update deskAntisemitism

WEEKLY REPORT

Antisemitic incident report: Aug. 5-11

From an accidentally offensive Arizona license plate to Neo-Nazis groups on the rise in southern Brazil.

Arizona license plate, 1980-1996 series, with a March 1998 sticker. Credit: Wikipedia.
Arizona license plate, 1980-1996 series, with a March 1998 sticker. Credit: Wikipedia.

JNS publishes a weekly listing of antisemitic incidents recorded and found by Jewish, pro-Jewish and pro-Israel organizations; national and international news; and social media. By the Anti-Defamation League’s count, an average of seven instances of varying measure occur daily in the United States. (Dates refer to when the news was reported, not when the events took place.) Also included are news items detailing efforts to combat antisemitism and research anti-Jewish bigotry.

Aug. 5

“Those are not true supporters of mine,” Ron DeSantis, Florida governor and a 2024  presidential candidate, said in New Hampshire, speaking about apparent supporters of his who have been seen flying Nazi flags. “That is an operation to try to link me to something so that it smears me.”

Aug. 6

“Hate has no place in Alpharetta, and it is not who we are,” said the mayor of the Georgia suburb after antisemitic materials were discovered in several neighborhoods.

Aug. 7

Antisemitic flyers and pamphlets were found in several Raleigh, N.C. neighborhoods, and in Manchester, Mo. “I threw it in the trash where it belonged,” one Manchester resident said. Neo-Nazis sent hateful messages and showed up to protest an Oregon City, Ore. venue after it agreed to host a gay-pride festival. A network of hate groups has been targeting many such festivals, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. A German church has been asked to remove one of the most notorious antisemitic images—this type dating back to the 13th century.

Aug. 8

Newly reinstated on X/Twitter, Ye (Kanye West) performed publicly—as a guest at a Travis Scott concert in Rome—for the first time since posting antisemitic rants online. “Kanye’s surprise appearance with Travis at the Circus Maximus stadium on Monday night marked his first on-stage performance since the controversy,” per the BBC.

Aug. 9

The Arizona Department of Transportation is reviewing customized license plates in the state, following reports of an antisemitic slur appearing on one. (The department revoked the plate despite saying it referred to someone’s nickname.) Antisemitic notes were also found on driveways in West Brookfield, Mass. “We won’t be threatened by abhorrent actions or propaganda,” said Steven Schimmel, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts. A New York Assembly member spoke with The Nation about an effort to “revoke the charitable status of the nonprofits that siphon hundreds of millions of dollars into Zionist colonization in Palestine, on the basis that they violate International Law and sponsor war crimes.”

Aug. 10

Neo-Nazi groups are on the rise in south Brazil, the Financial Times reported. The head of a nonprofit that monitors domestic hate groups said that Nationalist Social Club (NSC-131), which has been expanding in New England, isn’t the largest neo-Nazi organization, “but few are hitting the streets so often to do violence against vulnerable communities.” A 32-year-old man from Maryland received probation for putting antisemitic materials on lawns in West Palm Beach, Fla. Foot Locker reportedly refused to restock Yeezy shoes, which are associated with Ye (Kanye West).

Aug. 11

A swastika was painted on a Trump International Golf Club sign in West Palm Beach (covering the word “Trump”). Michigan Wolverines running back Donovan Edwards apologized for a 2022 antisemitic tweet. “Everybody is God’s children in the eyes of God. There’s nothing in the Bible that says that only one specific race can make it into the heaven gates. Everybody can,” he told the media. “I apologize to anybody who I may have hurt. I understand my actions and you know, I’m going to grow from it; it’s taught me a lot.”

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