Antisemitic events
10-10-2008 / United States
USA - Antisemitic graffiti at Seaholm High School
The graffiti, reading “fucking Jews” over a swastika was scribbled in pencil above the urinals in the boys bathroom in the G-hall at Seaholm High School
Birmingham, Michigan
.
Source: http://seaholmhighlander.com
09-10-2008 / Ukraine
Ukraine - Extremists allegedly planned synagogue attack
A group of ultra-right extremists in the Ukrainian town of
Kirovograd
reportedly planned to blow up a local synagogue.
Sergey Tkachuk, the head of the local Ukrainian Security Service, or SBU, said at a news conference in Kirovograd that leaders of the group, including a former officer of the local law enforcement agency, planned to attack and beat local Jews as well as other minorities of “non-Slavonic appearance” and to blow up Kirovograd's Choral Synagogue.
According to the SBU, the group included 14 youths, mainly university students aged 18 to 20, who studied Nazi literature.
“They ideologically prepared to commit crimes, studying literature of Nazi Germany and Hitler’s books,” Tkachuk said.
"Some non-identified persons rather often shattered windows of the synagogue and wrote anti-Semitic slogans," Emma Spektor, the leader of Kirovograd Reform Congregation, told JTA. "We informed SBU about such facts and worked closely with them. We appreciate the fact that SBU unmasked the group of ultra-right extremists and hope they will be punished according to the law.”
Source: www.jta.org
09-10-2008 / Hungary
Hungary - Neo-Nazi attack at Jewish theater
An acid and feces attack at the Budapest Jewish Theater just before Rosh Hashanah has revived concerns about increasing antisemitism in Hungary.
The attack, which occurred after the premiere of a provocative parody of porn, is believed to be the first open and physical attack against Jews since the country’s democratic transition in 1989.
"Gecy" opened Sept. 27 at Siraly, this city’s trendy Jewish pub-cultural center in the area of the former ghetto. The next day, after the second performance, with the audience milling around the theater, six or seven masked neo-Nazis appeared on the street.
In what appeared to be a choreographed attack, one shot acid from a water pistol at the director of the show, Ferenc Sebo, then spilled a bucket of pig feces over him.
People standing near Sebo were splashed and shot with acid. The attackers beat Sebo when he threw his glass at one of them, then ran into the pub to shoot acid at others. A bystander trying to help Sebo was beaten badly and remained in the hospital this week. Police arrived too late to catch the attackers.
The theater's director said people associated with the show had been receiving threatening messages for several weeks prior to the opening.
Source: http://www.jta.org/
09-10-2008 / United States
USA - Swastika images left on Towson campus
School officials said a dozen students found swastikas drawn on their dorm room message boards.
"It's not like it was one door. It was their mission to paint the whole hallway," said student Jason Conti.
Half of the boards were hanging on the doors of rooms belonging to Jewish students.
The vandals left the hateful graffiti just before the holiest day of the Jewish calendar: Yom Kippur.
Source: http://www.wbaltv.com/
07-10-2008 / United States
USA - Teen sought over antisemitic graffiti
Police say a teenager started a fire and sprayed antsemitic graffiti on a building at a Jewish center in
Newport News, Virginia
.
Police spokesman Harold Eley said the
suspect was caught on video surveillance destroying property.
The male also removed a traffic cone from the shed and set it ablaze on the sidewalk beside the shed. The suspect then spray painted sexually explicit pictures and antisemitic graffiti in and outside the shed.
Source: www.dailypress.com
07-10-2008 / United States
USA – “Jewish Response” urges candidates to keep Jewish issues out of election
Jewish Response, an organization founded to help defuse antsemitism, is alarmed about the high frequency of references to Jews in the current election campaign. Candidates seem to feel that they are helping the Jewish people by promising to further what they believe to be the Jews' interests at every opportunity. However, the exact opposite is the truth.
"When only the Jews, out of all the nationalities and ethnic groups among American voters, are mentioned numerous times, it lends credence to the old anti-Semitic canard that Jews have their own agenda at heart and are disloyal to their country," said Leo Greenbaum of Jewish Response. “The candidates would do us the biggest service by simply not mentioning Jews at all. Then people would get the message that Jews are just like all Americans and want whatever is best for America.”
"In times past," he continued, "antisemitic politicians used the scapegoating of the Jews as a tool to boost their popularity. Today's candidates are pro-Jewish, and they use their special attention to the Jews as a tool to boost their popularity. But, ironically, their over-emphasis on Jews is bad for the Jews. Jews are very loyal American citizens and don't deserve to be singled out like this."
Jewish Response contends that although the dark ages of hatred and persecution are gone, the idea of using the Jews has unfortunately remained a standard feature of politics. It's time for the world to move on and realize that singling out Jews for any reason, good or bad, brings back to life the old accusations from which Jews have always suffered.
Source: www.jewishresponse.com
07-10-2008 / China
China - Antisemitic conspiracy theories and Wall Street
About a year and half ago, a book titled “The Currency War” came out in China. It was written by a Chinese graduate student who returned from the United States. The book was antisemitic and probably the most fantastic “conspiracy theory” about Wall Street. The basic claim was that the Rothschild’s and other Jews wanted to control the world by manipulating the international financial system. The book read more like a script for a James Bond movie than a serious dissertation on Wall Street.
However, it was a best seller in China. A lot of professionals were worried about the popularity of the book, and how it might give the public the wrong impression of the international financial system. Also, it was reported that the book was read by the highest-ranking Chinese government leaders. This actually prompted the magazine Finance to publish a critique of the book, written by a leader of Goldman Sachs in Asia. Unfortunately, more people read the book than the critique.
As the market came crashing down and the subprime crisis became headline news in China, “The Currency War” (also translated as “Currency Wars,” or Huobi Zhanzheng) climbed back up the best-seller list. I was recently at a dinner at the Beijing Hong Kong Jockey Club. A very established lifestyle magazine publisher was recommending the book to people as a way of understanding why the crisis happened.
Source: http:nytimes.com
07-10-2008 / United States
USA - Rabbi: PETA sent 1,000 threats over Yom Kippur chicken slaughter
New York City police are investigating a rabbi's complaint that he received a thousand threatening e-mails over the slaughter of chickens before a Jewish holy day.
Rabbi Shea Hecht of the National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education says the e-mails were sent by supporters of a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals campaign opposing the ritual. Police said some people added threatening and antisemitic comments to an online PETA form letter.
Source: www.usatoday.com
05-10-2008 / Iran
Iran - Ahmadinejad unleashes another antisemitic tirade
Iranian President Ahmadinejad issued yet another genocidal tirade against Israel in recent days, calling Israel and its friends "germs of corruption" that must be wiped out.
"The Zionists are crooks. A small handful of Zionists, with a very intricate organization, have taken over the power centers of the world. According to our estimates, the main cadre of the Zionists consists of 2,000 individuals at most, and they have another 8,000 activists. In addition, they have several informants, who spy and provide them with intelligence information," Ahmadinejad claimed on the Iranian News Channel.
"Their Jewishness is a great lie. They have no religion whatsoever. They are a handful of lying, power-greedy people who have no religion, who only want to take over all the peoples and countries... If they themselves do not wrap up Zionism, the strong arm of the peoples will wipe these germs of corruption off the face of the Earth," insisted Ahmadinejad.
Source: www.truthnews.net
05-10-2008 / Canada
Canada - Liberals sack candidate over antisemitic remarks
Canadian Liberal parliamentary candidate Lesley Hughes was asked to forfeit her place on the party's election roster last week, after being accused of making anti-Semitic remarks, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has reported.
Hughes, who was a candidate for the party's Winnipeg roster in the central Canadian province of Manitoba, was admonished by Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion for an article she wrote six years ago, in which she suggested that the Israeli intelligence services warned the US administration of the coming September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, and that Israeli businesses were told to vacate the towers before the attack.
The recent news of Hughes' past article caused an uproar within the Jewish community in Canada, as many, including the Canadian branch of the B’nai B’rith association, have demanded she be replaced with a different candidate.
Canada's Liberal Party cannot risk alienating its Jewish voters, prompting party head Dion to release the following statement: "The Liberal party's commitment to tolerance and multiculturalism is paramount. I have reviewed the past comments of Lesley Hughes and it is clear they do not meet this standard. While I appreciate her apology, I cannot condone those sentiments in any way. I have therefore asked Ms. Hughes to step down as the Liberal party candidate in Kildonan-St. Paul,"
Source: www.ynet.co.il
04-10-2008 / United States
USA - Jewish army trainee says he was beaten
Army officials at Fort Benning are investigating the claims of a Jewish soldier in basic training who says he was beaten days after complaining of religious discrimination.
Pvt. Michael Handman of Atlanta says another soldier punched him in the head and knocked him unconscious in an unprovoked attack Sept. 24. He was treated for a concussion.
Handman wrote to his parents before the attack that he was being discriminated against. He said one sergeant used an anti-Semitic slur and another ordered him to remove his yarmulke in a dining hall.
Fort Benning spokeswoman Monica Manganaro says an Army private is being held on suspicion of attacking Handman, but he has not been charged.
She said investigators do not believe the attack was linked to religious prejudice.
Source:
www.ynet.co.il
03-10-2008 / United States
USA - ADL sees surge of anti-Semitism following market crisis
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a report warning of a sharp resurgence of antsemitism in the wake of the financial crisis. Internet discussion boards and blogs dealing with the meltdown on Wall Street are being flooded with hate speech, ADL says.
"We know from modern history that whenever there is a downturn in the global economy, there will be an upturn in the level of antsemitism and bigotry, and that is what we are seeing now," said ADL National Director Abe Foxman.
"The age-old canards about Jews and money are always just beneath the surface. As we witnessed after 9/11, whenever there is trouble or uncertainty in the economy or world events, Jews become the scapegoats, and ugly anti-Semitic canards are given new life."
In hundreds of messages echoing rhetoric found on neo-Nazi and white supremacist websites, posters to mainstream forums promote centuries-old stereotypes and conspiracy theories alleging Jewish control of the economy, banking and the government.
The ADL notes that several posts "have gone so far as to resurrect Nazi-era propaganda with threads such as 'The Jewish Problem' or comments such as, 'The Final Solution 2?."
Other examples: 'Jews have infiltrated Wall Street and Government and have ruined our country.'
'Jews are greedy, rotten slime balls. They (Jews) love money nothing else, no faith or religion can be so heartless to their victims.'
Source: www.ynet.co.il
03-10-2008 / United States
USA - Truck vandalized in Davie
Someone spray-painted the word "Jew" on the tailgate and driver's-side window of a work truck operated by the Age of Aquarium. The truck was parked behind the store owned by Howard Cohen in
Davie, Florida.
Source:
http://www.local10.com/
01-10-2008 / Italy
Italy - The president of the Italian Senate was the object of racist and antisemitic graffiti
Skinheads are believed to have hung a large banner, targeting Renato Schifani with the slogan "Schifani the Jew will be you." A similar banner was found the next night. The banners, which were hung near a major city higway, were signed with the symbol of an extreme right-wing group.
Schifani, who is not Jewish, had declared on a visit to Auschwitz earlier this month that "we are all Israelis."
Source: www.jta.org
30-09-2008 / Lithuania
Lithuania - Israeli flag burned in front of the Jewish community center in Klaipeda
Someone burned an Israeli flag in front of the Jewish community center of
Klaipeda
. Some of the vandals kept on guard for passersby while others lit the flag on fire. Police are investigating the crime.
Source:
http://www.fsumonitor.com/
29-09-2008 / United States
USA – "Shomrim" apprehend youth for racial graffiti
Shomrim received a call alerting them to 2 Black youths spraying graffiti in an alleyway, a responding member spotted the two while still ‘tagging’ two garages, and called for backup and gave chase.
While fleeing one of the teens attempted to discard a can of spray paint, and was apprehended by a number of Shomrim members and a resident on Union Street between Albany and Troy Avenues. Shomrim member’s recovered the spray paint can, and found a second one in his possession.
Police were called and placed the youth under arrest, then went back to the scene of the crime, the alleyway between Union and President Kingston to Albany, where Police and Shomrim found that the two sprayed graffiti on 5 garages. The messages they left weren’t understandable words, aside from one unrepeatable and disgusting sentence. The crime was deemed a bias crime.
At the scene the second youth managed to get away, but good work on the police’s behalf led to the arrest of the second youth as well.
Source: www.shturem.org
29-09-2008 / United States
USA - Hate crime marks the start of a Jewish holiday
Vandals left swastikas and other racial slurs in red spray paint on the northbound side of the
Santa Maria
levee just hours before the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year
Source: www.kcoy.com
29-09-2008 / Czech
Czech Republic - Verbal harassment in Prague
During Erev Rosh Hasana prayer in Jerusalem synagogue in Prague a walking by skinhead shouted "Juden Raus!" towerd the security. Then he continued walking away.
29-09-2008 / Germany
Germany – Jewish cemetery was vandalized
Unknown vandals wrote antisemitic slogans on an information sign in the Jewish cemetery in
Berlin Mitte
.
The cemetery had undergone a two-year renovation and was re-opened only a week ago.
Source: www.adl.org
29-09-2008 / United States
USA – fueron detenidos jóvenes de color por rociar graffiti ofensivos
Dos jóvenes de color se encontraban rociando graffiti ofensivos contra los judíos en Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Mientras miembros de la organización "Shomrim" (Guardianes) se encontraban camino al lugar de los hechos, pidieron ayuda
sperando detener a ambos agresores.
Uno de los jóvenes huyó del lugar arrojando tras de sí el recipiente con pintura. Los "Shomrim", junto con algunos de los vecinos de la calle Union lograron apresarlo y más tarde también a su secuaz. En sus bolsillos se encontraron más recipientes con pintura.
Las fuerzas policiales que llegaron al lugar se llevaron detenidos a ambos, luego se dirigieron a la escena del crimen entre las calles President y Union y entre Kingstone y Albany, donde descubrieron asombrados cinco talleres mecánicos llenos de graffiti ofensivos, la mayoría incomprensibles, aunque sólo uno de aquellos graffiti le bastó a las fuerzas del orden para comprender que era mejor detener a los jóvenes.
Fuente: http://www.shturem.net/
