THIS WEEK’S GLOBAL ANTI-SEMITISM REPORT
During the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the parliament of Ukraine passed a new law criminalizing antisemitism, and the U.S. states of New Jersey and Florida initiated steps to divest from Ben & Jerry’s parent company Unilever over support for the antisemitic BDS movement.
Thirty-four countries abstained this week from the UN’s Durban IV conference over its antisemitic legacy – double the number of nations that pulled out of Durban III. Meanwhile, as the Los Angeles teacher’s union unsuccessfully debated a pro-BDS resolution, three French education unions condemned the return of the “filthy beast” of antisemitism. Yesterday, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) slammed his colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) for trafficking in antisemitism after a fiery speech in which she urged members to not support Israel’s life-saving Iron Dome missile defense system.
Amidst these positive developments, CAM monitored an alarming increase in physical threats directed at Jews this week. This week’s global antisemitism report highlights 51 new media reports of antisemitic incidents. The total includes 20 (39.2%) from the far-right, 10 (19.6%) from the far-left, 7 (13.7%) with Islamist motivations, and 14 (27.5%) unidentifiable in nature.
In Los Angeles, a man attempted to ram his car into a crowd of Jews attending a Sukkot concert after shouting, “I’m a real Muslim, I’ll show you what real terrorism looks like…f**k the Jews.” In Germany, authorities thwarted a 16-year-old Syrian’s ISIS-inspired attack on a synagogue during Yom Kippur, and a 60-year-old man was assaulted at a vigil against antisemitism by a group yelling “f**k Israel, free Palestine.” A Toronto man was arrested for assaulting an elderly Jewish man at a liquor store. In London, a man was arrested for shouting “kill you Jews” and invoking Hitler outside of a synagogue, while in Brooklyn a man threatened to blow up a synagogue while shouting antisemitic slurs outside.
The home of the Jewish community leader in Merida, Mexico was vandalized with anti-Zionist and Neo-Nazi graffiti after having received numerous anonymous and threatening phone calls. Amid the global rise in Holocaust trivialization, eighth-grade students in Ontario marched to the Nazi anthem while shouting ‘Heil Hitler” and giving Nazi salutes. Local and national authorities must guard against this rise in attacks.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPECIAL FEATURES
UNITY NEEDED NOW MORE THAN EVER: ARE WE OUR WORST ENEMIES?
Yet unfortunately today, it seems we Jews are so divided we cannot even agree on what constitutes anti-Semitism. The left only recognizes anti-Semitism when it emanates from the right, and the right only sees it when it comes from the left. The lack of unity on this most basic issue is why Natan Sharansky on his most recent visit to the United States earlier this summer asked me to convene a small group of diverse Jewish leaders to see if we could reach any agreement about the eternal external existential threats to the Jewish people.
LEO STRAUSS, BIGOTRY AND THE BLUES
The progress of equality has also been an engine of change within Western societies. Struggles to extend it have included the battle for democratic suffrage and the American civil rights movement. This last example, however, is a bit tricky. In the United States, for instance, while almost everyone 18 and over can vote in democratic elections, a cursory glance at the news is sufficient to see that bigotry remains a problem. And at first glance, the response likewise seems simple. Bigotry? Stamp it out. But how do you stamp out bigotry?
UNITED STATES
CAR RAMMING ATTACK ATTEMPTED AT LA SYNAGOGUE SUKKOT CONCERT, SAYS SECURITY GROUP
By Sharon Wrobel
A congregation in Los Angeles was left in shock after a man attempted to ram into a crowd of people as they were attending a Sukkot holiday concert. According to Magen Am, a non-profit that provides security, the attacker accelerated down a one-way alley into a crowd of women and children during the concert at LA’s Shaarei Tefila synagogue. The crowd of about 20 to 30 managed to jump out of the path of the vehicle before the assailant stopped short, yelled “f**k the Jews” and left. The group also said that about 20 minutes prior, the man had “canvassed” the event and issued threats, saying, “I’m a real Muslim, I’ll show you what real terrorism looks like.”
NEW YORK CITY POLICE OFFICER ARRESTED FOR VANDALIZING JEWISH CAMP ON ROSH HASHANAH
By Algemeiner Staff
A New York City police officer has been arrested for an antisemitic act of vandalism at a Jewish camp in the town of Union Vale, New York. Matthew McGrath, 37, was arrested on charges of felony burglary and criminal mischief after he broke into Camp Young Judea on the second day of Rosh Hashanah. McGrath severely vandalized the camp — smashing windows, destroying the camp director’s residence, and causing extensive property damage.
MAN THREATENS TO BLOW UP BROOKLYN SYNAGOGUE, MAKES ANTISEMITIC STATEMENT: NYPD
By Mark Sundstrom
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force launched an investigation in Brooklyn after a man made antisemitic comments and threatened to blow up a synagogue. Police said it happened in front of Congregation Bnai Usher Tenka, an Orthodox synagogue in the Borough Park neighborhood. A 23-year-old man was standing in front of the synagogue when he was approached by an unidentified man who suddenly made a threatening, antisemitic statement and then threatened to blow up the house of worship.
WORLD NEWS
United Kingdom
“HITLER, KILL YOU JEWS, F**K JEWS”: MAN ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH ALLEGED HATE CRIME AND POSSESSION OF COCAINE IN EAST LONDON
By Campaign Against Antisemitism
It was reported that a man who is alleged to have verbally abused Jewish people attending a synagogue was arrested for a hate crime and possession of cocaine in East London. The suspect is subjected members of the Jewish community to a “torrent of racist abuse” which included “Kill you Jews, F**k Jews” and invoking Adolf Hitler’s name.
GERMANY
16-YEAR-OLD SYRIAN APPEARS BEFORE GERMAN JUDGE OVER ALLEGED ‘ISLAMIST’ PLOT TO ATTACK SYNAGOGUE ON YOM KIPPUR
By Ben Cohen
A 16-year-old Syrian boy was set to appear before a judge in Germany after he was arrested with three members of his family over a threatened attack against a synagogue as Jews marked Yom Kippur. The unnamed minor remained in custody in the wake of a major police deployment around the synagogue in Hagen, a city east of Dusseldorf. The family reportedly arrived in Germany in 2014 as refugees from the civil war in Syria.
60-YEAR-OLD ASSAULTED AT VIGIL AGAINST ANTISEMITISM IN HAMBURG, GERMANY
By Sharon Wrobel
A 60-year-old man was injured at a vigil in support of Israel and against antisemitism in the city of Hamburg after a group of young people insulted the gathering with antisemitic and anti-Israel slogans. According to police, a group of three to four people approached the vigil yelling slogans at the organizers of the gathering, including “f**k Israel, free Palestine.” When several participants in the vigil approached the offender and asked him to stop, he punched the 60-year-old victim in the face with his fist, causing a laceration.
ANTISEMITIC ABUSE IN OFFENBACH
CANADA
MAN CHARGED IN TORONTO LIQUOR STORE ASSAULT ON ELDERLY JEWISH EMPLOYEE SHOWERED WITH ANTISEMITIC ABUSE
By Algemeiner Staff
A Jewish group revealed a shocking antisemitic assault on an elderly Jewish man in Toronto, during which he was punched unconscious. The incident took place at a liquor store where the victim worked. The accused 26-year-old man when asked by the cashier to produce identification, became belligerent, prompting another employee, the victim, to approach in support. The accused called the victim “a dirty f***ing Jew,” and lunged at him. The attacker also hit the employee in the back with a wine bottle, threw other items at him and punched him in the face, briefly knocking him unconscious.
FRANCE
OTHER WORLD NEWS
HATE MESSAGE LEFT AT JEWISH LEADER’S HOME IN MERIDA, MEXICO
By Yucatan Times
The president of the Jewish Community in Merida, Alejandro Rabinovich Noé, is the target of antisemitism by telephone and physical attacks at his home in Cholul. Last April he began to receive anonymous threats on his cell phone. in which he was insulted because of his Jewish origin, he was told that “you and your piece of sh… Jewish family, we don’t want you here, we want all the Jews pieces of sh…, Zionists to get out of here”. The aggression went to another level of threat when on Monday unidentified individuals came to his doorstep and painted an offensive phrase with an antisemitic message and Nazi symbols.
THIEVES CAUGHT TRYING TO TAKE OVER 200 JEWISH HEADSTONES FROM ARGENTINE JEWISH CEMETERY
By JTA Staff
Local Jewish leaders are fuming about repeated security breaches at a large Jewish cemetery in the Buenos Aires area. Just before Yom Kippur last week, three vandals were caught trying to make off with 223 of the cemetery’s gravestones — the third such robbery in the past month. Over 100 headstones were smashed at the Tablada cemetery the previous week. One of last week’s vandals was caught while two others escaped. An investigation is ongoing.
ARGENTINA: UMBANDA RITES AND SWASTIKAS IN THE JEWISH CEMETERY OF SANTA FE
THE MIDDLE EAST
KHAMENEI REAFFIRMS IRAN’S ANTISEMITIC BAN ON COMPETING AGAINST ISRAELI ATHLETES
By Shiryn Ghermezian
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated the country’s longstanding policy of not allowing Iranian athletes to compete against Israelis. “Any Iranian athlete worthy of the name cannot shake hands with a representative of the criminal regime in order to win a medal,” Khamenei said. He added in comments posted on his official website, “The illegitimate, bloodthirsty … Zionist regime tries to win legitimacy by taking part in international sporting events attended by the world arrogance (Washington and the West), and our athletes cannot just stand idly by.”
ON CAMPUS
VIDEO SHOWS ONTARIO MIDDLE SCHOOLERS FLASHING NAZI SALUTES AND SHOUTING ‘HEIL HITLER’
By CAM
Police in North Bay, Ontario, are investigating a potential hate crime after a video emerged of a group of local eighth-grade students flashing Nazi salutes and shouting “Heil Hitler,” among other antisemitic slurs. The incident occurred at École Secondaire Catholique Algonquin, located about three hours north of Toronto. According to eyewitness accounts, one of the students played the Nazi anthem from an audio device as they marched together on the school’s athletic field.
COLLEGE DEMOCRATS OF AMERICA JEWISH CAUCUS DECRY ANTISEMITIC COMMENTS FROM NATIONAL ORG VP CANDIDATE
By Algemeiner Staff
The College Democrats of America (CDA) Jewish Caucus expressed anger following revelations of antisemitic online statements by a candidate for the national CDA’s vice-presidency. A 2016 tweet by Nourhan Mesbah, who is now CDA National Director of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility showed her commenting on a presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump by saying, “I blame this debate on the yahood” — Arabic for “Jew.”
ANALYSIS & OP-EDS
STUDIES & STATISTICS
POLL FINDS MOST IN US JEWISH FRATERNITY AND SORORITY SAW ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUS
By BEN SALES
A survey of members of AEPi and AEPhi, the most prominent national Jewish fraternity and sorority, found that large numbers of respondents have experienced antisemitism on campus. The survey also found that about half of respondents have felt the need to hide their Jewish identity on campus or in virtual campus settings. A slim majority said they “are somewhat or very reluctant to share their views on Israel,” according to the survey. The survey was commissioned by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a legal organization that aids Jewish and pro-Israel college students.
GOVERNMENT & POLICY
UKRAINE’S PARLIAMENT APPROVES NEW LAW BANNING ANTISEMITISM
By Euronews
Ukraine’s parliament has adopted a law defining and banning the concept of antisemitism. The new legislation aims to “counteract and prevent antisemitism and its manifestations in Ukraine.” Any hate speech directed at Jews, their property, religious buildings, or communities will be prohibited. The law also defines new punishments for antisemitism and allows victims to claim compensation for material and moral damage.
34 COUNTRIES SHUN UN’S COMMEMORATION OF CONTROVERSIAL DURBAN CONFERENCE
By TOI Staff & AP
Dozens of countries steered clear of a UN General Assembly session that commemorated the 20th anniversary of the controversial UN World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, which was accused of veering into open antisemitism. Israel and dozens of other nations boycotted the commemoration event amid worries it would also feature attacks on the Jewish state, with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tweeting that 34 countries would not attend.
HUMANITY
FRENCH EDUCATION UNIONS CONDEMN ‘FILTHY BEAST’ OF ANTISEMITISM AT COVID-19 VACCINE REFUSAL DEMONSTRATIONS
By Algemeiner Staff
Three labor unions representing school teachers in France have roundly condemned repeated displays of antisemitic propaganda at demonstrations organized by opponents of the government’s “health pass” policy, which requires most citizens to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine. Three education unions in the Haut-Loire region of south-central France highlighted “the return of the ‘Filthy Beast’’ [of antisemitism] at weekly demonstrations against the pass in the center of Le-Puy-en-Velay, the regional capital.
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.
