Watch this Week's Summary of Anti-Semitic Incidents Around the World.
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the deadly attack on the synagogue in Halle, German by far-right extremist Stephan Balliet. Meanwhile, the Shore Parkway Jewish Center in Brooklyn was vandalized. The attacks (along with others in Hamburg and Paris) offer chilling reminders that enhanced security measures are needed to safeguard Jewish communities worldwide.
Despite ongoing physical and ideological attacks on Jews, the week also saw robust action against anti-Semitism across the world. See below for an exciting announcement about the 2020 Balkans Forum Against Anti-Semitism hosted by the Albanian Parliament.
THIS WEEK’S CONTENT
TAKE
ACTION
SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
SPECIAL FEATURE
WATCH: REMEMBERING THE HALLE SYNAGOGUE ATTACK ONE YEAR LATER
By CAM On October 9th, 2019, a heavily armed far-right extremist stormed the synagogue in the city of Halle, Germany during Yom Kippur services. A reinforced security door and protective lock system prevented the gunmen from entering the synagogue, saving dozens of lives. As we commemorate the first anniversary of the Halle attack, we must ask: What has changed? Read HereREMEMBERING MOTELE SCHLEIN: A TEENAGE HERO OF THE HOLOCAUST
By CAM
This is the incredible story of Modechai “Motele” Schlein who was barely a teenager, when he became a symbol of partisan resolve against the Nazis. Born in 1930 in a small town in Belarus, Schlein showed prodigious skill for the violin as a young boy, a skill that helped him fight back against the Nazis. Read Here
HATE DELETED: ANTI-SEMITIC YOUTUBE VIDEO REMOVED
By CAM
An anti-Semitic video called “WHAT IS A NEW WORLD ORDER?” had been hosted by YouTube since January 2018, collecting hundreds of thousands of views. Alerted to this dangerous video by our partner network, CAM initiated a campaign to have the video removed from YouTube. Thanks to the power of our coalition, the video was removed within hours of our campaign’s launch for violating hate speech policies. Read Here
COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM MOVEMENT WELCOMES GREEK COURT RULING ON GOLDEN DAWN
By CAM
CAM welcomed the landmark verdict by a Greek court, which ruled that the Golden Dawn party is a criminal organization. For too long, Golden Dawn has been allowed to spread hatred against Jews and other minorities, poisoning Greek society and the country’s democracy. The decision underscores the grave danger posed by organizations promoting Nazism, fascism and hate. Read Here
UNITED STATES
ANTI-SEMITIC GRAFFITI FOUND AT SITE OF WISCONSIN HOUSE FIRE
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Police are investigating “racist and anti-Semitic hate speech” found graffitied at the scene of a suspicious fire in Appleton, Wisconsin. The fire was described as a possible arson attack, and the victims claim the ones behind the arson also spray painted the hate speech graffiti. Read Here
MAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY VANDALIZING ORTHODOX SYNAGOGUE IN BROOKLYN
By Marcy Oster
A man was arrested and charged with hate crimes for allegedly vandalizing an Orthodox synagogue in Brooklyn. Osman Butt, 25, was charged with burglary and criminal mischief against the Shore Parkway Jewish Center for using a flagpole to break several windows. He then entered the building and continued to damage property. Read Here
WHITE SUPREMACIST ONCE AGAIN RELEASED FROM PRISON, PITTSBURGH JEWISH COMMUNITY URGED TO BE VIGILANT
By Andy Sheehan
For two decades white supremacist Hardy Lloyd has spewed anti-Semitic hate and has three times been sentenced to prison for espousing murder of Jewish people and police officers. He’s once again been released, causing concern for the Jewish Federation Of Greater Pittsburgh. Read Here
WOMAN TEARS DOWN POSTER FROM UPPER EAST SIDE SYNAGOGUE: VIDEO
By Amanda Woods
A woman was caught on video tearing down a poster outside an Upper East Side synagogue and police are investigating the act as a hate crime. A surveillance clip shows the woman walking up to the Chabad Israel Center and tearing down the poster, which displayed the prayer service schedule at the synagogue. Read Here
WORLD NEWS
United Kingdom
UK MINISTER UNDER POLICE PROTECTION AFTER RECEIVING ANTI-SEMITIC THREATS
By Jerusalem Post
UK Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick received police protection following death threats and anti-Semitic hate mail made regarding his involvement in the proposed Westminster Holocaust Memorial. Read Here
NEW FAR-RIGHT GROUP DEFACES PUBLIC AREAS IN UK CITY OF LIVERPOOL WITH ANTI-SEMITIC STICKERS
By Benjamin Kerstein
The stickers bear the logo of the young and decentralized far-right organization the Hundred Handers. The stickers read “Britain Is Under Occupation” over a superimposed Star of David, as well as “They Are Sexualising Your CHILDREN.” Read Here
UK POLICE: YOM KIPPUR SWASTIKA DID NOT TARGET ‘ON BASIS OF RACE, RELIGION’
By Jerusalem Post 
Police said that the spraying of a swastika onto a car on Yom Kippur in the city of Bristol, England did not indicate that an individual was “deliberately targeted on the basis of their race or religion.” The swastika was painted on a car across the street from the home of a Jewish resident. Read Here
CORBYN CHIEF OF STAFF BOASTED OF ATTEMPTS TO FORCE OUT MPS WHO STOOD UP AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM
By Lee Harpin
Jeremy Corbyn’s former chief of staff boasted about her involvement in attempts to force out MPs and union officials who had stood up against anti-Semitism. A series of damning phone messages confirm that Karie Murphy admitted being personally involved in moves to “trigger” the deselection of the MPs who quit Labour citing Mr Corbyn’s failure over anti-Semitism. Read Here
GERMANY
GERMAN POLICE PROBING ATTACK ON JEWISH MAN AS ANTI-SEMITIC ATTEMPTED MURDER
By Agencies and TOI Staff
Investigators were probing the attack on a Jewish student outside a synagogue in Hamburg as attempted murder with anti-Semitic intent. The suspect, a 29-year-old man of Kazakh origin, was arrested by officers protecting the synagogue. The victim was wearing a kippa at the time of the attack and was in intensive care but his life is not in danger. Read Here
GERMAN STUDENT, 14, ACCUSED OF PLANNING ARMED ATTACK ON SYNAGOGUE OR MOSQUE
By CNAAN LIPHSHIZ
Police in western Germany arrested a 14-year-old high school student they believe was planning an attack on a mosque or synagogue. The prosecutor’s office in Dusseldorf said that the boy had allegedly carried out at least one trial with explosives in preparation for the attack. Read Here
BERLIN JOHN DOE DESECRATES A MEZUZAH AT SYNAGOGUE
By Itamar Eichner
An unknown perpetrator desecrated a mezuzah at the Tiferet Yisrael synagogue in Berlin, Germany, drawing a swastika on its insides. The mezuzah was found during the Ten Days of Repentance. Read Here
‘TIME TO SIGN UP FOR SELF DEFENSE COURSE’ SAYS JEWISH STUDENT LEADER
By CNAAN LIPHSHIZ
Germany’s Jewish student union leader Anna Staroselski expressed frustration at the ongoing insecurity faced by the country’s Jews, following an attack on a Jewish man arriving for Sukkot holiday services at Hamburg’s Hohe Weide Synagogue. “My first thought after the incident was that it’s time to sign up for a self-defense course.” Read Here
THE MIDDLE EAST
FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBER FELT “LIKE BRIDE ON HER WEDDING DAY, PREPARING TO GO TO HER GROOM”
By Nan Jacques Zilberdik
Shifa Al-Qudsi took on a suicide mission during the Second Intifada where she planned to detonate explosives in the Israeli city of Netanya. Her attack was thwarted days before it was due to go ahead. In a TV interview last month, she remembered how joyous she felt before the planned attack, likening it to “a bride on her wedding day.” Read Here
‘THERE IS A JEWISH PLOT TO DESTROY GAZA SOCIETY BY BANNING CHILD MARRIAGE’
By JNS
Qatari sociologist Abd al-Aziz al-Khazraj al-Ansari described the call by a Gaza women’s organization for a conference on the issue of child marriage as a “satanic” Jewish plot to destroy Palestinian society. “The Jews failed to destroy you, kill you, disgrace you and occupy you. What is the solution? They want to destroy you socially, by increasing your depravity, prostitution, homosexuality, by delaying the age of marriage,” he said. Read Here
OTHER WORLD NEWS
BELGIUM’S NEW JUSTICE MINISTER HAS SPOKEN OF JEWISH LOBBY
By Tovah Lazaroff
Belgium’s new justice minister Vincent Van Quickenborne of the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats Party tweeted in February that the “Jewish lobby is working extra hours. After Aalst, now Washington.” In 2002, he traveled to Gaza and met with Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Hassan Yassin. Read Here
ANTWERP JEWS TO LOSE ARMY PROTECTION UNDER NEW BELGIUM GOVERNMENT’S PLAN
By JTA
Antwerp’s Jewish community will lose its military protection under a plan by Belgium’s new government to eliminate the presence of soldiers in urban centers. Approximately 18,000 Jews live in the city in close proximity and several troops protect the Jewish quarter. Read Here
PARIS KOSHER RESTAURANT RANSACKED, TAGGED WITH SWASTIKAS
By CAM
A kosher restaurant in Paris was pillaged. Unidentified individuals destroyed the restaurant’s interior, turning over chairs and tables, and painted anti-Semitic statements and swastikas on the walls. The restaurant, named Mac Queen, was tagged with phrases such as “Hitler was right,” “Jewish homos,” “Jews get out” and “Free Palestine.” Read Here
ANTI-SEMITIC STICKERS SEEN MAKING ROUNDS AROUND DOWNTOWN HALIFAX
By Jerusalem Post 
Anti-Semitic stickers have made their way across the Nova Scotia captial of Halifax which seem to blame the Jewish community for Covid-19. The stickers read “The Bug That Backfired COVID-19,” and feature a Star of David. Stickers were found downtown and on college campuses. Read Here
NEO-NAZI SLOGANS SPRAY-PAINTED ON WALLS OF ATHENS JEWISH CEMETERY
By Algemeiner
Neo-Nazi slogans were spray-painted on the walls of a Jewish cemetery in Athens, Greece. The German words “Juden Raus,” or “Jews out,” were quickly erased by municipal workers acting under the instructions of Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis. Read Here
DUTCH SPORTS CHANNEL ADDS ANTI-SEMITIC CHANTS TO SOUNDTRACK OF LIVE MATCH
By JTA
In a FOX Sports Netherlands’ live broadcast of a match between the Amsterdam team Ajax and a rival team from the city of Groningen, the network added a recording from a past game that featured the popular chant “Whoever doesn’t jump is a Jew.” Supporters of rival teams sing the chant to taunt the players on Ajax, which many Dutchmen associated with Jews because of Amsterdam’s rich Jewish history. Read Here
SWISS LOTTERY SCRATCH CARD USES THE PHRASE GASSED JEW
By JTA
A state-owned lottery company in Switzerland apologized for a crossword scratch card that featured the word combination “gassed Jew.” In one card that was bought in the town of Thônex, the two words appeared in vertical succession. The card’s owner noticed the phrase and alerted to it to CICAD, an anti-Semitism watchdog group. Read Here
ON CAMPUS
EX-NAZI HUNTER CALLS ON BARR TO BLOCK EREKAT FROM ENTERING US FOR HARVARD POST
By JNS
Former head of the federal Nazi-hunting Office of Special Investigations Neal Sher, called on Attorney General Barr to deny PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat entry into the US to mentor students at Harvard University. Sher cited “an overwhelming amount of publicly available evidence” that Erekat has incited terrorism and set up a fund to reward families of suicide bombers. Read Here
FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL FIRED FOR SAYING ‘NOT EVERYONE BELIEVES THE HOLOCAUST HAPPENED’ COULD BE REHIRED
By Algemeiner Staff
A Florida high school principal who was fired last November for telling the mother of a student that “not everyone believes the Holocaust happened” could be rehired this week. Palm Beach County School Board members will meet to consider a proposal to rehire the former principal of Spanish River High School, William Latson, in the wake of an administrative judge’s ruling that he was improperly terminated. Read Here
UNIVERSITY OF BUENOS AIRES ADOPTS IHRA DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM
By SSI National
The Superior Council of the University of Buenos Aires has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism. In a statement by Students Supporting Israel at University of Buenos Aires, representative Tomas Pener said the motive for this notion was due to anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism on campus. They were inspired by the recent adoption of the IHRA definition led by Students Supporting Israel at Arizona State University. Read Here
PRO-ISRAEL STUDENT GROUP SAYS IT’S ‘NOT A COINCIDENCE’ THAT SWASTIKA WAS FOUND AT COLUMBIA DAYS AFTER PASSAGE OF BDS RESOLUTION
By Aaron Bandler
A swastika was found on the campus of Columbia University following the passage of an Israel divestment resolution. According to Columbia’s Office of University Life, the swastika was found on the steps of the university’s main library. Students Supporting Israel at Columbia wrote on Facebook, “It is not a coincidence that this despicable act of anti-Semitism occurred only days after a BDS referendum was passed…” Read Here
ANALYSIS
TIME FOR AMERICA TO WRITE THE IHRA DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM INTO LAW
By RHODA SMOLOW
Many nations, including the US, adopted the non-legally binding working definition. The stronger option is to give the definition the force of law. Sadly, the US has failed to take this step. Our nation is in the throes of an important conversation about how America can be truer to its ideals. We must add to this conversation how America defines anti-Semitism. It is time to write the IHRA definition into law. Read Here
EUROPE CAN’T FIGHT JEW-HATRED WITHOUT A WORKING DEFINITION OF ANTI-SEMITISM
By ANDREW BAKER and HOLLY HUFFNAGLE
When Europe witnessed a resurgence of anti-Semitism, many dismissed attacks on Jews as expressions against Israel. The European experience makes it difficult to argue that the Working Definition limits speech. Like any tool, it can be misused, and we should guard against that. But that is hardly an argument for not employing it at all. The EU understands this. “You can’t fight what you can’t define.” Read Here
WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR THERE TO BE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR JEW-HATRED ON CAMPUS?
By Micha Danzig
USC’s reaction to the harassment of its Jewish students has been not nearly as strong as its response to the racist statement made to the student government president in 2015. One thing every victim of bigotry does know, is that a different standard for one form of discrimination is itself discriminatory. And if you treat Jew hatred differently than you treat other forms of bigotry, then you are effectively engaging in Jew hatred, too. Read Here
STUDIES AND STATISTICS
GERMANY TO PRESENT REPORT ON FAR-RIGHT EXTREMISM IN POLICE, MILITARY
By MATHIEU FOULKES
Germany will publish a much-anticipated report on right-wing extremism in its security forces after a string of scandals over far-right networks in the police and military. Several regional German police forces have been caught up in far-right scandals in recent months, and a unit of the country’s elite KSK commando force was dissolved in July over neo-Nazi allegations. Read Here
HOMELAND SECURITY REPORT CALLS WHITE SUPREMACISTS THE ‘MOST PERSISTENT AND LETHAL’ THREAT IN THE US
By Ben Sales
A new report from the Department of Homeland Security names white supremacists as the biggest domestic terror threat in the US. The Homeland Threat Assessment notes that, among other qualities, white supremacists are characterized by their hate of Jews, or by “their perception that the government is controlled by Jewish persons.” Read Here
JEWISH LAWMAKERS TARGETED BY ANTI-SEMITIC TWEETS AHEAD OF ELECTION
By MARINA PITOFSKY
The ADL found a “deluge” of anti-Semitic tweets and misinformation targeting 30 incumbent Jewish members of the House and Senate who are up for reelection. A “snapshot” taken between July 23 and August 22 included nearly 6,000 tweets “identified as potentially anti-Semitic.” The posts included tropes related to Jewish “power and control” as well as “questioning the loyalty and faith of Jewish incumbents.” Read Here
FEATURED PARTNER
NCSY is a world-recognized organization that has played a pivotal role in the lives of Jewish teens across the globe. The Orthodox Union founded NCSY in 1954 to provide Jewish teens with an opportunity to build a strong connection to their Jewish roots through inspiration and leadership skills. NCSY connects with Jewish teens through innovative, cutting-edge social and recreational programs to develop a positive Jewish identity.
NCSY WEST COAST CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF INSPIRING TEENAGERS
By OU Staff
The West Coast is the largest NCSY region in the United States and is the founding chapter of the first Jewish Student Union Club (JSU) for Jewish teens on public school campuses. Since its successful launch on the West Coast, NCSY has launched 200 clubs on public high school campuses around the country. Read Here
CAM PARTNERS CONTENT
WATCHDOG GROUP SENDS LETTER TO MAJOR CHRISTIAN PUBLISHERS OVER ANTI-ISRAEL CONTENT
By Algemeiner Staff
The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA) sent an open letter to two Christian publishing houses expressing deep concern over anti-Israel and anti-Zionist content in their books. CAMERA sent the missive to InterVarsity Press in the US and UK, accusing both organizations of including incorrect material about Israel and Zionism in their books, which included works by Rev. Dr. Stephen Sizer, who has propagated anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Read Here
TOP US JEWISH GROUP URGES OLYMPICS BAN FOR IRAN OVER EXECUTION OF CHAMPION WRESTLER
By Algemeiner Staff
The American Jewish Committee is spearheading a petition urging the International Olympic Committee to ban Iran from the upcoming 2021 games due to its recent execution of national wrestling champion Navid Afkari. The petition states that Iran ought to be banned “due to its repeated and ongoing violations of the Olympic Charter, of the Olympic ethos, and of basic human rights.” Read Here
GOVERNMENT & POLICY
HOUSE OVERWHELMINGLY PASSES RESOLUTION CONDEMNING QANON, INCLUDING FOR ITS ANTI-SEMITISM
By RON KAMPEAS
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly condemned the QAnon conspiracy theory, citing its anti-Semitism. The resolution passed 371-18. The measure’s preamble says that “many QAnon followers express anti-Semitic views…the movement’s central conspiracy theory includes anti-Semitic elements.” Conspiracy theories “have been a central driver of anti-Semitism for centuries,” the preamble adds, “and QAnon is fanning the flames as anti-Semitism is on the rise…” Read Here
‘NEVER AGAIN,’ UAE’S TOP DIPLOMAT DECLARES AT HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL WITH ASHKENAZI
By AFP and AARON BOXERMAN
The foreign ministers of Israel and the UAE visited the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin during their “historic” first meeting. In a handwritten message in the visitor’s book at the memorial, the Emirati top diplomat commemorated the “European Jewish victims of the Holocaust.” May their souls be bound up in the binds of life. Never again,” he wrote in both English and Arabic. Read Here
GREEK COURT RULES NEO-NAZI GOLDEN DAWN PARTY A CRIMINAL OUTFIT
By AGENCIES
Greece’s neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn was branded a criminal organization, with its leaders facing heavy sentences in one of the most important trials in the country’s political history. Presiding judge Maria Lepenioti said Golden Dawn founder and leader Nikos Michaloliakos and other senior members were guilty of running a criminal organization. Read Here
UK GOVERNMENT ‘ACTIVELY EXPLORING’ MEASURES TO MAKE UNIVERSITIES ADOPT IHRA DEFINITION, CLAIMS MINISTER
By Lee Harpin 
The Minister of State for Universities has insisted the government is “actively exploring” measures to ensure the internationally recognised definition of anti-Semitism is adopted by the UK’s higher education institutions. Michelle Donelan MP said she wanted all universities to adopt it – but said that a succession of letters from politicians – including Secretary of State Robert Jenrick – to the heads of the institutions had “not shifted the dial.” Read Here
COUNCIL OF EUROPE APPOINTS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON ANTI-SEMITIC AND ANTI-MUSLIM HATRED
By Council of Europe
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić appointed the Council of Europe’s Director of Communications Daniel Höltgen, to the new position of Special Representative on Anti-Semitic and Anti-Muslim Hatred and Hate Crimes. The Secretary General said: “These are no longer isolated events. We are witnessing an alarming increase in anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim attacks in many parts of Europe, often incited and aggravated by hate speech online. Read Here
GERMAN OFFICIALS EXPRESS OUTRAGE OVER ATTACK ON JEWISH STUDENT OUTSIDE SYNAGOGUE
By AGENCIES and TOI STAFF
Germany’s justice minister Christine Lambrecht called an attack on a Jewish student outside a Hamburg synagogue a day earlier “a horrible act of violence.” “The hatred against Jews is a disgrace for our country,” she said. “We have to further confront agitation against Jews and be there more for the victims,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. “This is not an isolated case — this is repugnant anti-Semitism and we must all stand up against it.” Read Here
HUMANITY
YOUTUBE TERMINATES NATION OF ISLAM CHANNEL FOR EGREGIOUS HATE SPEECH
By CAM
YouTube removed the National of Islam’s channel for violating the video-sharing site’s policies against hate speech. The Nation of Islam (NOI) channel was taken down for promoting “the notion that members of a protected group are part of an evil conspiracy theory.” Read More
FACEBOOK SAYS IT WILL NOW BAN ALL PAGES SUPPORTING QANON, THE ANTI-SEMITIC CONSPIRACY THEORY
By JTA
Facebook will remove all QAnon content from Facebook and Instagram, even if it doesn’t explicitly refer to violence. Scholars of anti-Semitism say the conspiracy theory is a new version of age-old anti-Semitic stereotypes regarding Jewish conspiratorial control of world affairs. Read Here
BLACK JEWISH WOMAN BEATS PRO-BDS CANDIDATE TO MAKE HISTORY AS NEW LEADER OF CANADIAN GREEN PARTY
By Algemeiner
Annamie Paul, a female lawyer who is Black and Jewish, made Canadian history after being elected to lead the country’s Green Party in the face of a strong challenge from a veteran anti-Israel activist. Paul won the vote despite a sustained challenge from Dimitri Lascaris. Lascaris has unsuccessfully advocated for the Green Party to endorse the BDS campaign against Israel. Read Here
RICHARD SCHIFTER, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR WHO LATER SERVED AS A US DIPLOMAT, DIES AT 97
By JTA
Ambassador Schifter’s Combat Anti-Semitism Story from Combat Anti-Semitism on Vimeo.
Schifter was born in Vienna to Polish parents. At the age of 15, he received a visa to go to the United States. The rest of his family died at the hands of the Nazis. Schifter was the American representative to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights and under Presidents Ronald Regan and George H.W. Bush, he served as assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs. Read More
SUKKAH RISES AT BASE OF WORLD’S TALLEST TOWER IN UAE
By Isabel Debre
The sukkah sprouted up outside the first kosher restaurant in Dubai following a US-brokered deal to normalize relations between the UAE and Israel. Rabbi Levi Duchman, who supervises the restaurant’s kosher standards, said Dubai’s Jewish community, which has worshiped for years at an unmarked villa in the city-state, “is being heard more than ever” after the deal. 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, 276 organizations and 289,000 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.
