repairs could cost more than $8 thousand. Read Here
French far-right local election candidate posts anti-Semitic video
By WJC
Alain Mondino, head of the far-right RN list in municipal elections in the Paris suburb of Villepinte posted a video on social media linking Jews to the spread of the coronavirus. The video, titled “Corona virus for Goy”, espouses a theory that the virus was “put in place by Jews” in order to “assert their supremacy”. Mondino said he had “found the title so stupid that I clicked”. He denied sharing it, saying he had only liked it. Mondino heads one of the of the Rassemblement National lists in the Seine Saint-Denis department in the capital’s north-eastern suburbs. Read Here
Anti-Semitic attack of a neo-Nazi in the Once neighborhood in Buenos Aires
BY Vis-A-Vis
To the shout of “I am Nazi”, an attacker with a knife, entered the kiosk of cigarettes and sweets on the streets of Ecuador and San Luis to the shout of “I do not speak to Jews”, “I kill the Jews”. While he threatened the clients, among whom were minors, with the knife, one of them was able to call the police and officers from the fifth police station were quickly present and they were able to calm the situation. Read Here
Argentine soccer player fired over anti-Semitic gesture
By JTA
The Argentine soccer player who made an anti-Semitic gesture after being ejected by a referee from a game against a team with many Jewish supporters was let go by his team. New Chicago midfielder Arnaldo “Pitu” González put his hand on his head, imitating a yarmulke, and pointed to his genitals in front of the fans of the Atlanta team. He apologized after the incident in a video posted on New Chicago’s Twitter account, saying he was “very ashamed.” Read Here
Suspected neo-Nazi charged with terrorism in Australia
BY AFP
Australian police charged a man with alleged neo-Nazi interests on terrorism offenses. The 21-year-old man from a town south of Sydney was arrested for planning terrorist acts, including by trying to purchase online weapons and materials to make bombs. “What we know is this person had anti-government sentiment, he was anti-Semitic, he has Neo-Nazi interests and he has anti-Indigenous interests,” said Mark Walton, head of the New South Wales police counter-terrorism force. They said the suspect was considering “a number of options” for an attack, including on the electricity grid in his home area on the coast south of Sydney. Read Here
ON CAMPUS
(3 Articles)
1. Woman admits posting Nazi propaganda at two O.C. campuses
By HANNAH FRY
A 23-year-old woman accused of posting Nazi propaganda posters at two campuses in Orange County was sentenced to a year of informal probation and 40 hours of community service. As part of a plea deal, Grace Elisabeth Ziesmer of Fullerton was ordered to pay roughly $517 in restitution after she agreed to plead guilty to a count of misdemeanor vandalism and two misdemeanor counts of graffiti. Ziesmer was charged after authorities said she posted anti-Semitic fliers with Nazi symbols on light poles near Fullerton College and on Newport Harbor High School’s campus in Newport Beach. Read Here
2. Sacramento high school’s response to swastika incident prompts frustration, community meeting
By ELISSA EINHORN
A large swastika was discovered carved into the baseball field dirt at a Sacramento high school, and a week later, approximately 100 primarily Jewish parents and students sought answers about whether the proper steps were being taken to ensure the safety of the school’s Jewish students. The hate symbol was found at Rio Americano High School, home to 1,685 students and a large Jewish student body. Read Here
3. To fight anti-Semitism, Jewish teens teach in classrooms
By Hannah Natanson
Jacob Book, 16, adjusted his kippah and stepped forward to face two dozen students, none of whom he knew, at James Madison High School, which he does not attend. “We are here to talk about our lives as Jewish teens,” Book said, “to you.” He cleared his throat. “Other teens.” The afternoon in Vienna, Va., marked the 25th time that Jewish students walked into Washington-area classrooms, gymnasiums or auditoriums to spend an hour explaining their faith to non-Jewish peers. The visits take place through Student to Student, an adaptation of a decades-old program that the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington brought to the District in a bid to combat a massive spike in anti-Semitic bullying. Read Here
ANALYSIS
(6 Pieces)
1. Bari Weiss: America was on a holiday from history, but Jewish hate is now ensconced
By Jacob Judah
“We were on a holiday from history. I think that this is true of the post-war American Jewish experience.” Weiss, 35, has been a lightning rod in the American Jewish community since she moved to America’s paper of record from the dynamic world of New York’s Jewish press. “America is returning to the norm when it comes to Jewish history, but that norm is frankly not somewhere I want America to be.” “Things that were once unsayable are now sayable.” “One of the strongest signs of it is the thriving of conspiracy theories.” “A society where conspiracy theories thrive is always one where anti-Semitism thrives, because it is a society that has replaced facts and truth with lies.” Read Here
2. With the rise of German far-right, Israeli celeb in Berlin says it’s time to go
By CNAAN LIPHSHIZ
Shahak Shapira was 14 when he moved with his mother and brother from Petah Tikvah in Israel to Laucha, Germany, along with a significant local population of white nationalists. “I passed for German until they learned my name,” he said of the people there. “Then I became the town’s Jew.” Nearly two decades later, he is one of the most prominent Israelis in Germany. Through stand-up comedy and a late-night TV show, the 31-year-old has lampooned the country’s rising far right. But after his show was canceled for what the comedian suspects were political reasons, Shapira — a grandson of one of the Israeli athletes murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics — is contemplating moving on. “I’m not sure I see a future for myself in Germany. I don’t feel at home here, not anymore.” Read Here
3. Asian Americans are facing violent xenophobia during the coronavirus outbreak. Jews have a responsibility to speak out.
By DYLAN ADELMAN
In the U.S., racist and xenophobic outbursts, assaults and discriminatory practices against Asian Americans have been reported from coast to coast. Chinese restaurants are witnessing 30 to 80% drops in business. Blaming or insinuating that Asian Americans are somehow responsible for, or even connected to, the pandemic is outrageous and inflammatory. Asian Americans, especially Chinese Americans, have been consistent friends of Jews in the United States — and as a minority group that has been a consistent scapegoat throughout history, Jews have a particular obligation to speak out. Read Here
4. Pandemic Panic a Breeding Ground for the Virus of Jew-Hatred
By Jonathan S. Tobin
The impulse to find someone to blame for diseases or other calamities is still embedded in the human psyche. So it’s hardly surprising to learn that there has been a surge of anti-Semitic activity in which anti-Semites have sought to tie Jews to the creation and/or spread of the coronavirus. There are some obvious conclusions to be drawn from this depressing example of humanity’s weaknesses. The first is that like all examples of Jew-hatred, the efforts of those eager to scapegoat Jews or Israel for the virus have absolutely nothing to do with anything their intended targets have actually done. Anti-Semitism is always about the manias of the anti-Semites, not the actions or words of the Jews. Read Here
5. Is It Still Safe to Be a Jew in America?
By Gary Rosenblatt
American jews have long felt sorry for European Jews who feared to wear a kippah or Star of David in public in large cities such as London and Paris, where violent attacks and desecrations of gravestones and synagogues have become commonplace. But never here in the U.S., we thought. Never in the most welcoming country Jews have ever known. Now we’re not so sure. Are Jews to accept that the new normal in the land of the free is that they must hide signs of their identity, avoid synagogues, and downplay support for Israel, as in much of today’s Europe? Read Here
6. Contradictions in France’s Fight Against Anti-Semitic Violence
By Dr. Tsilla Hershco
France’s aspiration to fight the rise in anti-Semitic violence on French soil, which has reached levels not seen since WWII, has not produced the desired results. Despite its awareness that the perpetrators of this violence are mainly radicalized members of the Muslim community, France frames its fight against anti-Semitism within the wider struggle against racism and homophobia, which dilutes its effectiveness. And while France is keenly aware of the correlation between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, it either joins or abstains on biased, discriminatory international resolutions that aim at isolating and de-legitimizing the Jewish state. Read Here
STUDIES AND STATISTICS
(1 Piece)
1. Nearly half of Labour members are ashamed of their country’s history and 53 per cent want to see the Monarchy abolished, new poll reveals
By BRENDAN CARLIN
After four years with Mr Corbyn at the helm, barely one in three of the Labour faithful are proud of the nation’s past, compared to more than 50% of voters. The YouGov survey also shows Labour’s grassroots was at odds with the public over anti-Semitism, with 78% of party members believing the problem was either exaggerated (53%) or that there was no problem at all (25%). Only 29% of ordinary voters thought it had been over-stated and just 10% thought Labour did not have a problem with anti-Semitism. Read Here
FEATURED PARTNER
Combat Anti-Semitism is proud to be a partner of JewBelong, an organization working to reach out to Jews who are disconnected, disengaged and sometimes intimidated by participating in Jewish events or rituals. Learn more about JewBelong in the video below.
The Woman Behind Manhattan’s Boldest Billboards is Now Boosting Judaism
By Amy Spiro
Archie Gottesman combined her Jewish background and creativity to create JewBelong. Today, Gottesman has turned her knack for witty one-liners toward marketing something else entirely: Judaism. Together with Stacy Stuart, her longtime advertising partner, Gottesman launched JewBelong, an organization working to reach out to Jews who are disconnected, disengaged and sometimes intimidated by participating in Jewish events or rituals. Read Here
Most Jews know that Judaism can be a little intimidating, which for some people is a good enough reason to run for the door. Or maybe you gave Judaism a try, but you didn’t get enough out if it to keep you coming back. The fact is that Judaism sometimes gets a bad rap and that’s led to too many people missing out on the good stuff. JewBelong is out to change all that by helping you find the joy, meaning, relevance and connection that Judaism has to offer.
Government & Policy Update
This section highlights the work of government officials around the world that are combating anti-Semitism in their official capacities.
(6 Pieces)
1. New US State Dept report blasts Iran’s Rouhani for anti-Semitism
By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
The US State Department criticized Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for stoking an anti-Jewish conspiracy theory that suggests Jews control the West. “In May, President Rouhani implied Jewish control over various Western interests, saying that speeches by foreign officials criticizing Iran were ‘written by Zionists word for word.’ Cartoons in state-run media outlets repeatedly depicted foreign officials as puppets of Jewish control,” the State Department wrote in its newly released report under the section titled “Anti-Semitism” covering Iran. Government officials continued to question the history of the Holocaust, and anti-Semitism remained a pervasive problem.” Read Here
2. ADL publishes guide on anti-Semitic tropes for candidates, members of Congress
By JNS
The Anti-Defamation League shared a new guide to contemporary anti-Semitism with Congress members and candidates running for national office in 2020. “Anti-Semitism Uncovered: A Guide to Old Myths in a New Era” examines “some of the most stubborn tropes about Jews, explains why they are dangerous, provides the backstory behind the myths and shows how they have evolved into the present day.” The guide, explains the history of anti-Semitism and definitions of seven of the most common anti-Semitic tropes that have endured through the ages: myths about power, loyalty, greed, deicide, the blood libel, Holocaust denialism and the newest form of anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. Read Here
3. Freshman Dem finds voice in fight against online extremism
By EMILY BIRNBAUM
Government efforts to combat online terrorism have largely stalled in the U.S. But freshman Rep. Max Rose (D-N.Y.), an Army veteran and the youngest man in Congress, is one of the few lawmakers to consistently press tech companies on preventing white extremists from using their platforms to recruit and radicalize young people in the U.S. and abroad. Rose, the head of the House Homeland Security counterterrorism subcommittee, has pressured Silicon Valley giants to take steps aimed at cutting off the deluge of terrorist and white supremacist content circulating online. Read Here
4. Germany designates radical wing of far-right AfD as ‘extremist entity’
By Joseph Nasr
The decision by the BfV intelligence agency to increase monitoring of “Der Fluegel” – The Wing – deals a blow to Germany’s biggest opposition party, undermining its efforts to fend off accusations that it harbors racist views. The AfD has ridden a wave of anger at Merkel’s decision to welcome almost 1 million asylum seekers, and the BfV decision follows fatal attacks on Jews, Muslims and a liberal politician in Germany. The Wing, which is headed by Bjoern Hoecke, the AfD’s leader in the eastern state of Thuringia, had already criticized the decision to conduct a 14-month review of its activities. Read Here
5. Austrian parliament urges chancellor clamp down on Hezbollah
By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
All political parties in Austria’s federal parliament passed a resolution calling on Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s government to exhaust all legal methods to stop Hezbollah’s criminal and terrorist activities. However, the parliament measure stopped short of urging a total ban of Hezbollah’s entire movement within the EU and the central European country. The country’s parliament—asked the federal government to “to take suitable and effective measures to continue to take decisive action against terrorist and criminal activities by Hezbollah supporters in Austria using the entire rule of law; to prevent Hezbollah from being financed through money laundering activities. Read Here
6. Portugal declares official commemoration day for inquisition of Jews
By JEREMY SHARON
The Portuguese parliament has approved the passage of a law to officially commemorate the Inquisition of Jews in the country on March 31 every year. The law received broad support from across the political spectrum. The date was chosen as the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Inquisition because it was on that day in 1821 that the Inquisition in Portugal was officially disbanded. The expulsion of Jews from Portugal in 1497, subsequent massacres of the Jews there and the Portuguese Inquisition, which began in 1536, brought Jewish life in the country to a catastrophic end, with tens of thousands of Jews fleeing the country. Read Here
HUMANITY
(4 Pieces)
1. Holocaust Memorials Set in Pavement in Berlin in Memory of Jews Deported
By JNS
Nearly 50 Holocaust stone memorials were recently set into the pavement around a major German publisher’s new main office in Berlin in honor of the dozens of Jews deported from the city in the 1940s. Publisher Axel Springer marked the opening of its new headquarters in Zimmerstrasse by laying the first of 87 stone memorials by artist Gunter Demnig in Berlin’s old Newspaper Quarter. At least 26 Jews were deported from Zimmerstrasse 48a and 48b, the former building located at the site of the new Axel Springer office. Read Here
2. Actress Julia Roberts Shares Poem on Shabbat Observance, Coronavirus Quarantining
By Shiryn Ghermezian
Amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis, US actress Julia Roberts posted on Instagram a poem about quarantining and social distancing that begins by discussing Shabbat. “What if you thought of it as the Jews consider the Sabbath — the most sacred of times?” the poem by Lynn Unger asked. “Cease from travel. Cease from buying and selling. Give up, just for now, on trying to make the world different that it is. Sing. Pray. Touch only those to whom you commit your life. Center down.” Read Here
3. Jewish organizations launch online portals to minimize coronavirus impact
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDS
Jewish educational organizations are making their content available online, helping people to learn about Judaism and support Israel during the coronavirus epidemic from the confines of their own home. Pro-Israel organization StandWithUs has launched StandWithUsConnect, a new web portal offering seminars and high quality interactive content designed to educate people about Israel and fight anti-Semitism. Meanwhile, Hillel International, is launching Hillel@Home to provide Jewish students with uninterrupted access to Jewish learning and community life wherever they are. Read Here
4. Famed Jewish Comedian Mel Brooks and Son Encourage Social Distancing During Coronavirus Pandemic
By Shiryn Ghermezian
Iconic Jewish comedian Mel Brooks and his son, Max, took to Twitter to share a message about social distancing amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Senior citizens — including Mel, who is 93 — are at a higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19. Max, 47, said he was engaging in social distancing so that his father, and none of Mel’s fellow legendary comedians and friends, would get sick. While Mel stood in the background behind a glass door, Max said, “If I get the coronavirus, I’ll probably be OK. But if I give it to him, he could give it to Carl Reiner, who could give it to Dick Van Dyke and before I know it, I’ve wiped out a whole generation of comedic legends. Read Here
OVER 200,000 INDIVIDUALS AND 210 ORGANIZATIONS HAVE SIGNED OUR PLEDGE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
“Combat anti-Semitism (CAM) is a non-partisan, global grassroots movement of interfaith individuals and organizations united to combat anti-Semitism. CAM exposes anti-Semitic activity from across the ideological spectrum and highlights those working to fight against its resurgence. One of the most pernicious forms of modern anti-Semitism is the effort to deny and delegitimize the Jewish people’s right to self-determination and their profound historic, religious and cultural connection to their ancestral homeland, Israel. Humanity flourishes when religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity is respected, and we hope to encourage understanding and set an example through our work. Anti-Semitism is the oldest form of bigotry and by working to eliminate it, we hope tragedies like the holocaust or any incidents of hate inspired speech or violence perpetrated against the Jewish people, Israel, or any discriminated group are reduced significantly.”
