Struggle against antisemitism
06-12-2009 / South Africa
South Africa – South African unionist condemned for urging exile of pro-Israel Jews
A South African human rights panel last week condemned a local trade union leader for calling to exile Jewish compatriots who support Israel, in a ruling which defined his statements as "hate speech." The union had no comment on the case.
The South African Human Rights Commission said statements made publicly by Bongani Masuku, international relations spokesperson for the Congress of...04-12-2009 / Germany
Germany – Neo-Nazi groups classified as criminal
Germany's Federal Court of Justice ruled Thursday that far-right groups can under certain conditions be classified as criminal organizations, making it easier to prosecute them.
The Karlsruhe-based court on Thursday overturned a ruling by a lower court in Dresden which had denied the status of criminal organization to the neo-Nazi group "Kameradschaft Sturm 34''. Members of the group...04-12-2009 / United States
USA - Man preaches tolerance at North Naples Middle with signs that read ‘I am Jew’ and ‘Kick me?’
Graham Ginsberg stands on the northeast corner of Immokalee and Livingston Roads with two signs that read "Kick Me? I am Jew." Ginsberg's protest was in response to 10 North Naples Middle School students who recently participated in what was called “kick a Jew day." Ginsberg, who is Jewish and originally from South Africa, said he felt he needed to protest because doing nothing was almost...01-12-2009 / Russia
Russia - Russian President sees dwindling Antisemitism in Russia
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told a delegation of Jewish leaders that Antisemitism in the country "is becoming much less prevalent."
Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with a chief rabbi of Russia, Berel Lazar, and the president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, Alexander Boroda, as well as representatives of the European Jewish Congress, on Nov. 26,...28-11-2009 / Israel
Israel - 2009 Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism
The 2009 Global Forum for Combating antisemitism will take place from December 16-17 in Jerusalem to address the problems of global anti-Semitism and methods to approach this dilemma.
Minister for Diaspora Affairs Rabbi Michael Melchior established the Global Forum in 2000 along with Natan Sharnsky in what has since developed into a widely influential annual event. It represents the...26-11-2009 /
Facebook drops group inciting to kill Jews
The popular social-networking Web site Facebook has removed a page that called for the murder of Jews, after receiving a query on the matter from The Jerusalem Post.
The page, which belonged to a group that called itself "antisemitism," listed dozens of members under a tagline that said, "We hate Jews so we must kill them."
It also contained a photo album labeled "we must kill the...26-11-2009 /
Interview with Deborah Lipstatic: Holocaust Denial is Pervasive, Growing, and Doomed
Speaking from the Bellevue psychiatric ward where she is undergoing evaluation for advanced schizophrenia, Holocaust Confirmer Deborah Lipstatic today declared, "The situation is critical and victory is at hand" in the war on Holocaust heresy.
Lipstatic, Professor of Victimology at Coca Cola University in Atlanta, insisted that Holocaust denial is not a legitimate field of study and...24-11-2009 / Germany
Germany - Germans restore 1936 high jump record to Jewish woman
Germany has restored the 1936 high jump record to a New York City woman who was stripped of the mark because she was Jewish.
Gretel Bergmann, of Queens, also had been banned from that year's Berlin Olympics by the Nazis because of her religion.
Germany's track and field association says the act of restoring Bergmann's record jump of 5 feet, 3 inches, "can in no way make up" for the...23-11-2009 / France
France – Punishments for Assailants of Jewish Youth
On September 27th a Jewish youngster was assaulted by two youths in Paris’s 12th Quarter. A court in Paris convicted one of the assailants and decreed the following punishments on him: 6 months conditional imprisonment 100 Euros compensation 350 Euros fine in accordance with the Penal Law 1-475 160 hours community service Source: http://www.spcj.org/ ...23-11-2009 / Germany
Germany - Police locate synagogue vandal suspect in Dresden
Dresden police announced on Monday that they have found a suspect in the defacement of a synagogue that took place two days ahead of the 71st anniversary of the Nazi Kristallnacht pogrom this month.
The 39-year-old Algerian man is accused of daubing swastikas and anti-Jewish statements along several metres of a wall outside the synagogue on November 7, the Saxony state office of criminal...22-11-2009 / Brazil
Brazil - Thousands of Brazilians rally against Ahmadinejad
Thousands of demonstrators from different religions took part in a march for peace and against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro.
Faced with mounting pressure over his country's atomic ambitions, Ahmadinejad left on a five nation tour Sunday, in a bid to boost ties with Latin America's biggest economy and a rare backer of Tehran's nuclear program....
21-11-2009 / Austria
Austria – 2009 Federal Decoration of Honor awarded to Elisabeth Orth
The Minister of Education, Dr. Claudia Schmied, awarded the Federal Decoration of Honor for 2009 to the President of the Campaign against Antisemitism in Austria – actress Elisabeth Orth-Obonya. The Decoration was awarded for her voluntary activities for promoting tolerance and human rights.
In addition to her appearances in the Austrian National Theater and on many other stages,...20-11-2009 / Russia
Russia - Court gives suspended sentence to man who called for murder of Jews, government officials
A resident of Kovrov, Russia was given a suspended sentence on incitement charges. Vladimir Sofronov posted calls to murder Jews, local government officials and their children, on the Internet. The suspended sentence is for 10 months in prison if he is convicted of another crime during that time period. Source:... ...20-11-2009 / Russia
Russia - Tver far-right activist faces hate crime charges
Prosecutors in Tver brought incitement charges against a 50 year old member of an unspecified local far-right group. The suspect allegedly painted the word "evil" on Jewish, Armenian and Gypsy gravestones. He signed a written pledge not to leave the city until his trial, the date of which has not yet been set.
Source:...20-11-2009 / Britain
Britain - Antisemitism institute to be opened at Birkbeck
The first academic institute in Britain to deal solely with antisemitism, only the second in Europe, is to be set up in London, funded by £1.5 million from the Pears Foundation.
The new institute will occupy a building on the campus at Birkbeck College, part of the University of London, and will be next to the proposed new home of the Wiener Library, the world’s oldest Holocaust...18-11-2009 / Russia
Russia – Censure for publication of antisemitic article
The Federal Authority for Supervision of the Media, Information Technology and Mass Communications issued a warning to the editorial staff of the “К барьеру!" (“To the barrier”) newspaper, (which replaced the "Дуэль” “Duel” newspaper),following their publication of an article titled: “Will Medvedev turn to the Liberals?” which included antisemitic comments and...18-11-2009 / Canada
Canada - Police release photos in Calgary antisemitic graffiti case
Police have released several images of a man who may have information on a vandalism case that may have been a hate crime, officials say.
The released surveillance photos were taken at the Chabad Lubavitch Centre. It shows a man approaching the wall of the building and a pickup truck at the scene.
Source: http://www.calgaryherald.com/...
15-11-2009 / Britain
Britain - British Jews use ‘buycott’ to combat Palestinian boycott threat
British Jews organized a "buycott" of Israeli products to combat a Palestinian boycott campaign against two major supermarket chains.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Fair Play Campaign Group urged shoppers to buy as many Israeli products as possible this week in response to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign's targeting of Waitrose and Morrisons.
Pro-Israel groups said a...12-11-2009 / Norway
Norway - University rebuffs motion for Israel boycott
An academic boycott of Israel in Norway was averted, when the executive board of the University of Trondheim unanimously decided to reject the controversial move.
"The vote resulted in total victory," said Professor Bjorn Alsberg, a member of the board of the Trondheim-based Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Alsberg, a chemistry professor, led a campaigned at the...12-11-2009 / United States
USA - Obama to name envoy to combat antisemitism
The US administration is slated to name a new special envoy for combating global antisemitism (SEAS). White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was expected to announce the appointment at the Jewish Federations of North America's annual General Assembly this week, but assessments are that the announcement will come later in the week.
The top candidate for the position is Attorney Hannah...
