Friday, January 17, 2025
Swastikas carved into wall at Whitby Library ‘direct attack’ on Jewish community: Mayor
An act of antisemitic vandalism at the Whitby Central Library last week, where several swastikas were carved into the wall of one of the washrooms, has Mayor Elizabeth Roy "deeply troubled" and vowing not to let the incident "divide our community."
"We are committed to ongoing dialogue and action to combat antisemitism and ensure that every resident feels safe and supported in Whitby," Roy said. "Acts of hate like this not only target specific individuals or groups but also seek to divide our community. We will not let that happen."
Staff at the library responded to the incident by immediately covering the graffiti and calling police, who responded to the scene.
"Such hateful symbols have no place in our community, especially not in a library, which should be a safe and welcoming space for all," says Rhonda Jessup, CEO and Chief Librarian.
This incident is all the more distressing, Roy said, following the "abhorrent act of hate" that happened last summer when a large swastika was burned into the grass at Prince of Wales Park.
"This incident is a direct attack on our Jewish community and the values of inclusion, respect, and safety that define our town."
https://www.insauga.com/swastikas-carved-into-wall-at-whitby-library-direct-attack-on-jewish-community-mayor/
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Thursday, January 16, 2025
'Jews are the evil of the world:' Slovenian synagogue vandalized
A medieval-era Slovenian synagogue was defaced with antisemitic graffiti on Sunday night, according to Maribor Synagogue director Boris Hajdinjak and German ambassador to Slovenia Sylvia Groneick.
"Jews are the evil of the world," graffiti spray-painted on the Jewish holy site read, according to photographs shared on Facebook by Hajdinjak. "Death to the Jews, Glory to Slovenia."
Other graffiti called on others to "read more of the Talmud," Jewish religious texts that often feature in claims made by antisemites and conspiracy theorists.
Hajdinjak said that law enforcement had been made aware of the vandalization of the national cultural site, which the synagogue claims on its Facebook page to be "the most important monument of Jewish cultural heritage on Slovenian soil."
"Jews have always been a small minority in Slovenian history. That is why it is exceptional that a medieval synagogue has been preserved in Maribor. Namely: there are not many European cities that have a preserved medieval synagogue," Hajdinjak said on Facebook Monday. "Truly strong countries are countries that include all their inhabitants, including the smallest minority. I believe that the majority of the inhabitants of the Republic of Slovenia agree with this opinion."
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-837876
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Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Man arrested after threatening to behead, kill Jews in Bellaire
A man from Spring, Texas, was arrested on Jan. 9 after making online threats to kill Jewish people in Bellaire.
Saif Tajiran, 33, has been charged with making a terroristic threat, enhanced to a hate crime.
Houston Jewish Funerals in Bellaire received a disturbing email with the subject line, "Beezlebub," on Oct. 29.
The email read: "I would like to help bury jews so speed the process to bury more jews. Could I get a job? If you hire me I can work fast and I will save you jews money. Think of how great this could be! I will save us more time to bury more [jews!] If you want I can behead more [jews] and we can become rich together. You know us [jews] have no morals, values and that we only care about ourselves! Yeshua Yahweh it will be perfect!"
Tajiran used his own email address, even including his own phone number.
A Bellaire police officer called the number, and when a man answered, the officer told him he was calling about an email he received. Police say the man began telling the officer the same statements that were in the email.
On Jan. 9, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Bellaire CID, traffic units and remote operations, Tajiran was located and arrested without incident. His bond was set at $50,000.
"This situation is a disturbing reminder that hate exists, even in a welcoming city like Houston," Houston Jewish Funerals owner Andrew Starr told the JHV.
"However, we must stay strong and resolute in our sacred mission to help Jewish families honor their loved ones who have passed in the traditions of our faith."
https://jhvonline.com/man-arrested-after-threatening-to-behead-kill-jews-in-bellaire-p34407-89.htm
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Tuesday, January 14, 2025
'I'm a soldier in the Jewish army:' Hasidic Rebbe's son shares excitement at joining IDF
Hasidic musician and singer Mendel Roth posted a video summarizing his first hours as a new IDF recruit in the new haredi "Hashmonaim" brigade.
"I am a Jewish soldier of the Jewish army in the Holy Land," Roth, the son of the Shmore Emunim Rebbe, said in the video he filmed with excitement from his room at the brigade's base in the Jordan Valley.
"I want to say that I am very excited," he added and shared about his roommates with whom he will spend the next eight months of basic training.
He was impressed by the army and said: "This is a serious business, from the few hours I have been here, it is a historic feeling, we are making history, doing something great, we are going to fight for the people of Israel, to unite the people of Israel."
In conclusion, he said, "There are sweet guys here, souls sweet as honey, with fear of God, pure souls, how wonderful it is that I took this step. "Am Yisrael Hai."
On Sunday, a day before his enlistment in the IDF, Roth published a new song with a message to his brothers from the haredi community, stating that it is important to join forces together, defend Israel and enlist in the IDF. About a month ago, he announced in a post that received thousands of likes and hundreds of comments that he was enlisting for combat service in the IDF.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/401997
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Monday, January 13, 2025
British authorities chastise a Jewish charity for fundraising for an Israeli soldier
British authorities told a London Chabad center to refrain from fundraising for the Israeli military because doing so is against the law, according to an official warning issued Wednesday.
The Chabad Lubavitch Centres North East London and Essex raised about $2,300 for a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces in late 2023. The group's modest fundraiser was one of countless such efforts organized by Jews around the world on behalf of Israeli soldiers fighting in Gaza.
But raising money for a soldier of a foreign military is illegal under U.K. law. Members of the public opposed to the fundraising effort filed 180 complaints against the organization, according to the Charity Commission, which began investigating in December 2023.
"It is not lawful, or acceptable, for a charity to raise funds to support a soldier of a foreign military," Helen Earner, director for regulatory services at the Charity Commission, which oversees charities in England and Wales, said in a statement.
She added, "Our official warning requires the charity to set things right and is a clear message to other charities to stay true to their established purposes."
The trustees of the Chabad center, which is affiliated with the worldwide Jewish outreach movement based in Brooklyn, called the commission's findings "regrettable" but did not dispute them.
"We acknowledge that in facilitating a campaign to provide warm clothing and the like, however briefly and however modest its results, the charity exceeded its purposes and we are grateful for the guidance provided by the Charity Commission to ensure that this won't happen again," the center told the Jewish Chronicle.
The case marks the first time that the Charity Commission has chastised an organization over its fundraising for the Israeli army, but it may not be the last. The commission has taken on 200 regulatory cases since the war between Hamas and Israel broke out and has made 40 referrals to law enforcement, it said in a press release, which also noted that those cases involve organizations with a variety of different viewpoints on the conflict.
Last July, the commission announced an investigation into the humanitarian relief agency World Aid Convoy after it raised money through Gaza Now, a media outlet that supports Hamas, which is designated as a terror organization by the British government. A few months earlier, Al-Manar Centre, an Islamic institution in the city of Cardiff, was targeted by the commission for posting to its Facebook account a video "that could suggest support for Hamas."
Regulators in other countries are also contending with a large number of fundraisers for Israeli troops that may skirt or run afoul of local laws. Jews across the Diaspora have donated hundreds of millions of dollars worth of equipment to IDF units and individual soldiers. In the United States and France, where the bulk of fundraising has taken place, pro-Palestinian voices have criticized this use of tax-exempt dollars, calling for government action against it. Some countries, including Canada, have bans on charitable support for foreign militaries in their legal codes, though they are not always well enforced.
The regulatory battles come as the Israeli military has heavily relied on grassroots donations from around the world since the war with Hamas broke out in Oct. 2023. Following its nearly unprecedented mobilization of hundreds of thousands of troops, the Israeli military did not possess sufficient protective gear, and masses of individual soldiers took to social media to solicit donations to make up for shortages. The military officially denies any shortages but demand for items such as tactical helmets and combat boots has remained high 15 months into the fighting, and as reserves units return to the frontlines.
Of all the countless fundraising efforts since Oct. 2023, the one launched by the London Chabad center is not very large or prominent: a small fundraising page set up to support a single soldier.
"In the immediate aftermath of 7 October, there was concern, fuelled by social media reports, that due to the haste and sheer numbers of reservists being called up, there was not anything like enough winter clothing and protective gear to keep these young people safe from harm," the center told the Jewish Chronicle. "Understandably, our community wanted to help."
https://www.jta.org/2025/01/13/global/british-authorities-chastise-a-jewish-charity-for-fundraising-for-an-israeli-soldier
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Thursday, January 09, 2025
Norwegian teen kicked out of convenience store 'for being a Jew' - interview
A Norwegian teenager was physically removed from a Bergen convenience store on New Year's Eve after a clerk learned he was a Jew and a Zionist, the 19-year-old shared in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
Nataniel Elpeleg was headed into town with friends to celebrate the new year when they stopped at a Narvesen convenience store to buy hot dogs.
The teenager reportedly struck up a conversation with a clerk, who told him he was from Yemen and the Palestinian territories. Elpeleg said he was naively excited and told the clerk he was half-Israeli.
"I really want to have peace with you guys. I hope we can be friends in the future," Elpeleg recalled.
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-836884
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Wednesday, January 08, 2025
Historic Jewish synagogue built over 80 years ago destroyed by Eaton Fire in Pasadena
One of the three fast-moving wildfires in southern California has destroyed a historic Jewish synagogue near Los Angeles.
The Eaton Fire, which began on Tuesday evening, engulfed the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center in suburban Los Angeles overnight. Photos and videos shared by local news media and residents show the synagogue in flames, with a bright orange sky as the backdrop.
Several neighboring temples have expressed their condolences for the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, whose congregation has ties to the region that date back more than 150 years.
"Our hearts go out to the entire community and particularly those members of the Pasadena temple (who) have been so directly impacted, many of whom also have lost or are still in danger of losing their homes," Temple Beth Israel, located in Pomona, California, wrote in a Facebook post. "We will, of course, open our hearts and our resources in anyway that we can be helpful."
Neither the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center nor the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection immediately responded for comment when contacted by USA TODAY on Wednesday.
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Tuesday, January 07, 2025
Orthodox Jewish group asking again to build synagogue in one N.J.’s wealthiest suburbs
A proposal to construct an Orthodox Jewish synagogue and daycare is again facing opposition in the latest round in a decades-long fight to build the house of worship in one of Essex County's wealthiest suburbs.
The Chai Center for Living Judaism is asking the Millburn Township Planning Board to approve construction of a two-story, 21,027-square-foot synagogue at 165 Old Short Hills Road in the township's Short Hills section.
The synagogue would seat 275 people in a building that would also include classrooms and office space, according to documents filed with the township.
Classrooms on the second floor would be used for students attending Hebrew school on Sunday mornings, and the building's basement floor would include classrooms for a 50-student daycare, according to previous planning board meeting minutes and a traffic study.
The plans also call for a playground and 95 parking spaces.
The construction was proposed by the same Orthodox Jewish group that previously proposed building a synagogue in Short Hills in several applications dating back to 2000. In 2023, the group sued Millburn after an application to build on a neighboring property was rejected. The court case is still pending.
The latest application for the 3.32-acre property on Old Short Hills Road was first submitted in August. It was discussed at several township planning board meetings, but has not been voted on by the board.
The application is scheduled to be discussed again at the planning board's meeting on Wednesday. The planning board's attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
A flyer opposing the project was posted on social media, encouraging residents to attend a previous planning board meeting in December. The synagogue project could have a "significant impact" in the neighborhood, including on traffic, security, parking and property values, according to the flyer.
"This is not a small community center, it's a campus that's being proposed on a road that's already busy, already crowded, and already under strain," one resident said during the public comment period at a December township committee meeting.
The man said he is Jewish and opposes the project for logistical reasons, not religious ones. He said he was concerned about increased congestion, noise and light pollution and an impact on nearby property values.
"What happens to that investment when a massive development is dropped in the middle of a quiet residential area? Do we shrug our shoulders and hope for the best?" he asked. "Or do we stand up and ask the hard questions?"
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Monday, January 06, 2025
‘F*** the Jews’ Vandalized Car Shakes Sydney to its Core
Antisemitism has reared its ugly head once again in the land down under.
On Monday morning, Jewish residents in Sydney's Queens Park woke up to a white car on Henry Street vandalized with "F*** the Jews" spray-painted in bold black letters. Initial reports suggest that the car was vandalized sometime between 7am Sunday and 5:45am Monday. Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command has since launched an investigation and is urging witnesses to come forward with any information that might help identify the perpetrators.
Surprisingly, the targeted vehicle's owner isn't even Jewish.
"My neighbours, they'd be disgusted. There's no place for that in this community or anywhere in Australia," owner Stuart Veron tells ABC News
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese quickly condemned the violence during his press conference from Queensland today.
"There is no tolerance for antisemitism in Australia, from my government, nor should there be tolerance from anyone else," Albanese stated. "Antisemitism is a scourge, and any event such as this, targeting people because of who they are, is not the Australian values that I hold dear, and the Australian values that are held dear by the overwhelming majority of Australians."
Australia has seen an alarming sequence of antisemitic violence in the past few months. During the early hours of November 21, vandals torched a vehicle and defaced others with anti-Israel graffiti in nearby Woollahra. On December 6, Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue was set on fire as worshippers arrived for morning prayers. Finally, another car was set ablaze and two homes in Woollahra were targeted with antisemitic slurs just five days later.
David Ossip, who heads the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, expressed growing alarm at the increasingly violent pattern of Jewish hatred.
"It is unacceptable that Jewish Australians and Australians of all backgrounds have had to wake up yet again and see messages of hate prominently displayed in their neighborhood," he said. "We cannot allow ourselves to become desensitized to acts of Jew-hatred and allow illegal conduct such as this to become normalized.""
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Friday, January 03, 2025
Inside the matchmaking crisis rocking the US Orthodox community
With their long marriages that rarely end in divorce and their large families, you'd be forgiven for thinking it's easy to find love in the Orthodox Jewish community.
As birthrates fall among the secular and rise and rise among the devout, it seems impossible to consider that chassidim would find their centuries-old system of matchmaking not up to scratch.
But, a recent study on dating among American Orthodox Jews by the Orthodox Union's (OU) Center for Communal Research has revealed the depth of the challenges faced by those in the community as they try to find a partner.
Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union, told the JC that the impetus for the study came from the significant number of single Orthodox men and women striving for marriage but unable to find their appropriate match, a phenomenon which many in the community have already labelled a crisis.
"It's on the minds of the single men and women of our community. It's on the minds of all who care about them and all who care about the future of the Jewish community. What else should we be focusing on if not the issues that are weighing on people and are concerning them?"
Between 5 February and 6 March 2020, the OU surveyed more than 2,300 single Orthodox Jew from 18 to 82 years old who were users of eight Jewish dating apps or part of singles' groups. It also features interviews with 41 single Orthodox Jews, 25 shadchanim or matchmakers, and 21 communal leaders.
The report found that almost 90 per cent of respondents said they believe that marriage would make their lives happier and fuller. So, what's keeping Orthodox men and women from tying the knot?
According to the report, many of the singles surveyed don't feel like they can find a partner on their own and have instead turned to matchmaking services – whether they be apps or community matchmakers – to find their beshert for them.
"They've been told that they can't find a partner on their own," said Aleeza Ben Shalom, a shadchan (matchmaker) best known for her turn on Netflix's Jewish Matchmaking. "That's the message from the beginning, right? 'We need to do it for you.' 'We know you better than you know yourself.' 'You need to go to a shadchan.' And the community's not really set up for them to find a partner on their own."
Ben Shalom, who works with both frum and secular singles, added that the communal lifestyle of Orthodox Jews as well as the habit of separating men and women makes it that much more difficult for singles to take initiative and find their own matches – while the emphasis on families over the individual increases the pressure to pair up.
"Often, singles will share that they don't feel like a full-fledged member of the community or that their full value is seen unless they're in a relationship," Ben Shalom said. "Religious singles are very involved in their communities and have a communal lifestyle, so living single in a community is very difficult because the communities mostly cater to couples or families, so there's a tremendous amount of pressure on a single to move from single to community."
But the report found that many of those surveyed had negative experiences with matchmakers and Ben Shalom, who has trained over 350 matchmakers and dating coaches, is not ignorant of the potential downsides of her trade:
"I've had singles come to me and say, '[the matchmaker] tells me I have to change my clothes, change my attitude, change my job, change my location, I have to do all these things, or I'll never find a match, or they have talked down to me, or they tell me nobody will ever want me.' There's a lot of negative interactions with Shadchanam, where the Shadchanam, unfortunately, are pointing the finger and telling a single everything that's wrong with them as opposed to just saying, 'here's how I can help you.'
"We shouldn't be giving them advice to change who they are. We should be giving them advice to empower them to be their best selves and put their best foot forward whatever that is and I think that that's what's really lacking," Ben Shalom said.
Within the report's sample, more than a third (male 35 per cent, female, 36 per cent) of respondents met someone they dated in the last six months through friends and family, well over the 20 per cent who said they met through a matchmaker. Friends and family therefore play more of a pivotal role in helping single men and women find a suitable partner.
For Ben Shalom, the OU's report is just a confirmation of what she already knew to be true about the challenges of dating in the Orthodox community and, with the survey data having been collected back in 2020 and only being published last year, she's concerned it's too little too late – at least for those unlucky surveyed singles still waiting to find their perfect match.
"I'm interested in solutions. Questions and challenges, of course, always exist, and they've always been present within dating. I don't think that I'm terribly surprised about any of the information. I'm more curious – great, now we have this data – what do you want to do with it? Because I think that there's a lot of information that we often know, and we just don't know where to move forward with it," she said.
But Rabbi Hauer disagreed.
"The OU created the Center for Communal Research not for the purpose of academic research - it was in order to be able to really inform the community regarding issues that the community is grappling with, to provide them with data so that it's not simply just speculation, but that it's as driven as it can possibly be by real data," he said.
"The role of education is making people aware of and sensitising them to an issue and to its challenges. Education has a core role in helping people do things better."
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Thursday, January 02, 2025
Suspect At Large After Firebombing Chabad Synagogue in Ukraine
A firebomber struck a Chabad synagogue in Ukraine late Tuesday night as Jews across Mykolaiv gathered for public Hanukkah celebrations. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the attack. Police are reportedly still hunting for the suspect, who fled the scene after throwing the explosive.
Rabbi Sholom Gottlieb, who leads the Mykolaiv Jewish community, described how the attacker scoped out the building before striking.
"Last night, just before midnight, an unknown individual approached the synagogue door," he said in a statement to local media. "After checking that there were no people around, he threw the firebomb."
Ukraine's Jewish community, now numbering around 45,000, ranks as Europe's fourth-largest. But those numbers tell a story of decline, as before the Soviet Union fell in 1991, nearly half a million Jews called Ukraine home. Many fled to Israel, America, and Europe after communism's collapse. Russia's illegal 2022 invasion of Ukraine continues to spark further Jewish emigration from the country.
Though Ukraine is led by Jewish president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, its soil witnessed some of history's worst antisemitic atrocities, including the Babyn Yar massacre during the Holocaust. Disturbingly, some Ukrainians still celebrate Nazi collaborators like Stepan Bandera as national heroes.
Bandera led the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) during WWII. While he advocated for Ukrainian independence from Soviet rule, he also collaborated with Nazi Germany by ordering pogroms and ethnic cleansing against both Jews and Poles.
After the war, Bandera lived in exile in West Germany, continuing to lead the Ukrainian nationalist movement from abroad and working against Soviet influence. A KGB agent named Bohdan Stashynsky killed him on October 15, 1959, by using a cyanide gas gun in the stairwell of his apartment building.
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Monday, December 30, 2024
Illinois city councilman apologizes after claiming Jewish group controls media, food, music
An Illinois city councilman apologized last Tuesday for a council meeting speech in which he accused a cabal of Jewish people of controlling food, media, and music, as well as elements of Jewish faith informing a supposed genocide in Gaza.
Champaign District One Councilman Davion Williams apologized to Jewish leaders, according to a Friday statement from Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation, Illini Chabad, Illini Hillel, and Sinai Temple after his comments at the end of a December 17 City Council meeting.
In response to a series of public comments demanding the city call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, Williams said in a convoluted speech that "there's Jews, they're gentiles, who believe in peace, but there's a small group of people of have a lot of control over a whole lot. Over music, over our food, over media, over a whole lot of things."
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Friday, December 27, 2024
Jews visiting Uman subject to significant restrictions
Thousands of Breslov hasidim arrived this week in Uman, Ukraine, to celebrate the traditional Hanukkah weekend.
The arrivals, however, are now subject to extremely strict security precautions. Among other things, the hasidim were warned that photographing security forces, checkpoints, or military facilities may be viewed as espionage and lead to arrest.
Despite the lack of flights from Israel and the ongoing war, 3,000 hasidim arrived in Uman.
United Breslov, which prepared in advance to absorb the visitors, succeeded in reducing the electricity outages in the area and even succeeded in reopening the large mikvas (ritual baths) in the "Kloiz area."
Rabbi Natan Bin-Nun, chairman of United Breslov, is in constant contact with authorities in eastern Europe, in order to ensure safe passage for the hasidim. In addition, the authorities are careful to enforce a nighttime curfew between midnight and 4:00 a.m., and demand visitors carry passports every time they exit their lodgings.
In addition to the photography ban, the hasidim are forbidden to use any kind of fireworks, and are required to enter protected spaces during air raid sirens.
The authorities also warned that expressions which may come across as support for an enemy or as mocking Ukraine, even if they were said jokingly, may lead to removal from Ukraine and an extended ban on re-entry.
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Thursday, December 26, 2024
Ultra-Orthodox Hasidic group mulls enlistment for its youth amid blacklash
In recent weeks, the IDF has launched talks with the ultra-Orthodox Karlin Hasidic sect on creating a tailored military enlistment program where adult men from the sect would undergo professional training and serve in the military in the field they studied.
These Haredi soldiers would be able to use their training for employment after their discharge. The program is set to start with about 200 members, allowing them to serve without military uniforms, in women-free environments, with kosher food and other accommodations.
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Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Jewish professor sues Hunter College over pervasive antisemitism
The director of the Jewish Studies Center at Hunter College in New York City has filed a federal lawsuit against the institution, alleging that pervasive antisemitism on campus has created a "hostile work environment" for Jewish faculty and students.
Professor Leah Garrett claims that the administration's lack of response to anti-Israel demonstrations following the October 7 attacks has exacerbated the issue, leaving her and others on the campus vulnerable.
Hunter College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, the largest urban university system in the United States, has faced scrutiny for its handling of similar issues in the past. A spokesperson for the college declined to comment on the ongoing litigation but emphasized that the institution "does not tolerate antisemitism or hate of any kind."
The lawsuit details how, in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, protests erupted across the Upper East Side campus, where participants displayed posters depicting blood dripping from a Star of David and chanted slogans calling for the expulsion of Zionists. Garrett alleges that, despite repeated pleas to the college administration to address these incidents, no meaningful action was taken.
Garrett, who has served as the center's director since 2018, describes the environment as one where Jewish students and faculty feel increasingly unsafe. One incident cited in the lawsuit involved swastikas scrawled on posters of Israeli hostages displayed around campus in November 2023. Garrett claims that, while she immediately reported the graffiti, the administration delayed removing it for hours, citing bureaucratic and legal hurdles.
Adding to the hostile climate, Garrett's photograph was reportedly circulated on social media by an anti-Israel student organization. The lawsuit also mentions threatening messages she received, including one stating that "Satanists are more moral than Jews." Garrett contends that the administration failed to take adequate steps to ensure her safety or to address the rising tensions on campus.
According to Garrett, the administration's inaction has left her to navigate the challenges alone, forcing her to act as the primary advocate for Jewish students and faculty in an increasingly adversarial environment.
"I was horrified and distraught to see that immediately after October 7, there was a pervasive and constant series of antisemitic incidents that my students, my faculty, and I had to endure," she said.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, accuses the college of violating Garrett's civil rights and breaching her employment contract. It seeks damages, with the amount to be determined at trial. Garrett is represented by the Lawfare Project and the law firm Alston & Bird.
The situation has drawn attention from local leaders, including City Councilman Kalman Yeger, who recently co-authored a letter to CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodríguez, criticizing the university system for its handling of antisemitism on its campuses.
"Hopefully, this lawsuit will shine a bright light on yet another CUNY dumpster fire", Yeger remarked.
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Monday, December 23, 2024
Irish comments on Israel leave Scottish Jews terrified as 'identity' comes under attack
Last week, Israel's Foreign Minister announced that its Embassy in Ireland would be closing "in light of the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government". The timing of Jerusalem's decision comes just a few days after Ireland's Foreign Minister, Micheál Martin, announced Ireland's plan to intervene in the proceedings against Israel, brought by South Africa to the International Court of Justice.
Announcing Ireland's intervention, Martin wrote that "Ireland will be asking the ICJ to broaden its interpretation of what constitutes the commission of genocide". If there was ever an admission that Israel is absolutely not committing genocide in Gaza it would be this.
Micheál Martin, on behalf of the Irish government, has essentially acknowledged that genocide is not being committed by Israel in Gaza and, unsatisfied by this, is asking the Court to change the definition of genocide so that the world's only Jewish state can be found guilty of the ultimate crime. It beggars belief.
Israel is completely justified in its decision to close its Embassy in Dublin. It seems to me that repeated Irish governments have a fundamental prejudice against Israel and so there is little that could be gained from having an embassy in Dublin.
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Friday, December 20, 2024
The Capitol celebrates Chanukah early with a Menorah lighting
Despite the world's tumult, there is a light this time of year.
Today, at the Capitol, we were there to see that light, celebrated.
Wyoming celebrated the festival of lights on Thursday, with its pre-Chanukah and Menorah lighting ceremony, as the community paused to remember the things that matter this time of year.
"Light always wins over darkness, freedom always wins over tyranny, and goodness prevails," said Rabbi Zalman Mendelsohn," of the Chabad Jewish center of Wyoming.
In attendance were Gov. Mark Gordon, Secretary of State Chuck Gray, and Rabbi Yaakov Raskin of the Chabad Jewish Center in Laramie, and Rabbi Zalman Mendelsohn of the Chabad Jewish Center of Wyoming.
The celebration has been sponsored for the last three years by Peaks Healthcare Consulting.
"It shows Wyoming solidarity with all types of people. To increase tolerance, to become a light to the rest of the country and how to behave," said Ahron Katz, CEO of Peak Healthcare Consulting.
The state capitol festivity offered Chanukah themed foods, and sweets, to help remind us to be the light, and strive to unite all communities and faiths.
"Each of us has in our own lives, many ways, in which we can increase light, and love and joy and kindness and goodness in the world," said Mendelsohn.
There were performances by Universal recording artist Shulem Lemmer, the Cheyenne Youth Symphony, and a greeting from Miss Wyoming 2022, Hazel Homer-Wambeam.
This celebration has been going on for seventeen years at the Capitol.
This festivity is one of the many cultural celebrations the Capitol holds each year, and all faiths gathered today.
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Thursday, December 19, 2024
Sydney man arrested for threats against Jewish nursing home
A Sydney man was arrested on Wednesday for making violent online threats against a Jewish nursing home, according to local sources, statements by the New South Wales Police Force, and Montefiore Residential Care.
The 48-year-old Harris Park man was arrested and charged with publicly threatening violence on grounds of religion and using carriage service to menace, said NSW police, allegedly for posting "a threatening and offensive comment on a social media platform directed towards an aged-care facility in Randwick."
Montefiore responded to reports of an arrest for threatening online comments by increasing security presence at its Randwick, Woollahra, and Hunters Hill campuses, the company said in a Thursday letter to residents and families.
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Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Montreal synagogue allegedly hit by arson, nearby Jewish office building damaged
A synagogue in a Montreal suburb was allegedly targeted early Wednesday morning by arson — the second time the building was hit by an incendiary device in a little more than one year.
Montreal police received a 911 call shortly before 3 a.m. about a fire at the Congregation Beth Tikvah in the on-island suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, police spokesperson Véronique Dubuc said.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze and found an incendiary device at the scene. She said one window of the synagogue was smashed and the door to the building was damaged.
"Witnesses told us that they saw one suspect that was leaving rapidly shortly after the fire started," she said, adding that the building was damaged by smoke but the overall consequences of the fire were minor.
There are no reported injuries and police have not made arrests in the case, Dubuc said, adding that police have not yet determined whether the fire is a hate crime.
The synagogue is not the only building frequented by the city's Jewish community that appears to have been attacked on Wednesday. At around 7:20 a.m., officers at the scene of the fire noticed a smashed window and damaged glass door of a nearby building belonging to the West Island office of the Federation CJA.
Dubuc said police did not find an incendiary device at the second location and are investigating a possible link between the two incidents.
"It looks like it could be related," she said.
The same synagogue and the CJA building were targeted by arson in November 2023, causing minor damage to the synagogue's front door and the back door of the CJA office. No one was injured in the attacks, and Dubuc on Wednesday said police have not made arrests in that case.
Jewish groups and politicians condemned the targeting of the Jewish institutions on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying on X, "This vile antisemitic attack against Montreal's Jewish community is cowardly and criminal."
"I trust the perpetrators behind this hateful act will be quickly brought to justice."
Also on X, B'nai Brith Canada said, "This repeated targeting of Jewish institutions is a direct result of a permissive environment where antisemitism is allowed to fester unchecked." The group called for "stronger enforcement of hate crime laws" as well as "action to combat antisemitism in education and on university campuses."
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said on X, "It's intolerable that Montrealers live in insecurity because of their religion."
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Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Hasidic music star's UK concert canceled over 'security concerns'
A highly anticipated UK concert by Jewish-American Hassidic singer Benzion "Benny" Friedman was canceled, with the venue citing "security concerns" as the reason. The "Am Yisrael Chai" tour, organized by ACM Events, had been in the works for months. Known for spreading messages of Jewish pride through his music, Friedman was scheduled to perform on January 6 in London under the banner of the "Jewish Solidarity Concert." However, the Clapham Grand, a historic Victorian music hall, pulled out of the event just one day after tickets went on sale.
"For several years, London has consistently topped the list of cities requesting Benny's performances," Friedman's production company told COLlive. "That's why two concerts were planned in England." Despite this enthusiasm, organizers faced significant challenges securing a venue for the London concert, encountering resistance from venues unwilling to host a public Jewish event or be associated with pro-Israel sentiments.
After overcoming these obstacles, the Clapham Grand was finally confirmed as the venue. On Sunday, Friedman's team announced two concerts: one in London on January 6 and another in Manchester on January 7. The response was electric, with organizers describing the excitement as "overwhelming" as fans eagerly purchased tickets.
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Thursday, December 12, 2024
Shocking moment Jewish girls have plates thrown at their heads in suspected anti-Semitic attack in London
A 14-year-old girl was rushed to hospital after being pelted with glass bottles in "an abhorrent hate crime" in Stamford Hill last month.
The group of Jewish students were making their way to a rehearsal on November 21, when a man allegedly threw "dozens" of glass bottles and plates at their heads.
In footage shared by neighbourhood watch group Shomrim, a plate can be seen being hurled from a balcony and hitting one girl in the head, throwing her to the ground as she screams.
The video is captioned "wicked" with laughing emojis, suggesting it may have been a targeted attack
The alleged attack, which took place outside the Woodberry Down Estate in Stamford Hill, "deeply shocked the community," the group said.
Upon arriving on the scene, Shomrim contacted the Metropolitan Police, who have since arrested a man in connection with the alleged crime.
Police attended the scene at 7:44pm on Monday, November 21, in a statement they said a "girl was struck on the head and was taken to hospital. Her injuries have since been assessed as non-life changing".
The release added: "Officers attended the scene to carry out initial enquiries but were unable to locate the suspect. An investigation is ongoing.
"The incident is being treated as a potential antisemitic hate crime."
In a statement, Shomrim said: "The premeditated attack has left the local community deeply shaken.
"Evidence suggests the perpetrator had prepared the bottles and plates in advance, deliberately targeting the girls due to their visibly Jewish appearance."
Shomrim has urged anyone with further information to contact them or the Met Police quoting CAD 6966 25/11/24.
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Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Suspects shoot Hasidic Jewish pilgrims who entered Joseph’s Tomb illegally
Three Breslov Hasidic Jews entered Joseph's Tomb in the West Bank's Nablus Tuesday overnight independently and without coordination with security authorities. According to security sources, suspects opened fire at their vehicle. The three sustained minor injuries and managed to escape, eventually reaching Hadassah University Hospital.
"The three men are being detained for questioning by the Israel Police. Entry into Area A is dangerous and prohibited for Israelis by law," the military added.
This incident comes just two days after a similar case in which Hasidic Jews entered the site without coordination. That incident ended with their vehicle being found abandoned and set on fire.
Incoming Sephardic Chief Rabbi, Rabbi David Yosef, visited the site last week, marking one of his first visits since assuming the role. At Joseph's Tomb, he prayed for the safety of IDF soldiers and the hostages.
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Monday, December 09, 2024
After Massive Arson Attack, We in Australia’s Jewish Community Are Under Siege
On Friday morning, the world of the Australian Jewish community changed forever. The confidence that the community has always known has vanished — replaced with a new reality of uncharted, dangerous waters, where tolerance and security are no longer guarantees.
The impact of seeing a holy place of worship burning in the very heart of Jewish Melbourne, was like a stab in the heart of the Jewish people.
A synagogue represents so much more than a house of worship. It is a sanctuary for reflection, for learning, and for community gathering. For Jews, it is a cornerstone of identity and faith. An attack on such a place is not only an assault on Jewish life, but an assault on the core values that define Australia as a tolerant and inclusive society.
Australia's relationship with its Jewish population has long been defined by warmth, mutual respect, and shared values — tracing all the way back to the early days of the country's formation. It was the first country to vote in favor of the 1947 partition plan that paved the way for the establishment of the modern-day State of Israel. It was also the famed Australia Light Horse brigade that conquered Beersheba in October 1917, which enabled British forces to break the Ottoman line, leading to the end of Ottoman rule in the Land of Israel.
But the deliberate firebomb attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne reflects a broader, troubling trend. In recent times, the social fabric of Australia has come under severe strain, mirroring challenges in other parts of the world. The dramatic rise in antisemitism, up 316% since the October 7, 2023 Hamas pogrom — and Israel's defensive response — has been particularly heartbreaking, given the country's history as a refuge for Jewish people fleeing persecution.
Melbourne's Jewish community, for instance, has a large number of descendants of Jews who escaped the horrors of the Holocaust. And the country has the largest population of Holocaust survivors per capita outside of Israel. Many found safety in Australia, a land free from the deep-seated prejudices of Europe. They rebuilt their lives and became integral contributors to Australian society. For these families, the attack on a synagogue in Melbourne echoes the dark past their ancestors sought to leave behind.
Yet the legacy of antisemitism is not one bound by geography, distance, or time. Its tentacles reach far beyond its origins in the old world, and are able to penetrate every fabric of society in every corner of the new world, including here in Australia. While Australia's ruling government has become more hostile to Israel in recent years, it is also the changing demographic nature of the country — including people from places where antisemitism is much more normalized — that helps account for the negative changes happening here.
But political leadership has a responsibility too, and the failure of the government to act decisively against the growing wave of antisemitism has exposed the Jewish community to these acts of hostility.
This rise in antisemitism has coincided with the government's decision to undermine decades of bipartisan diplomatic support for Israel, leaving many in the Jewish community to feel abandoned. Since October 7, 2023, the sitting government has constantly criticized Israel's conduct in the war, failing to understand the existential threat Israel faces. Just last week, it supported a biased one-sided resolution at the United Nations that demanded Israel unilaterally withdraw from every inch of territory Palestinians want for their state, including all the holy places of Jerusalem, while demanding nothing of Palestinians — not even the cessation of terrorism.
And the Australian government has failed to crack down on weekly anti-Israel protests, which are often violent and intimidating, and take place in our major cities.
The flames of antisemitism are burning in Australia, just like they are burning in Canada and France and many places across the world. But to douse these flames requires a willpower, strength, and a moral clarity that this government has so far not shown.
If Australia's leaders fail to act, it will not just be a single synagogue consumed by these flames — but the very fabric of Australian society itself.
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Wednesday, November 27, 2024
At 93, Sephardi charity head decides it’s time to retire
At 93, Lucien Gubbay is stepping down after more than a decade in charge of the charity responsible for reviving ordination for central Orthodox rabbis in the UK.
But while he has retired as chairman of the Montefiore Endowment, he will be maintaining his active association as its life president.
Over many decades of communal service, he has been a prominent lay member of the S & P Sephardi Community and a champion of the Western Sephardi heritage.
He served on the board of the endowment for two decades, helping to invest the legacy of the Victorian philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore in Jewish education.
The S & P's Senior Rabbi, Joseph Dweck, said he had served it with "grace, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to ensuring the strength and future of our heritage".
In a letter to Gubbay, he said, "You have always had the wisdom to safeguard our history, combined with a clear vision for the future, ensuring that the Endowment is not only a custodian of the past but also a living source of support and inspiration for generations to come."
Incoming chairman of the endowment, Alan Bekhor, praising his predecessor's "wonderful achievements', said, "Lucien Gubbay has been an extraordinarily dedicated and effective chairman. Together with Rabbi Abraham Levy he has developed the charity into an important pillar of the training of leadership and higher education within Anglo-Jewry."
When the London School of Jewish Studies (formerly Jews' College) ended its semichah programme, the Montefiore Endowment stepped into the breach a few years later, launching a new ordination course in 2005. With the late Rabbi Levy, the spiritual head of the S & P for many years, Gubbay devised a training scheme that sought to give rabbis practical skills for communal roles and a Torah outlook that was engaged with the wider world.
Since then, nearly 30 graduates have gone into the pulpit, Jewish schools and other educational institutions.
The endowment then went one better by launching the first training course in the UK for future dayanim, celebrating its first graduates who included United Synagogue rabbis earlier this year.
It has also opened a scheme to train women as yoatzot halachah, advisers in certain areas of Jewish law, funded gap year students to study in Israel and run a diploma course for adults.
Gubbay has helped with translations for prayerbooks for the S & P and four years ago compiled Memorable Sephardi Voices, a collection showcasing the halachic moderation of Sephardi rabbis, which was published by the endowment.
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Tuesday, November 26, 2024
14-Year-Old Jewish Schoolgirl Injured in Suspected Hate Crime in Stamford Hill
A 14-year-old Jewish schoolgirl was rushed to the Royal London Hospital on Monday evening after being struck by glass bottles thrown by a male attacker in Stamford Hill, according to local neighbourhood security group Shomrim.
Attack on Schoolgirls
The attack occurred on the Woodberry Down Estate as a group of visibly Jewish girls walked from a bus stop to Beis Chinuch Girls' School for a rehearsal. The attacker, positioned on a balcony, hurled around a dozen glass bottles and plates at the group, Shomrim reported.
One of the girls sustained significant head and facial injuries, including a large hematoma and cuts, and was treated at the hospital before being discharged. Shomrim stated that the girls were left "badly shaken and traumatised by the ordeal."
Evidence Suggests Intent
Shomrim indicated that the attack was premeditated, noting:
"Evidence suggests the perpetrator had prepared the bottles and plates in advance, deliberately targeting the girls due to their visibly Jewish appearance."
The force of the attack was evident, with shattered glass discovered as far as the school's front gate.
Police Investigation
The Metropolitan Police are treating the incident as a potential antisemitic hate crime. CCTV footage led officers to the suspect's flat, where an arrest inquiry was conducted at 11 p.m. on Monday. However, the suspect was not present and has yet to be located.
A police source confirmed:
"We are investigating this incident as a potential hate crime and are working to trace and apprehend the suspect."
Rising Concerns in Stamford Hill
The Stamford Hill neighbourhood, home to a large ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, has seen a troubling rise in targeted attacks. Earlier this year, a 16-year-old Jewish boy was chased by three males throwing stones. Community leaders and residents have expressed growing concerns over safety and the need for stronger protection against hate crimes.
Community Reaction
Local leaders and organizations have condemned the attack, calling for justice and increased security measures. Shomrim praised the swift response of Hatzalah emergency services, who transported the injured girl to the hospital, and the ongoing efforts of the police to investigate the incident.
This attack highlights ongoing challenges faced by Jewish communities in the UK, with calls for greater action to combat antisemitism and ensure the safety of all residents. Further updates are expected as the investigation continues.
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Monday, November 25, 2024
Chabad emissaries say 'its hard to walk down the street with visible Jewish symbol'
Since the kidnapping and murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a Chabad emissary in Dubai, security measures have been heightened at Chabad centers worldwide to prepare for potential attacks or threats. However, fears and incidents of antisemitism didn't begin with this tragedy.
Around 6,000 Chabad emissaries, inspired by the vision of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, serve as beacons of Jewish life and support communities across the globe. Their mission, which began after World War II to revive Jewish identity, has grown into a global network of outreach and connection.
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Friday, November 22, 2024
Texas Jews are ‘deeply concerned’ about Christian material in proposed public school curriculum
Most of the time, as the senior rabbi of Temple Beth-El in San Antonio, Rabbi Mara Nathan's focus is on Jewish families. But this week, she's finding herself thinking about Christian ones, too.
That's because Texas is poised to adopt a public school curriculum that refers to Jesus as "the Messiah," asks kindergartners to study the Sermon on the Mount and presents the Crusades in a positive light.
The curriculum, Nathan said, "gives Christian children the sense that their family's religion is the only true religion, which is not appropriate for public school education, at the very least."
Nathan is among the many Texans raising concerns about the proposed reading curriculum as it nears final approval. Earlier this week, the Texas State Board of Education narrowly voted to proceed with the curriculum, called Bluebonnet Learning. A final vote is set for Friday.
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Thursday, November 21, 2024
California Jewish families sue school district over antisemitic incidents
A group of Jewish families has filed a lawsuit against Sequoia Union High School District in California, alleging the administration failed to protect students from what they describe as rampant antisemitism, discrimination, and harassment from both students and faculty members.
"Antisemitism is on the rise and somehow becoming culturally acceptable," Sam Kasle, one of the parents who filed the lawsuit, told Fox & Friends First host Carley Shimkus on Tuesday.
In an interview with Fox & Friends First, Kasle described an incident where his daughter encountered propaganda from a teacher wearing "Free Palestine" clothing. According to Kasle, during a vocabulary matching test, students were instructed to define "Palestine" as a country formally recognized by the UN in 1947. He added that the same class included a definition of Hamas as "a political party continuing the fight against Israel."
"When she brought this up to the teacher... he belittled her, made an example of her," Kasle alleged during the interview.
The legal action highlights several similar incidents that began following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel that resulted in over 1,200 deaths and sparked the ongoing war with the terrorist organization. Since the war's outbreak, thousands of protests have emerged across US college campuses.
According to the lawsuit, SUHSD officials and teachers allegedly distributed antisemitic materials, permitted anti-Jewish jokes and slurs, and reportedly advised Jewish students to hide their religious identities to avoid harassment.
The legal filing also describes an incident where a swastika was found etched into the pavement at Woodside High School's campus. When alerted, district authorities allegedly dismissed the symbol as "spiritual symbol[s] from Japanese Buddhism" rather than addressing it as a hate symbol, according to the lawsuit.
This trend extends beyond the district, with a recent StopAntisemitism report revealing that 72% of Jewish college students in the USA feel "unwelcome" on their campuses, with more than half reporting experiences of antisemitic incidents.
Kasle and other parents expressed disappointment with the district's response. "The administration basically circled the wagons over the past year," he told Fox & Friends First. "And regardless of their formal processes, they really didn't lift a finger. Their number one responsibility is not to protect themselves or the teachers, but to protect the children."
When reached for comment by Fox & Friends First, the Sequoia Union High School District did not respond.
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Wednesday, November 20, 2024
4 University of Rochester students arrested over 'wanted' posters targeting Jewish staff members
Four students were arrested on felony charges after buildings at the University of Rochester in New York were defaced with "wanted" posters targeting several Jewish faculty members, officials said.
The four students were charged with felony criminal mischief and a fifth is being investigated, Quchee Collins, the university public safety chief, said in a news release Tuesday.
Their names have not been released.
"I am incredibly satisfied that through a thorough investigation we were able to identify those who are allegedly responsible and hold them accountable for the deliberate and deplorable actions targeted toward members of our University community, including members of our Jewish population," Collins said.
University President Sarah Mangelsdorf said she was "saddened" that members of the school community were harassed and intimidated.
"The posters identifying faculty, staff, and board members have instilled credible fear among those depicted, their families, and other members of our Jewish community," Mangelsdorf said in a message to the community. "On behalf of my senior leadership team, the Board of Trustees, and myself, I want to underscore that antisemitism will not be tolerated. I want each of those who were targeted to know that they have our wholehearted support."
The university Department of Public Safety was made aware of the posters last week and immediately began removing them. Collins had said taking down the posters was challenging because they had a strong adhesive that was causing "damage to walls, floors, chalkboards, and other surfaces."
They were found in buildings across campus, including classrooms.
The posters named certain university staff members and professors, alleging war crimes related to the conflict in Gaza, NBC affiliate WHEC of Rochester reported.
Collins said that the incident does not "meet the legal threshold for being a hate crime" but that that could change "over the course of the legal proceedings."
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Monday, November 18, 2024
Attempted Robbery of Jewish Man in Brooklyn Puts Orthodox Community on Edge
The Jewish community in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York was the target of another attack on Thursday evening, as three men attempted to rob a Hasidic man after stalking him through the neighborhood.
Footage of the incident was shared on X/Twitter by Yaacov Behrman, liaison of Chabad Headquarters and founder of the Jewish Future Alliance (JFA) nonprofit. It shows the men, whose faces were concealed by hoods and ski masks, chasing the man into the street and through the neighborhood after attempting to accost him.
No arrests have been made.
"He doesn't give in easily, and I don't think they got anything," Behrman tweeted. "The Jewish Future Alliance is deeply concerned not only about the increase in crime but also the fact that, once again, the perpetrators were wearing masks. We need to reinstate mask laws."
The explosion of an antisemitic hate crime spree in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn has set the Orthodox Jewish community on edge in recent weeks.
Last Tuesday, two men beat a middle-aged Hasidic man after he refused to surrender his cell phone in compliance with what appears to have been an attempted robbery. According to multiple accounts, the assailants were two Black teenagers.
That incident was the third time in eight days that an Orthodox resident of Crown Heights was targeted for violence and humiliation. Before then, an African American male smacked a 13-year-old Jewish boy who was commuting to school on his bike in the heavily neighborhood, which is heavily Jewish, and less than a week earlier, an assailant slashed a visibly Jewish man in the face.
Most recently, a masked man was caught on video approaching a visibly Jewish father walking with his two sons and grabbing one of the children in broad daylight. He was unable to secure possession of the child, whose father fought back immediately and did not let go of his son. Police later identified the man as Stephan Stowe, 28 — a suspect gang member with an extensive criminal history which includes 33 prior arrests — and arrested him for attempted kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child.
In each case, the suspect was allegedly a Black male, a pattern of conduct which continues to strain Black-Jewish relations across the Five Boroughs.
Black-on-Jewish crime is a social issue which has been studied before. In 2022, a report published by Americans Against Antisemitism (AAA) showed that Orthodox Jews were the minority group most victimized by hate crimes in New York City and that 69 percent of their assailants were African American. Seventy-seven percent of the incidents took place taking in predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Of all assaults that prompted criminal proceedings, just two resulted in convictions.
"We've never seen anything like this," AAA founder and former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D) told The Algemeiner. "Shouldn't there be a plan for how we're going to deal with it? What's the answer? Education? We've been educating everybody forever for God's sake, and things are just getting worse."
The problem has become acute in recent years. In July 2023, for example, a 22-year-old Israeli Yeshiva student, who was identifiably Orthodox and visiting New York City for the summer holiday, was stabbed with a screwdriver by one of two men who attacked him after asking whether he was Jewish and had any money. The other punched him in the face. Earlier that year, 10- and 12-year-olds were attacked on Albany Avenue by four African American teens.
According to a report issued in August by New York state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, antisemitic incidents accounted for a striking 65 percent of all felony hate crimes in New York City last year. The report added that throughout the state, nearly 44 percent of all recorded hate crime incidents and 88 percent of religious-based hate crimes targeted Jewish victims.
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Friday, November 08, 2024
Hasidic Man Attacked in Third Antisemitic Assault in Brooklyn in Eight Days
An antisemitic hate crime spree in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York struck its latest victim on Wednesday, wreaking an "excruciating" beating on a middle-aged Hasidic man.
According to Yaacov Behrman, a liaison for Chabad Headquarters — the main New York base of the Hasidic movement — the victim was accosted by two assailants, one masked, who "chased and beat him" after he refused to surrender his cell phone in compliance with what appears to have been an attempted robbery.
"The victim is in excruciating pain and is currently in the emergency room," Behrman tweeted. "The police are investigating the incident."
The perpetrators were two Black teenagers, according to COLlive.com, an Orthodox Jewish news outlet.
Tuesday's attack was the third time in eight days that an Orthodox resident of Crown Heights was targeted for violence and humiliation. In each case, the assailant was allegedly a Black male, a pattern of conduct which continues to strain Black-Jewish relations across the Five Boroughs.
On Monday morning, an African American male smacked a 13-year-old Jewish boy who was commuting to school on his bike in the heavily Jewish Crown Heights neighborhood
Less than a week earlier, an assailant slashed a visibly Jewish man in the face as he was walking in Brooklyn.
Numerous antisemitic hate crimes have occurred in Crown Heights in recent years. In July 2023, for example, a 22-year-old Israeli Yeshiva student, who was identifiably Orthodox and visiting New York City for the summer holiday, was stabbed with a screwdriver by one of two men who attacked him after asking whether he was Jewish and had any money. The other punched him in the face. Earlier that year, 10- and 12-year-olds were attacked on Albany Avenue by four African American teens.
According to a report issued in August by New York state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, antisemitic incidents accounted for a striking 65 percent of all felony hate crimes in New York City last year. The report added that throughout the state, nearly 44 percent of all recorded hate crime incidents and 88 percent of religious-based hate crimes targeted Jewish victims.
Meanwhile, according to a recent Algemeiner review of New York City Police Department (NYPD) hate crimes data, 385 antisemitic hate crimes have struck the New York City Jewish community since last October, when the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas perpetrated its Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, unleashing a wave of anti-Jewish hatred unlike any seen in the post-World War II era.
Beyond New York, anti-Jewish hate crimes in the US spiked to a record high last year, and American Jews were the most targeted of any religious group in the country, according to a report published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in September.
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