The CAM Antisemitism Research Center collects comprehensive antisemitism data from around the world on a constant basis, and publishes a regular feature on the top ten antisemitic incidents that shook Jewish communities globally during the preceding month.
The ten most shocking antisemitic incidents of June 2023 are as follows:
1. Neo-Nazi Group Targets Georgia Synagogues With Hate Demonstrations, Including Swastika Displays
Two neo-Nazi demonstrations in Georgia sparked shock and outrage among local residents and drew widespread condemnation from state political leaders and Jewish organizations.
The incidents occurred in front of synagogues in the central Georgia city of Macon, as well as East Cobb, a suburban community north of Atlanta. Antisemitic flyers were also found in the city of Warner Robins, south of Macon.
The demonstrators, who chanted antisemitic slogans and displayed Nazi swastika flags, were affiliated with the neo-Nazi and white supremacist Goyim Defense League (GDL).
2. Michigan Man Charged With Threatening Synagogue Massacre
A 19-year-old Michigan man has been charged with threatening a mass killing at a synagogue on the fifth anniversary of the massacre at two New Zealand mosques by a white supremacist gunman, federal officials said.
Seann Patrick Pietila of Pickford, a township in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, was arrested on June 16 and charged with transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure another, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. According to prosecutors, Pietila planned to target the Shaarey Zedek congregation in East Lansing.
3. Roger Waters Resumes Nazi Act in London That He’d Dropped Following Germany Uproar
Roger Waters resumed his fascist dictator act during concerts on June 6-7 in London, after briefly dropping the stunt over allegations it was connected to his record of making statements and gestures deemed antisemitic.
Waters wore the leather outfit and red armband, which is meant to resemble a Nazi or Waffen-SS uniform, at concerts at the O2 Arena in the British capital.
4. New UN ‘Commission of Inquiry’ Report Slammed for ‘Slander’ and ‘Lies’ Against Israel
Israel rejected a new report published by the UN Human Rights Council’s “Commission of Inquiry” that accused the Jewish state of pursuing an “intentional strategy” of “delegitimizing and silencing” Palestinian “civil society” groups.
The Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN and International Organizations in Geneva firmly denounced the report, stating, “The Commission of Inquiry against Israel has no legitimacy. It never had.”
The Commission of Inquiry against Israel has no legitimacy. It never had.
A year after its first report, Israel’s warnings about this Commission of Inquiry have been realized. In just a year, this Commission and its three Commissioners have used antisemitic tropes, they have… pic.twitter.com/np5k9kRodi
— Israel in UN/Geneva🇮🇱🇺🇳 | #Israel75 (@IsraelinGeneva) June 8, 2023
5. Four Israelis Murdered in Palestinian Shooting Attack North of Jerusalem
On June 20, two Hamas terrorists opened fire at a gas station in the community of Eli, north of Jerusalem, killing four Israeli civilians and wounding four others.
The assailants were shot dead, one at the scene and the second after a short pursuit by the IDF.
The victims were identified as Nahman Shmuel, 17, Elisha Entman, 18, Harel Masoud, 21. and Ofer Feirman, 63.
BREAKING: Four Israelis were killed and another four wounded in shooting attack near the community of Eli, north of Jerusalem. May the memories of the victims forever be a blessing.https://t.co/I5u1ZcrkdO pic.twitter.com/WpWN7isdRk
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) June 20, 2023
A Durham University student who called Jews “apex predators in capitalism” in far-right group chats was allowed back to study for a PhD, prompting calls for a formal probe.
Messages shared by former Durham undergraduate Hugo Lunn included one post which said, “Hitler would be more efficient if he privatised his death factories” and another that referred to “the Jewishtocracy.”
7. Neo-Nazis Wave Swastika Flags Outside Disney World In Orlando, Florida
A group of neo-Nazi demonstrators waved swastika flags outside the entrance to the Walt Disney World Resort, in Orlando, Florida, on June 10.
A similar occurrence took place at the same location last May. In response to that incident, the Florida Holocaust Museum issued a statement, saying, “It’s a sad day for humanity when even Disney World — the ‘happiest place on earth’ — is not immune to blatant antisemitism.”
On Saturday, a group of neo-Nazi demonstrators proudly displayed Nazi flags and antisemitic posters at the entrance to the Walt Disney World Resort, in Orlando, Florida.
Imagine taking your family on vacation and being confronted with this.https://t.co/QGzBcvdHUw pic.twitter.com/we34kZ4EGI
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) June 11, 2023
8. Wave of Harassment Towards London Orthodox Jews Continues
Orthodox Jews in the Stamford Hill section of London continue to face an onslaught of antisemitic harassment, according to a slew of reports by a neighborhood watch group.
Shomrim Stamford Hill reported that a “racist gang” of youths kicked open the door of a Jewish family’s home, the second time they had done so since April. Days earlier, a Black male riding public transport, seemingly of West Indian origin, verbally abused a Jewish passenger, calling Jews the “devil” and accusing them of being responsible for the transatlantic slave trade. The man, who alluded to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his tirade, welcomed being recorded by his victim, but he suddenly began striking his phone with a large pole and, demanding that it stop, reached for other objects that could be used as a weapon.
The same #Racist gang strikes again in Hillside Rd #N15. Home door kicked open on 26/05/23, believed to be a targeted #Jewish hate crime. Is it the same suspect?@MPSHaringey @MPSHackney #HateCrime officers, please investigate.
Crime Ref 4614130/23… pic.twitter.com/yY7Vg3ZN2I
— Shomrim (Stamford Hill) (@Shomrim) May 28, 2023
9. ‘Palestinians Have Been Here for 1.5m Years, Jews for 3,000,’ Claims Senior Palestinian Official
At an event in Algeria, Palestinian National Council President Rawhi Fattouh spoke of Jerusalem belonging “exclusively to the Palestinians, the Arabs and the Muslims.”
He said, “Palestine in its entirety belongs to us, and to no one else. We do not share it with anyone. Humans appeared in Palestine 1.5 million years ago. The first human civilization appeared in the ancient caves on Mount Carmel, in Palestine.”
Fattouh continued, “The first Kebaran civilization and the first Kebaran engineering civilization appeared in the Kebara Cave, 60,000 years ago. Our Jebusite forefathers built Palestine — and especially Jerusalem — in 5,000 BC. Yesterday, Netanyahu, the prime minister of the extreme right, fascist government of Israel held a meeting at the Al-Buraq (Western Wall) to say: ‘We have been here on this land for 3,000 years.’ This is what Netanyahu says. We say that we have been here for more than 1.5 million years.”
Palestinian National Council President Rawhi Fattouh: Netanyahu Said that the Jews Have Been in Jerusalem for 3,000 Years – We, On the Other Hand, Have Inhabited This Land for Over 1.5 Million Years #Palestinians pic.twitter.com/H398ArDE3h
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) June 5, 2023
10. ‘A Genuine Act of Hate’: Swastika Found in Montpelier High School Bathroom in Vermont
On June 2, a day before prom and two days into Pride month, someone painted a swastika with feces on the walls of Montpelier High School’s gender-neutral bathroom. The following Monday, those who hadn’t heard about it yet were informed, and the whole school spent the morning at an assembly, processing what to many felt like a hate crime.
A swastika painted with feces on the gender-neutral bathroom walls greeted students last Friday at the Montpelier High School. https://t.co/2Mz9Uw3Hnx#hatesymbol #nazipropaganda #antisemetism #antisemetic
— Montpelier Bridge (@montpbridge) June 6, 2023
For more information on CAM’s antisemitism incidents data, please visit: combatantisemitism.org/research
