Parliamentary representatives and officials from Balkans countries pledged to stand together against anti-Semitism at the first ever Balkans Forum Against Anti-Semitism. Dignitaries addressing the conference included U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen, the President of the European Parliament, the Prime Minister of Albania and the Speakers of Parliament from Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Israel. Read Here
Watch this Week’s Summary of Anti-Semitic Incidents Around the World
Anti-Semitic incidents continue to trend alongside prevalent current events, as a senate candidate in Arizona and protesters in Philadelphia were targeted with anti-Semitism. Marked progress against Jew-hatred was made however, as Ontario and the Global Imam’s Council adopted the IHRA definition. The UK’s equality watchdog found the Labour Party to be institutionally anti-Semitic, finally resulting in former leader Jeremy Corbyn’s suspension.
THIS WEEK’S CONTENT
FEATURED VIDEOS
Remembering the Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting 2 Years Later
The Jewish History of Albania: A Documentary Story
Laurel Grauer's Anti-Semitic Encounter at Chicago Dyke March
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SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
SPECIAL FEATURE
BALKANS COUNTRIES TAKE UNITED STAND AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM AT HISTORIC CONFERENCE
By CAM
CAM APPLAUDS THE GLOBAL IMAMS COUNCIL’S ADOPTION OF IHRA DEFINITION, URGES OTHER MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS TO FOLLOW
By CAM
CAM welcomes the Global Imams Council’s (GIC) endorsement of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. GIC is a body of Muslim faith leaders from diverse Islamic denominations and has become the first council of Muslim clerics to formally adopt the IHRA definition. Read Here
ANTI-VAXXERS AND ANTI-SEMITISM: INTERVIEW WITH LORD JOHN MANN
By CAM
Lord John Mann, the British government’s independent advisor on anti-Semitisma and a CAM board member, discusses his new report, “From anti-vaxxers to Antisemitism: Conspiracy theory in the COVID-19 pandemic.” Lord Mann explains, “I anticipated there would be this level of anti-Semitism, because the anti-vaxxers nearly always fall into conspiracies, and in a conspiracy theory, you will almost always find anti-Semitism.” Read Here
TEENAGER ON A MISSION TO RALLY GENERATION Z AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM
By CAM
Zack Singerman started “Gen Z Jews Fighting Anti-Semitism” to engage his peers in the fight against anti-Semitism. He recently organized a summit for Jewish teens featuring Bari Weiss, author of “How to Fight anti-Semitism.” When the 15-year-old isn’t interviewing politicians and combating anti-Semitism, he is a high school student in Washington, D.C. Read Here
UNITED STATES
JEWISH CANDIDATE IN ARIZONA DISCOVERS CAMPAIGN SIGN MARRED WITH SWASTIKA
By JNS
Anti-Semitic graffiti was found on a campaign sign for a Jewish candidate in Arizona. Seth Blattman, a Democrat running for the Arizona State Senate, said “it was extremely sad” to see a swastika drawn on his forehead and the word “killer” written across his neck. Blattman mentioned that he lost family members in the Holocaust. Read Here
BUSINESSES IN DOWNTOWN ITHACA HIT BY SPATE OF ANTI-SEMITIC VANDALISM
By Algemeiner Staff
Business owners in downtown Ithaca, New York were shocked by a spate of graphic anti-Semitic vandalism that struck three separate outlets. Images of the vandalism showed a tabloid newspaper-style vilification of Blacks and Jews poking scorn at Holocaust victim Anne Frank and demeaningly invoked the Yiddish words “goy” and “shvartse.” Read Here
PHILADELPHIA BLM PROTESTERS CALL JEWS ‘SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN’
By Aaron Bandler
A video shows a group of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters in Philadelphia telling Jews to leave, with one protester calling them the “Synagogue of Satan.” The person filming approaching three Jewish men — two of whom are wearing kippot — and stating, “Amalek. Amalek. What y’all doing down here? You don’t live here!” Read Here
WORLD NEWS
United Kingdom
CORBYN SUSPENDED BY THE LABOUR PARTY OVER HIS RESPONSE TO THE EHRC REPORT
By Lee Harpin
Jeremy Corbyn has been suspended by the Labour Party over his response to the EHRC report on anti-Semitism. Mr. Corbyn said that anti-Semitism within the party was “dramatically overstated” by his opponents and the media. In a tweet Mr. Corbyn said he would “strongly contest” the decision to suspend him. Read Here
FORMER MAYOR OF LUTON AND CURRENT CANDIDATE FOR BEDFORDSHIRE POLICE CHIEF SUSPENDED BY LABOUR OVER ANTI-SEMITISM
By Campaign Against Antisemitism
The former Mayor of Luton, who is currently Labour’s candidate for Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, has been suspended by the Party over anti-Semitism. Tahir Khan is believed to have posted Rothschild conspiracy theories on social media and to have claimed that the BBC is a “Zionist channel”. Read Here
GERMANY
A MAN ARRESTED AFTER MAKING ANTI-SEMITIC STATEMENTS IN NUREMBERG
By Eli Nahum
Police arrested a man in downtown Nuremberg after a 62-year-old man reported anti-Semitic statements a man made to him and his entourage. The suspect turned to the three musicians, who each wore a kippah during their musical performance on the Königsstraße pedestrian mall, with slogans such as “Jews out!” And “Sieg Heil!” Read Here
THE MIDDLE EAST
FATAH POSTS SONG CALLING FOR JERUSALEM TO BE ‘FREED OF JEWS’
By Jerusalem Post
The Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah movement posted a video on its official Facebook page showing a song that called for Jerusalem “to be freed of the Jews” and for Arabs to prepare “The Jews’ graveyard.” The song is an excerpt of “Our Jerusalem,” a 2017 song calling on Arabs and Muslim world to unite and “redeem” Jerusalem from the Jewish state. Read Here
PRIME MINISTER OF PAKISTAN CLAIMS POWERFUL ‘ISRAEL LOBBY’ CONTROLS AMERICAN MIDDLE EAST POLICY
By Benjamin Kerstein
The prime minister of Pakistan claimed in an interview that “Israel’s lobby” in the United States controls Middle East policy and is collaborating with India to boost his most prominent rival. Prime Minister Imran Khan said “The Israeli and Indian lobbies work together in America. Israel’s lobby is the most powerful and that’s why America’s whole Middle East policy is controlled by Israel.” Read Here
OTHER WORLD NEWS
HATE GRAFFITI CARVED INTO TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER IN OTTAWA
By CBC
The Ottawa police hate crime unit is looking for a man suspected of carving an anti-Semitic symbol into the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. “The anti-Semitic desecration of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is completely unacceptable, and I strongly condemn this hateful act,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a statement. Read Here
SWEDISH CITY OF MALMO CUTS TIES WITH ARAB BOOK FAIR OVER SALE OF ANTI-SEMITIC LITERATURE
By Algemeiner
The Swedish city of Malmo announced that it was breaking ties with an annual Arab book fair that takes place there over the sale of anti-Semitic literature. The city’s cultural director Pernilla Conde Hellman said that the sale of anti-Semitic literature was impermissible. Read Here
ON CAMPUS
UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK TO ADOPT IHRA DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM AFTER POLICY U-TURN
By Oliver Toms
The University of Warwick has formally adopted the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism after previously refusing to do so. Vice-chancellor Stuart Croft confirmed that the IHRA definition will be adopted “by way of policy” by the University and stated that “anti-Semitism is unacceptable and abhorrent” and any case of anti-Semitism will be “met with very firm sanctions”. Read Here
LEGAL COMPLAINT DETAILS ‘UNRELENTING ANTI-SEMITISM’ FACED BY JEWISH STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
By Algemeiner
Jewish students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have faced an “unrelenting campaign of anti-Semitic harassment,” according to a complaint filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The complaint stated that over the last five years, Jewish students had been “subjected to an alarming increase in anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.” Read Here
ANALYSIS & OP-EDS
DEFINING ANTI-SEMITISM NECESSARY TO PREVENT HOLOCAUST DENIERS FROM WINNING OUT
By SHEILA GLASS
STUDIES AND STATISTICS
ALMOST ALL AMERICAN JEWS SAY ANTI-SEMITISM IS A PROBLEM, ACCORDING TO A NEW POLL. HALF OF AMERICANS DON’T KNOW WHAT IT MEANS.
By BEN SALES
Nearly half of Americans don’t know what the phrase “anti-Semitism” means, according two surveys published by the American Jewish Committee. The new surveys found that, in a year when 88% of American Jews say anti-Semitism remains a problem, 21% of Americans overall say they’ve never even heard of the term and an additional 25% of Americans have heard the term but are unsure of what it means. Read Here
PROBE REVEALS EXTENT OF HATE MATERIAL HOSTED BY MUSIC STREAMING SERVICES
By Mathilde Frot
Leading music streaming services were littered with anti-Semitic songs, a BBC Newsbeat investigation revealed. BBC found “racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic content” on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music, which have since been taken down. The investigation led to the discovery of at least 20 songs containing lyrics praising “Aryan nations”, featuring anti-Semitic language and in some cases “celebrating” the Shoah. Read Here
FEATURED PARTNER
The International Legal Forum is a nonprofit, proactive legal hub, centralizing efforts of lawyers, organizations and activists worldwide, in the fight to promote justice, peace and equality in Israel and the Middle East. The ILF provides them with the much-needed knowledge, strategic planning, research and international network in order to successfully tackle human rights violations, radical ideologies, terror and the BDS movement.
ILF LEADS FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM
By HANNAH HEPNER
In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the International Legal Forum launched a new project to increase the use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism and better understand how to use it under the law. Read Here
FROM OUR PARTNERS
86 GROUPS SIGN LETTER PROTESTING “ETHNIC STUDIES” REQUIREMENT AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY
By CAM
Over 86 organizations from the education, human rights and religious sphere including the Combat Anti-Semitism Movement voiced their opposition to the new California State University (CSU) “ethnic studies” requirement. Warning that the adoption of the requirement by CSU would “incite bigotry” against students, groups signed a letter, organized by the AMCHA Initiative, calling on CSU Chancellor Timothy White and the CSU Trustees to drop the requirement. Read Here
FORMER MUSLIM TERRORIST AND HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR CONFRONT PREJUDICE
By Aish.com
The two men stretch out their left forearms, both bearing the number A10491. The former belongs to Irving Roth, 91, a Jew as a teen-ager survived Auschwitz. The latter belongs to Kasim Hafeez, 36, a former Muslim jihadist of Pakistani heritage who left behind his extremist beliefs and native Britain to become a Christian, live in America and support Israel. He had Roth’s Auschwitz number tattooed on his arm in an act of solidarity. Read Here
GOVERNMENT & POLICY
UK PROBE FINDS LABOUR GUILTY OF ANTI-SEMITIC DISCRIMINATION
By TOI STAFF
A UK government investigation into anti-Semitism in the Labour Party found that equality laws were broken and the party was “responsible for unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination.” The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) investigation found there were “serious failings” by the party’s leadership when it came to anti-Semitism. Read Here
ONTARIO ADOPTS INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE ALLIANCE’S ‘WORKING DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM’
By Robert Benzie
The Ontario cabinet adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s “working definition of anti-Semitism” after recent vandalism at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa. Government House Leader Paul Calandra said Premier Doug Ford’s ministers “took swift and decisive action” to recognize the definition even before the passage of legislation currently before the house. Read Here
SUDAN BECOMES THIRD ARAB STATE IN WEEKS TO ANNOUNCE TIES WITH ISRAEL
By LAHAV HARKOV, OMRI NAHMIAS, CELIA JEAN
US STATE DEPARTMENT CONFERENCE TACKLES MOUNTING HATE AND ANTI-SEMITISM ONLINE
By FAYGIE HOLT
HUMANITY
TRAM IN COLOGNE, GERMANY, GETS GIANT STAR OF DAVID AND SHALOM STICKERS TO CELEBRATE 1700 YEARS OF GERMAN-JEWISH LIFE
By JTA
Cologne, Germany’s public transportation company put Star of David stickers and “shalom” on a vehicle serving one of its busiest tram lines as part of the buildup to the country’s celebration next year of 1,700 years of Jewish life in Germany. Read More
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR AND NAZI SYMPATHIZER’S SON FORGE FRIENDSHIP IN BELGIUM
By Reuters
More than seven decades ago, their families were divided by war and hatred – Koenraad Tinel, the son of a Nazi sympathizer, and Simon Gronowski, a Holocaust survivor who lost his mother and sister to Auschwitz. Now the two men, both in their 80s, have forged a close friendship that has become a symbol of reconciliation in their native Belgium. 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, 285 organizations and 295,000 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.