Anti-Defamation
Alarmed by a rise in online anti-Semitism during the pandemic, coupled with studies indicating younger generations lack even basic knowledge of the Nazi genocide, Holocaust survivors are taking to social media to share their experiences of how hate speech paved the way for mass murder.
With short video messages recounting their stories, participants in the #ItStartedWithWords campaign hope to educate people about how the Nazis embarked on an insidious campaign to dehumanize and marginalize Jews — years before death camps were established to carry out murder on an industrial scale.
Six individual videos and a compilation were being released Thursday over Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, followed by one video per week. The posts include a link to a webpage with more testimonies and teaching materials.
“There aren’t too many of us going out and speaking anymore, we’re few in numbers but our voices are heard,” Sidney Zoltak, an 89-year-old survivor from Poland, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Montreal.
“We are not there to tell them stories that we read or that we heard — we are telling facts, we are telling what happened to us and to our neighbors and to our communities. And I think that this is the strongest possible way.”
Once the Nazi party came to power in Germany in 1933, its leaders immediately set about making good on their pledges to “Aryanize” the country, segregating and marginalizing the Jewish population.
The Nazi government encouraged the boycott of Jewish businesses, which were daubed with the Star of David or the word “Jude” — Jew. Propaganda posters and films suggested Jews were “vermin,” comparing them to rats and insects, while new laws were passed to restrict all aspects of Jews’ lives.
Read the complete article at: WKRN
Also Read: British court sentences Holocaust denier to prison time for ‘baiting Jews’
Pembroke Hill School officials are investigating to find out who wrote “KKK” on the side of a student desk — a couple of months after a swastika was found in a classroom on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Officials “will take swift and appropriate action when/if we identify who is responsible for this reprehensible act,” Brad Shelley, the head of school, said in a letter to parents on Monday.
“Words cannot convey how disheartened and deeply troubled we are by this, especially in light of all our efforts by many in our community in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion. These actions of hate within our school community must stop.”
The “KKK” written on the desk was discovered Friday and is the latest in a string of incidents that have angered and frustrated several parents, including many who are Jewish. Parents previously told The Star they have witnessed a pattern of anti-Semitic behavior at Pembroke in recent years, including swastikas drawn on a Jewish student’s locker and a bathroom wall.
On Jan. 27, the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, officials at the high school discovered a swastika drawn on a desk, as well an offensive reference toward members of the school’s LGBTQ community. Officials said at the time that they were investigating the incident and would punish whoever was responsible.
On Tuesday, spokeswoman Beth Bryant said, “No, we have not identified who was responsible for the swastika, and it is an ongoing investigation.”
And last summer, a Pembroke teacher posted on Facebook a photo of train tracks leading to Auschwitz with the words: “The horrific truth is … if people were told to get into boxcars to be taken to ‘virus protection camps’ many of them would rush to get in line.”
Read more at: Kansas City
Also Read: Teenager arrested over anti-Semitic graffiti
As the national trend shows anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise, James Pasch, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League Cleveland, told the Cleveland Jewish News April 5 the same can be said for local incident numbers.
According to the Anti-Defamation League’s “2021 Survey on Jewish Americans’ Experience with Anti-Semitism,” conducted by YouGov, a public opinion and data analytics firm, the United States saw its highest number of reported anti-Semitic events in 2019 since the ADL started tracking in 1979. Pasch said he believes the number will be higher for 2020, which is also mirrored in local events.
Those numbers include some anti-Semitic incidents in Northeast Ohio alone, ranging from hateful language and imagery in virtual spaces, to public vandalism. A complete list of events in Ohio can be found on the ADL’s H.E.A.T. map, which details hate, extremist and anti-Semitic incidents by state and nationwide. While the H.E.A.T. map lists 36 anti-Semitic incidents in Ohio in 2020, the official number of events will be finalized in the coming weeks.
Pasch, whose office serves Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania, said many reasons exist as to why there is an increase of hate both locally and nationally, “which is why we need to reinforce the need for a whole-of-society approach to anti-Semitism, and that there isn’t one reason for its cause and there is not going to be one solution as its cure. And we need to make it clear, whether it appears on social media or at a synagogue, that anti-Semitism has no place in any of our communities. We need corporate and government leaders to step up and ensure that it does not gain a foothold in society.”
In terms of how this tracks nationally in relation to Ohio’s experiences with anti-Semitism, Pasch said the sentiments go hand-in-hand – as anti-Semitic language and incidents rise nationwide, Ohio Jewish communities also feel those effects.
Read the complete article at: Cleveland Jewish News
Also Read: Teenager arrested over anti-Semitic graffiti
acts increase acts increase
A woman in Britain said to be a virulent anti-Semite has been found guilty of spreading offensive messages and material over the Internet and was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison by a magistrate court there.
Reports say that Alison Chabloz, 57, who is known for promoting Holocaust denial, is expected to serve nine weeks in prison for violating the country’s communications act after she promoted anti-Semitic rhetoric and ideas on the GAB social-media service in two interviews she did with far-right online sites.
GAB has been under fire for being utilized by far-right extremists.
“Today’s verdict and sentence finally give the Jewish community justice and protection from someone who has made a vocation out of denying the Holocaust and baiting Jews. It also sends a clear message to those who might be tempted to go down the same path,” said Stephen Silverman, director of investigations and enforcement at Campaign Against Antisemitism, in a statement. “This is not the end. Ms. Chabloz now faces even more serious charges on other matters that we have brought to the attention of the police. We will not rest until all anti-Semites like Alison Chabloz are behind bars, where they belong.”
In 2018, Chabloz received a suspended sentence for singing songs that claimed the Holocaust was a “bunch of lies.”
According to the Daily Mail, in issuing his ruling, District Judge Michael Snow told Chabloz: “I’m not sentencing you on the basis that you are anti-Semitic, I’m not sentencing you on the basis that you are a Holocaust denier. I’m sentencing you on the basis that on two separate occasions whilst subject to a suspended sentence, you participated in a radio program where you made grossly offensive comments.
“The grossly offensive contributions by the defendant to both programs are insulting to members of a vulnerable community,” continued Snow. “The need to protect that community from such gross offense is a pressing social need.”
Source: Cleveland Jewish News
Also Read: Teenager arrested over anti-Semitic graffiti
Holocaust denier
At a time of growing concern about right-wing extremism in the United States, a new survey paints a troubling portrait of Jewish Americans’ experiences with anti-Semitism.
The survey, released Wednesday by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a prominent Jewish civil rights group based in the U.S., said 63% of American Jews had experienced or witnessed anti-Semitism over the past five years — a marked increase from the 53% of respondents who expressed the same view in last year’s ADL survey.
At the same time, 59% of the respondents in this year’s survey said they felt Jews were less safe in the U.S. today than they were a decade ago, while 49% expressed fear of a violent attack at a synagogue.
Impact clearly felt
“What this [report] does is it gives a very broad photograph of what the American Jewish experience is like today. And it is clearly one that is affected pretty profoundly by various forms of anti-Semitism or the expressions of anti-Semitism,” said Jessica Reaves, editorial director at ADL’s Center on Extremism.
The survey was conducted January 7-15 and collected responses from 503 Jewish Americans 18 years and older. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4%.
About 4.2 million American adults identify as Jewish “by religion,” representing 1.8% of the U.S. adult population, according to a 2013 Pew Research estimate. A more inclusive estimate by the American Jewish Year Book 2019 put the number at 6.9 million. Most live in major metropolitan areas that account for the bulk of anti-Jewish hate crimes.
Cities report declines
The new findings came as major U.S. cities reported sharp declines in the number of anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2020 after experiencing historically high levels in 2019, when Jews were the No. 1 target of hate crimes in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Last year’s decline in anti-Jewish hate crimes came as social distancing restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic reduced opportunities for in-person encounters, according to experts.
Read the complete article at: VOA News
Also Read: Teenager arrested over anti-Semitic graffiti
State Park Police have charged a 17-year-old in connection with what authorities characterized as “anti-Semitic, Nazi graffiti” that was discovered earlier this month along the Genesee Valley Greenway in the village of Mount Morris.
State parks staff discovered the graffiti March 23. Members of the State Park Police, State Police and Mount Morris Police Department investigated the incident.
The teenager, who authorities did not name due to age, was arrested March 28 on charges of fourth-degree criminal mischief, making graffiti — both misdemeanors — and injury to property, a violation.
The Park Police Detective Bureau is continuing to investigate the incident with members of the State Police and Livingston County District Attorney’s Office.
The graffiti has since been removed.
The Genesee Valley Greenway runs from Monroe County south through Livingston County and a portion of Wyoming County, before continuing south through Allegany County.
Source: The Daily News Online
Also Read: SLOPD investigating hate crime, anti-Semitic graffiti found outside Cal Poly Jewish fraternity house
State Park Police have charged a 17-year-old in connection with what authorities characterized as “anti-Semitic, Nazi graffiti” that was discovered earlier this month along the Genesee Valley Greenway in the village of Mount Morris. State parks staff discovered the graffiti March 23. Members of the State Park Police, State Police and Mount Morris Police Department investigated the incident. The teenager, who authorities did not name due to age, was arrested March 28 on charges of fourth-degree criminal mischief, making graffiti — both misdemeanors — and injury to property, a violation. The Park Police Detective Bureau is continuing to investigate the incident with members of the State Police and Livingston County District Attorney’s Office. The graffiti has since been removed. The Genesee Valley Greenway runs from Monroe County south through Livingston County and a portion of Wyoming County, before continuing south through Allegany County. The Genesee Valley Greenway runs from Monroe County south through Livingston County and a portion of Wyoming County, before continuing south through Allegany County.
A schoolboy who created his own online neo-Nazi group has been sentenced after admitting terrorism offences.
The 16-year-old, from Newcastle, called himself Hitler and set up accounts on multiple social media platforms which glorified extreme right-wing violence.
He had pleaded guilty to four counts of inviting support for National Action, a banned neo-Nazi organisation.
At North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, sitting as a youth court, he was given a 12-month intensive referral order.
The youth had also admitted three counts of encouraging terrorism and four of stirring up racial and religious hatred.
He was further made the subject of terrorism notification requirements for 10 years, meaning he will have to keep the authorities informed of his whereabouts and certain activities.
After first being arrested in October 2019 he continued to post racist material.
The boy committed his first terrorism offence aged 15, making him the third youngest person in the UK to commit a terror offence.
Read the complete article at: BBC
A schoolboy who created his own online neo-Nazi group has been sentenced after admitting terrorism offences. The 16-year-old, from Newcastle, called himself Hitler and set up accounts on multiple social media platforms which glorified extreme right-wing violence. He had pleaded guilty to four counts of inviting support for National Action, a banned neo-Nazi organisation. At North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, sitting as a youth court, he was given a 12-month intensive referral order. The youth had also admitted three counts of encouraging terrorism and four of stirring up racial and religious hatred. He was further made the subject of terrorism notification requirements for 10 years, meaning he will have to keep the authorities informed of his whereabouts and certain activities. After first being arrested in October 2019 he continued to post racist material. The boy committed his first terrorism offence aged 15, making him the third youngest person in the UK to commit a terror offence. terror offences terror offences
The Passion of Jesus poses a perennial liturgical dilemma, one rooted in the biblical narrative’s centuries of prominence in Holy Week services. Episcopalians, consciously or not, confront it each year in their lectionary readings, particularly on Good Friday. The Episcopal Church cited its “problematic” references to “the Jews” when it offered sermon guidance eight years ago for Episcopal clergy struggling to provide the proper context.
How to solve this problem of the Gospel of John? The trouble lies in the history of anti-Judaism associated with this foundational Christian text.
In January, the Diocese of Washington’s convention approved a resolution that calls on The Episcopal Church to renew its study of the Holy Week lectionary: “to remedy passages that use language that has been interpreted as anti-Semitic while maintaining the meaning and intent of the original Greek texts.” The resolution will be sent to the 80th General Convention for consideration when it meets next year.
Read the complete article at: Episcopal Neews Service
The Passion of Jesus poses a perennial liturgical dilemma, one rooted in the biblical narrative’s centuries of prominence in Holy Week services. Episcopalians, consciously or not, confront it each year in their lectionary readings, particularly on Good Friday. The Episcopal Church cited its “problematic” references to “the Jews” when it offered sermon guidance eight years ago for Episcopal clergy struggling to provide the proper context. How to solve this problem of the Gospel of John? The trouble lies in the history of anti-Judaism associated with this foundational Christian text. In January, the Diocese of Washington’s convention approved a resolution that calls on The Episcopal Church to renew its study of the Holy Week lectionary: “to remedy passages that use language that has been interpreted as anti-Semitic while maintaining the meaning and intent of the original Greek texts.” The resolution will be sent to the 80th General Convention for consideration when it meets next year.
A Massachusetts high school fired its successful football coach and hired an outside consultant Wednesday to assist an investigation into reports that the team used anti-Semitic language, including a mention of Auschwitz, in its on-field playcalling during a recent game.
“The outrage is real, warranted, and we hear it,” Duxbury High School’s administration said in an emailed statement. “The fact that members of our school community used such offensive language, including anti-Semitic language, is horrifying and disappointing.”
In response, the school has “severed ties” with head coach Dave Maimaron and canceled this Friday’s game against Hingham, said the statement, signed by four members of the administration, including district Superintendent John Antonucci.
Read the complete article at: ESPN
A Massachusetts high school fired its successful football coach and hired an outside consultant Wednesday to assist an investigation into reports that the team used anti-Semitic language, including a mention of Auschwitz, in its on-field playcalling during a recent game. “The outrage is real, warranted, and we hear it,” Duxbury High School’s administration said in an emailed statement. “The fact that members of our school community used such offensive language, including anti-Semitic language, is horrifying and disappointing.” In response, the school has “severed ties” with head coach Dave Maimaron and canceled this Friday’s game against Hingham, said the statement, signed by four members of the administration, including district Superintendent John Antonucci. “The outrage is real, warranted, and we hear it,” Duxbury High School’s administration said in an emailed statement. “The fact that members of our school community used such offensive language, including anti-Semitic language, is horrifying and disappointing.” In response, the school has “severed ties” with head coach Dave Maimaron and canceled this Friday’s game against Hingham, said the statement, signed by four members of the administration, including district Superintendent John Antonucci. Massachusetts
After years of contention and revisions, California’s State Board of Education approved a curriculum meant to guide the state’s schools in teaching ethnic studies, an effort that sparked waves of criticism from Jewish groups.
The Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum aims to teach students about the histories, experiences, contributions and struggles of minority groups in the state. Jewish activists had vehemently criticized the first draft of the curriculum, which schools are not required to use, for both excluding and discriminating against Jews.
On Thursday, those activists had mostly positive reactions to the final draft, which includes sections about the American Jewish experience.
“The model curriculum approved today by the State Board of Education is a vast improvement over prior drafts and a win for everyone who fought to remove bigoted and discriminatory content about Jews and Israel,” said California State Assembly member Jesse Gabriel, who chairs the California Legislative Jewish Caucus.
Read the complete article at: Jewish Telegraphic Agency
