Jewish communities around the world remain vigilant and concerned amid unrelenting proliferations of xenophobia and antisemitism, alongside a steady rise in anti-Jewish expressions and incidents across the globe.
The World Jewish Congress has compiled a brief review of some of the concerning trends and incidents witnessed and recorded over the course of November 2020. Among these incidents were the defacing of a memorial honoring a former chief rabbi of France, German protestors comparing the government’s COVID-19 restrictions to Nazi Germany, and the issuing of an FBI report finding that hate crimes and antisemitism are surging.
We will continue to monitor developments as they arise and remain committed to working together with our communities to ensure a safer and more tolerant world for all.
Australia
ECAJ issues annual antisemitism report
When: Report covering 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2020
Where: Australia
What: According to the report, there were 331 antisemitic incidents, including 188 attacks and 143 threats, over the course of a year. While the number of overall antisemitic incidents declined10% from the previous year, the total number of recorded incidents was substantially higher than the average recorded incidents since 2013.
“The decrease in the overall number of incidents should not disguise the marked increase in the number of the most serious categories of incidents,” said Julie Nathan, the ECAJ’s Research Director on Antisemitism, who authored the report. “There was a doubling in the number of reported incidents of physical assault; a 12% increase in direct verbal abuse, harassment and intimidation; a 229% increase in the number of reported direct threats by postal mail; and slight increases in the number of threats via telephone and posters and stickers.” Click here to read more.
Parents of kids bullied for being Jewish were disappointed with the results of an investigation commissioned by the department in the state of Victoria, which concluded that the Brighton Secondary College leadership was not responsible for the antisemitic bullying. Included in the report were 18 recommendations for the school to address antisemitism, all of which were adopted by the school.
Austria
New report finds concerning level of antisemitism in Austria
When: November
Where: Austria
What: According to the study released by the Jewish Community of Vienna, there were an average of 43 antisemitic incidents per a month during the first half of 2020 in Austria. Over the course of the six months, there were 131 episodes of verbal abuse or harassment, 26 instances of destruction of property, and three physical assaults reported to authorities. Click here to read more.
In a recent incident this past month, a woman shouted antisemitic slogans at a rabbi and threatened him with a knife. President of the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien (IKG) Oskar Deutsch, described the incident as “disturbing” and called for the Jewish community not to be intimidated by the incident.
Separately, forty suspected neo-Nazis were arrested by Austrian police for illegal activity online. All of the suspects are accused of spreading Nazi ideology, while seven are also accused of inciting hatred.
Bulgaria
Controversy erupts over guest lecturer's antisemitic comments
When: November
Where: Sofia, Bulgaria
What: Recently discovered lectures by visiting Professor Mihail Marcher of Sofia University found that he had made several antisemitic, racist and xenophobic comments. Among his inflammatory comments, Professor Marcher claimed that refugees from Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Africa as “deeply uneducated,” and described Bulgaria’s ethnic Turkish minority as having a “warlike mentality.” He also questioned aloud whether it could be possible for Bulgaria to become a “Jewish state”, surmising that it could: “If they, less than one percent, own the state and the capital, the media and the arts”.
In a statement, the WJC-affiliated Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom,” said it was unacceptable for Sofia University to be used as a platform for hate speech, and called on the university “to take immediate and concrete measures to solve the problem.” Click here to read more.
Canada
Toronto officials to charge local business for discrimination against Jews
When: November
Where: Toronto, Canada
What: The city of Toronto filed charges against the food store and catering company Foodbenders for discriminating against the city’s Jewish residents.
In addition, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) filed complaints with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, which oversees cases involving discrimination. “Foodbenders’ social media activity, including a statement that ‘Zionists not welcome,’ are textbook examples of modern-day antisemitism thinly-veiled as political expression,” said Richard Marceau, Vice President of External Affairs and General Counsel for CIJA. Click here to read more.
France
Memorial honoring former chief rabbi defaced
Where: Mulhouse, France
When: November
What: A memorial honoring former Chief Rabbi Jacob Kaplan was targeted multiple times in November with antisemitic slogans. The vandalisms are being investigated by the public prosecutor’s office. Click here to read more.
Antisemitic graffiti, including a Star of David with a ‘J’ for Jews was smeared in several places in Angoulême. The incident was condemned by Prefect of the Charente region Magali Debatte and Mayor Xavier Bonnefont.
Germany
German protestors compare COVID-19 restriction to Nazi Germany
When: November
Where: Germany
What: During an anti-coronavirus restriction demonstration, a protestor compared herself to Sophie Scholl because she had been protesting and distributing fliers against the government restrictions. Scholl was a German student executed by the Nazis in 1943 for her role in resisting the Nazis.
Reacting to the series of incidents, Central Council of Jews in Germany President Dr. Josef Schuster said, “Just as the demonstrators show complete disregard for the health of others so, too, they show no respect for the victims of National Socialism. This is a disgusting spectacle.” Click here to read more.
There were also several incidents of antisemitic graffiti recorded in November. The outer wall of a Jewish cemetery in Halle was smeared with graffiti. A swastika was carved into several headstones in a cemetery. On the anniversary of the Kristallnacht, unknown vandals destroyed life-sized Plexiglas figures in Bochum that depicted famous German-Jewish athletes.
An unknown suspect shattered a synagogue’s window with a large concrete block. The synagogue's rabbi, Rabbi Shumel Aaronhov, said that, "of course, the members of this usually quiet community are all shocked at this antisemitic incident... We expect the authorities to investigate and find those responsible for this and restore peace and order to the community."
A German appeals court upheld a lower court’s decision to expel a police academy cadet for using Nazi-related terminology during a class exercise. Among several incidents, the cadet intentionally misspelled the last name Jung as “Jude,” according to court records. The incident occurred as Germany continues to investigate a series of far-right antisemitic incidents from federal security agency employees.
Greece
Greek newspaper compares Pfizer’s Jewish CEO with the Nazi doctor Josef Mengele
When: 10 November
Where: Greece
What: The Greek newspaper placed a picture of Nazi war criminal Dr. Josef Mengele alongside Pfizer’s Jewish CEO Albert Bourla. The newspaper warned that Bourla would “stick the needle” into them, while calling the pharmaceutical company’s prospective COVID-19 vaccine “poison.”
The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece urged authorities to “intervene,” and said that the article “perpetuates hatred and bigotry against the Jews.” The Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs also condemned the paper calling it the “most vile antisemitism reminiscent of the Middle Ages.” Click here to read more.
Earlier in the month, a Greek court convicted the same newspaper publisher of defamation and hate speech for the publication of an op-ed calling a Jewish leader a thief.
Hungary
Hungarian official compares George Soros to Hitler
When: 28 November
Where: Hungary
What: In an op-ed, Ministerial Commissioner and Head of the Petofi Literary Museum in Budapest Szilard Demeter wrote “Europe is George Soros’ gas chamber,” and “Poison gas flows from the capsule of a multicultural open society, which is deadly to the European way of life.”
The WJC-affiliated Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary (MAZSIHISZ) called the article “tasteless” and “unforgivable.”
“[It’s] a textbook case of the relativization of the Holocaust and is therefore incompatible with the government’s claim of zero tolerance for antisemitism,” the group said. Click here to read more.
Iran
Iranian media outlet accuses Jews of perpetrating Holocaust
When: November
Where: Iran
What: Iran’s Fars News Agency published an article claiming Jews were responsible for the “original” Holocaust against Christians. The article also claimed that the Holocaust never happened.
The article’s publication comes after the Art Bureau of Iran’s Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization (IIDO) announced plans to launch a Holocaust denial cartoon exhibition. Click here to read more.
Netherlands
Posters expressing mutual respect dubbed with swastikas
When: November
Where: Netherlands
What: Several advertising posters of the 'Met ELkaar' campaign were daubed with swastikas, according to the regional Dutch newspaper BN DeStem. The campaign was created by three friends to reinforce the mutual respect for all of the Netherlands citizens. Twan Robbeson, one of the initiators of 'Met ELkaar', said that the daubed posters will be replaced by new ones. Click here to read more.
Thierry Baudet, the leader of the Dutch right-wing Forum for Democracy party resigned following reports that members of its youth movement engaged in antisemitic behavior. Among several reported antisemitic incidents, was the praising of the 1942 Nazi propaganda book “Der Untermensch,” (Subhuman), as a “masterpiece.”
South Africa
Minister breaks away from Methodist Church over its support for BDS
When: November
Where: South Africa
What: Explaining his decision to leave the church, Reverend Rowan Rennie said he would rather “sleep on the street” than “stand against the people of G-d...[The pro-BDS resolution is] tantamount to hate speech and racism.” Click here to read more.
Ukraine
Headstones smashed in Jewish cemetery
When: November
Where: Malyn, Ukraine
What: Damage at a graveyard about 60 miles from Kyiv was discovered by Evgeny Gorodetsky, who is raising funds for renovating the cemetery. Police currently have no leads of the perpetrators of the incident. Click here to read more.
United Kingdom
Labour reinstates Jeremy Corbyn three weeks after suspension
When: November
Where: United Kingdom
What: Board of Deputies of British Jews President Marie van der Zyl, Jewish Leadership Chair Jonathan Goldstein, and Community Security Trust Chief Executive Mark Gardner reacted to Corbyn’s reinstatement, saying: “For Jeremy Corbyn’s allies on the NEC to expedite his case whilst hundreds of other cases languished under his tenure, and his confected non-apology earlier today adds insult to injury.” Click here to read more.
There were several incidents of antisemitic graffiti and vandalization recorded over the last month, including the spray painting of a swastika on a playground in England. The slogan, “Jewish lies matter” was smeared on a building’s wall in Brighton. A spokeswoman for Sussex Jewish Representative Council said: “It is very concerning to see this highly political, antisemitic graffiti on a wall in Brighton only minutes away from three synagogues. Many community members have seen it and it has caused great distress.” Antisemitic and homophobic graffiti was smeared on a wall in Bishopbriggs, Scotland.
A 20-year-old student was jailed for five years after pointing a gun at an Orthodox Jewish man in Stamford Hill because he thought Haredi Jews wore “funny hats and a funny hairstyle.” In a similar incident, a 17-year-old boy was sentenced to five-and-a-half years detention for preparing acts of neo-Nazi terrorism.
United States
Hate crimes, antisemitism surge in the US
When: Report published 16 November
Where: United States
What: According to a recently published FBI report, hate crimes against Jews in 2019 comprised 62% of all hate crimes based on religion, an increase from 58% in the previous two years. Hate crimes based on religion made up approximately 20% of the total number hate crimes. Click here to read more.
There were several incidents with antisemitic graffiti and vandalization recorded in November. At least four areas inside a Cleveland cemetery were vandalized with antisemitic symbols, including swastikas.An unknown vandal spelled the word “Jew”, along with a swastika with white chalk on a street in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. Unknown vandals defaced assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright’s campaign posters with antisemitic and misogynistic slurs.
Jewish students in the Tamalpais Union High School District in San Francisco, California, were targeted by Instagram and TikTok accounts that posted offensive messages, including posts that denied the Holocaust and targeted the LGBTQ+ community.
A sign was placed on a Northern Virginia JCC’s property stating “the Democrat platform is socialist.” The sign uses SS bolts, a Nazi symbol, instead of the letter “s,” and the letter swastika replacing the letter ‘I.” In a statement the JCC said: “Although this incident reminds us there is a small group of people who are invigorated by today’s political climate, overwhelmingly, the shared support of the J’s mission to build community and enrich lives is shared by our neighbors and throughout the broader community.”
