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 September 2023 are as follows:
1. University of Pennsylvania Hosts Palestinian Literature Festival Featuring Antisemitic Speakers
The “Palestine Writes” literature festival took place on Sept. 22-24 at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, with the lineup of speakers including several figures known for antisemitic rhetoric, including ex-Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters and CUNY Professor Marc Lamont Hill.
The upcoming event, occurring during the Jewish High Holiday season and concluding on Yom Kippur eve, was widely denounced by Jewish communal organizations and leaders.
Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa stated, “At a time of rising antisemitism both in the United States and across the globe, it’s unfortunate that the University of Pennsylvania is providing a venue for purveyors of the world’s oldest hatred to peddle their vile wares. Antisemitism is not just another ‘controversial’ view to be tolerated in academic or social discourse, it endangers Jewish students and faculty and and must never be permitted, in any context.”
Hey @Penn, if you’re going to host an antisemitic event on campus, let’s just call it what it is. No one is fooled. pic.twitter.com/fBz20xiRn5
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) September 14, 2023
2. Neo-Nazi Groups Spew Hate Outside Disney World And Near Orlando, Officials Say
Groups of neo-Nazis and white supremacists spread antisemitic, white supremacist and anti-LGBTQ messages outside Disney World and in the nearby Orlando, Florida, area on Sept. 2 in the latest examples of rising antisemitism in the U.S., officials said.
About 15 people wearing clothing and bearing flags emblazoned with Nazi insignia demonstrated outside the entrance to the Disney Springs shopping center, said the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
3. Antisemitic Content Proliferates on Social Media on Week of 9/11 Attacks Anniversary
Antisemitic content continues to proliferate on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing no signs of decline, with the social media platform taking only minimal action to stop the flow of vitriolic hatred targeting Jews.
As part of its mission of tracking contemporary manifestations of Jew-hatred worldwide, the CAM Antisemitism Research Center compiled a collection of antisemitic posts published on X on the week during which the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks was commemorated.
In just a couple of minutes of browsing through @X‘s posts using the term “Jew,” it’s disheartening to witness so much antisemitic content. Totally insane to see how X stopped moderating content.
Considering the disproportionate number of hate crimes targeting Jews around the… pic.twitter.com/zEbKnQZhis
— Sacha Roytman (@SachaRoytman) September 9, 2023
4. French Assembly President Files Complaint Over Antisemitic Letter
Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of France’s National Assembly, filed a complaint after an antisemitic letter with a yellow Star of David was sent to her office in the Paris suburb of Vésinet.
This wasn’t Braun-Pivet’s first encounter with such hatred — the lawmaker had sounded the alarm over similar incidents to the French courts this past March.
Les corbeaux aussi font leur rentrée…
Alerter, toujours.
Porter plainte, systématiquement.
Pour #NeRienLaisserPasser, jamais ! #antisémitisme pic.twitter.com/T1L1ppHTo1— Yaël Braun-Pivet (@YaelBRAUNPIVET) September 11, 2023
5. At Least 49 US Synagogues Have Been Evacuated Due to Bomb Threats in Last Two Months
Just before the High Holiday season got underway, Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, California, in the Bay Area, and Congregation B’nai Israel in St. Petersburg, Florida, received bomb threats by telephone, the latest in a series of such calls nationwide in recent months.
On Friday, Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos, CA was forced to evacuate after a bomb threat was reported to local law enforcement.
We commend the swift response of the police officers, and express our solidarity with the Los Altos Jewish community.https://t.co/dU6XfYgBGM
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) September 11, 2023
6. Israeli Tourists Fall Victim to Violent Scam and Antisemitic Abuse in Budapest
Tamar Hayardeni, a 48-year-old tour guide from Jerusalem, and her 65-year-old mother were allegedly assaulted in Budapest by individuals posing as subway conductors. Hayardeni stated that during the attack, one of the assailants made antisemitic gestures, mimicking a long nose and telling them to “Go to Israel.”
7. More Than 40 Jewish Graves Desecrated in Germany
More than 40 graves at a Jewish cemetery were vandalized in Germany, officials said on Sept. 20. The crime occurred sometime between Sept. 15 and 19, according to a joint statement by police and prosecutors in the town of Dessau-Rosslau, located in eastern Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt state.
As CAM’s recent report highlighted an uptick in antisemitic incidents across Germany, 40 Jewish graves were desecrated in the country.
We condemn this vile act of antisemitism and encourage local authorities to thoroughly investigate.https://t.co/gDBepXoKrE
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) September 21, 2023
8. Tunisia Hints Israel Behind Devastating Storm Daniel Due To ‘Zionist Name’
The massive storm that devastated Libya’s Derna is somehow linked to Zionism because it was named “Daniel,” according to Tunisian President Kais Saied.
Storms are often named randomly in line with various methods of naming storms after women and men and using sequential letters of the alphabet. Nevertheless, Saied said the name “Daniel” was evidence of “Zionism’s growing influence.”
Before the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, there were over 100,000 Jews living in Tunisia. Today, there are less than 1500. The hatred and violence that pushed tens of thousands of Jews out of the country is rooted in this type of rhetoric.https://t.co/KBkMBoBMK6
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) September 19, 2023
9. Palestinian Authority Officials Defend President Mahmoud Abbas’ Remarks on Holocaust and Jews
Many Palestinian Authority (PA) officials have rushed to defend PA President Mahmoud Abbas and justify his recent antisemitic statements, including his claim that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler targeted the Jewish people for extermination because of “their social role, and not their religion.” They insisted that Abbas’ assertions were “historical facts” documented in books by Jewish, Israeli, and American writers and researchers. At the same time, they also asserted that his comments had been deliberately taken out of context or distorted to undermine his efforts to promote the Palestinian cause.
#Palestinian Officials Defend PA President Mahmoud #Abbas‘ Remarks On #Holocaust And #Jews: These Are Documented Historical Facts; The West’s Condemnations Just Prove Its ‘Hypocrisy’ And ‘Allegiance To World Jewry’ – Audio of report here https://t.co/i3cpCfS9LH #MEMRI pic.twitter.com/vVYcklOqKw
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) September 21, 2023
A property manager from Illinois filed a police report after receiving a vitriolic antisemitic message from a former tenant.
“We evicted this woman a year and a half ago, and for some reason she chose to send me this email now,” Linda Kogen — who works at Parkside Estates and Shorewood Towers in the suburban community of Glendale Heights, 25 miles west of Chicago — told CAM.
The text of the email read: “Thanks for not writing the referral letter. I didnt expect it. You’re satisfied with your choices though. You’re an evil person & what you intend serves your.purpose. How do you stand yourself? Rosh hashana Jewbitch.”
Linda Kogen, a property manager from Illinois filed a police report this week after received a vitriolic antisemitic message from a former tenant.
“To me, this was an antisemitic rant, and it shows that I’m a Jew and I’m hated for it,” she said.https://t.co/SAsuSy5dww
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) September 21, 2023
For more information on CAM’s antisemitism incidents data, please visit: combatantisemitism.org/research
