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Central California Town Hit with More Antisemitic Goyim Defense League (GDL) Flyers

The City of Paso Robles is condemning the distribution of antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ flyers found in the River Oaks area.

City officials say on June 7, a citizen reported that small plastic bags containing the flyers were found at multiple locations throughout the neighborhood.

NGO StopAntisemitism has attributed the antisemitic and anti-LGTBQ+ flyer to the Goyim Defense League (GDL). The GDL is a white supremacist group led by Jon Minadeo II. The league travels the nation littering these hate flyers and spreading dangerous antisemitic conspiracy theories against the Jewish communities.

“The City firmly believes in fostering an inclusive and accepting community where every individual can live without fear or prejudice,” City Manager Ty Lewis said in a statement. “The dissemination of this material undermines the fundamental principles of equality that are the bedrock of a just and harmonious society.”

Officials believe the bags were distributed during the overnight hours of June 6.

Pennsylvania College Student Tags Jewish Pupils in Makeshift Swasika Social Media Post

A Lehigh University student shared a social media post containing a hand gesture in the shape of a swastika and tagged members of Lehigh’s Jewish community, according to an email sent on Tuesday to the campus community by Ric Hall, vice president for student affairs, and Donald Outing, vice president for equity and community.  

Hall and Outing wrote that Lehigh must serve as an example for condemning hate with a worldwide record number of antisemitic incidents occurring.

Hall and Outing wrote that they condemn this antisemitic act, and “hate has no place on our campus or in our community.”

Lehigh administration was made aware of the incident recently and wrote in the email that once reported, an investigation was launched by the Equal Opportunity Compliance Coordinator, Karen Salvemini.

The student who created the post was a fraternity member, according to an email by Sarah Runyon, interim director of fraternity and sorority affairs. 

A student admitted to circulating the image and will be held accountable according to the student code of conduct, according to the email from Hall and Outing.

Hall and Outing wrote that the Office of Jewish Student Life, including Rabbi Steve Nathan, University Chaplain Lloyd Steffen, and Student Affairs staff are available for support. 

Oklahoma City Police Seek Suspect After Swastika Found on Man's Front Lawn

Oklahoma City police are searching for a suspect after a swastika was found cut into a man’s front lawn.

The homeowner, Stan Sells, said he filed a report when he woke up and found it at his home off North Sara Road.

"I came out here yesterday morning and I was out mowing, I looked down and saw that, and kind of got bewildered. Why would someone do that?" Sells said.

Sells saw the swastika on his front lawn on Tuesday morning. OKC police are now investigating who put it there.

NGO StopAntisemitism shared an image of the lawn with their followers on Twitter.

"I called the police, they came out and they said it was a hate crime," Sells said.

Sells said the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been notified.

"It’s not kids, because of the way they cut it. It’s precision. Someone knew what they were doing. It disgusts me. People like that shouldn’t be around," Sells said.

The OKC FBI field office has been investigating other incidents like this.

She also said they have a white supremacist distribution report.

"Oklahoma ranked number 15 in the country on the number of propaganda we saw being distributed in the state," Cushing said.

Antisemitic Callers Hijack California City Council Meeting Via Phone

In what seemed to be a coordinated effort, multiple members of the white supremacist group 'Goyim Defense League' called into the public comment portion of the Walnut Creek City Council meeting to spout antisemitic propaganda

Councilmember Kevin Wilk, who was Walnut Creek's first Jewish mayor and city council member, said Wednesday there were "pretty stunning comments" made by four different callers.

One caller, who identified himself as "Scottie, resident of Walnut Creek," said "I'm calling today to address some irrational statements made by certain council members who know who they are, regarding the pro white banners that they cried about on the news probably about six months back."

Video of the call was posted on the Twitter account @Scottie8841, which also contains antisemitic, anti-Black, pro-white propaganda.

"Scottie" also said in the video: "I was just wondering why they think it's OK to -- it's not OK to be pro white. If you're a Jew or a Black, it's applauded. It seems every time whites express love for their people, some Jew wants to shut it down."

When Mayor Cindy Silva interrupted the caller to say "Let's be respectful, please," "Scottie" said, "We don't have an issue of white supremacy like you guys like to place in your Jewish media narrative. We have an overwhelming issue of Jewish supremacy that is becoming more clear daily, even to non-whites. You guys cry about the antisemitism."

At Wilk's urging, the call was then cut off.

Wilk and the Walnut Creek council have been vocal in their opposition to displays of antisemitism. In October, Wilk spoke publicly about a group placing antisemitic leaflets in neighborhoods bordering Concord.

The literature was left in the neighborhood sometime during Sept. 27-30, during the Jewish High Holidays between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Wilk called them "awful, vile leaflets" and said he mentioned them because "we must unite as one community to push back on this."

"We've made great strides in our city to be inclusive and all-welcoming, and we refute this kind of antisemitic and any hate material in every way, shape and form," Wilk told the council. "There's more work to be done, but we as a council need to expose racism, antisemitism and hate crimes for what they are."

The flyers said "every aspect of the Ukraine-Russia War is Jewish," speculated Jews were responsible for 9/11, blamed Jews for slavery, and said they control the United States government and media, among other claims.

Similar leaflets were found last year in Danville, Palo Alto, Berkeley and Marin County.

Roger Waters Accuses the 'Israeli Lobby' of Attempts to Silence Him

Rogers Waters, the former leader of rock band Pink Floyd, spoke out against what he called "the Israeli lobby" during a concert Tuesday night in London.

"They are trying to cancel me," the singer told the crowd at the O2 arena.

The principal lyricist for the now-defunct Pink Floyd, whose hit albums include The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, Waters has also been accused of antisemitism by groups like the Central Council of Jews in Germany, a charge he denies.

Last month, Waters found himself under investigation by police in Germany after he wore a Nazi-style costume during a recent concert in Berlin. Those actions resulted in the U.S. State Department addressing the controversy on Tuesday by saying the Berlin show "contained imagery that is deeply offensive to Jewish people and minimized the Holocaust."

"The artist in question has a long track record of using antisemitic tropes to denigrate Jewish people," the State Department said in a written statement, according to the Associated Press.

During Tuesday's concert, Waters said that people trying to "cancel" him "hurts."

"We've done 80 shows, and we've done nothing but share our love for people. That's why I'm so pissed off with this Israeli lobby b*******," he said. "Making up stuff because you've been told to by your masters from the Foreign Office in Tel Aviv."

The watchdog group StopAntisemitism addressed Waters' recent comments and performance costumes. In a statement, its executive director, Liora Rez, told Newsweek, "Once again, Roger Waters is showing his true colors by engaging in antisemitic Jewish power tropes when he referred to the 'Israeli lobby' trying to cancel him during his London concert last night. Though he tried to mask his antisemitism as anti-Zionism last night, in a recent interview he referred directly to the 'Jewish lobby' and called for an end to the Jewish state."

Rez continued, "StopAntisemitism named Waters 'Antisemite of the Week' for the first time back in 2019 when the BDS supporter called on artists to stop performing in Israel, and again last month after his grotesque performance in Berlin. Thankfully, German authorities are currently investigating Waters for incitement to hatred."

StopAntisemitism has been covering the Waters scandal for several years, noting some of his quotes on Twitter.

Images from the concert at the O2 arena, where he is scheduled to perform again on Wednesday, show that Waters again wore the costume that has been described as resembling the uniform worn by Nazi SS soldiers.

In videos posted on social media, Waters can be heard telling the crowd that the outfit was not an SS uniform. Instead, he described his attire as "theater" and "satire."

Waters also had words for British Member of Parliament Christian Wakeford, who had spoken out against Waters' concerts. He called the lawmaker a "moron," among other insults.

Waters was one of the founding members of Pink Floyd and took over as the group's de facto leader during the 1970s, its most commercially successful period. He left the band in 1985, and the remaining members carried on without him until they announced the end of Pink Floyd in 2015.

However, Waters reunited with Pink Floyd in 2005 for a one-off performance at the Live 8/Make Poverty History concert. The surviving members also recorded once again in 2022 for a single that raised money for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Outrage After Polish City Hosts Foam Party for Children Over Jewish Burial Grounds

The chief rabbi of Poland sent an angry letter to the mayor of Kazimierz Dolny, condemning the eastern Polish town for throwing a festive children’s bubble party on the site of a former Jewish cemetery where the dead are still buried.

The Kazimierz Dolny authorities filled the former cemetery with bubbles for Children’s Day, a holiday celebrated on June 1 in many European countries.

In the letter sent to to Mayor Artur Pomianowski on Tuesday, Michael Schudrich wrote, “the party organized on the yard, which was after all fun on the graves, proves that for the municipal authorities, respect for human burial is not an important value.”

Schudrich told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that it was “outrageous” that Pomianowski posted a video of the bubble party on his mayoral Facebook page.

“Is this what we want to teach our children about how we treat the dead, our ancestors?” Schudrich said.

Pomianowski’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The former cemetery, now a children’s play area next to an elementary school, was demolished roughly 50 years ago, but the bodies were not removed. Jewish headstones were used to pave roads and used as building materials throughout Eastern Europe during the communist era.

Schudrich said that for the past five years, representatives of Polish Jewry have been trying to work with several mayors of Kazimierz Dolny, including the current one, as well as the town council, to move the cemetery so that it would not function as a playground. He estimated that a few hundred Jews are buried at the site.

“We offered a really nice solution that would involve us helping to fund a new playground and moving the cemetery to an empty field nearby,” said Schudrich. “But they keep stalling or canceling meetings and it seems like the town just doesn’t care.”

It is believed that the 19th-century Rabbi Yehezkel Taub of Kuzhmiri is buried in the former cemetery. Haredi Orthodox followers of the Modzitz Hasidic dynasty, founded by the rabbi, flock to the cemetery-turned-playground each year to pay their respects, but their demand to protect the site has not been met.

Jews have lived in Kazimierz Dolny since the 14th century. The town today is a major local tourist attraction known for its stunning architecture on the banks of the Vistula river. Before the Nazi invasion in World War II, there were 1,400 Jews in Kazimierz Dolny, roughly half of its population. Fewer than 20 of the town’s Jewish inhabitants are thought to have survived the Holocaust.

In his letter to the town’s mayor, Schudrich wrote that the bubble party “puts into question whether further talks about the site make sense, and casts doubt on whether, regardless of religion, both parties are guided by common values drawn from it.”

Antisemitic Goyim Defense League (GDL) Flyers Continue to Appear in Oklahoma City

More Oklahoma City residents are finding hateful, antisemitic flyers at the foot of their driveways, and the act was finally caught on camera.

A resident in the Hunters Place neighborhood told KFOR she found a bag filled with dried corn on the foot of her driveway. When she took a closer look, she was surprised to find such hateful messages inside the bag. 

“It makes me sad. It really does make me sad. As Christians, we need to love. That’s what Jesus commanded. We’re supposed to love our neighbor as ourself,” said Brenda Carpenter, OKC resident. 

Brenda Carpenter caught the act on her security camera.  

The video shows a gray car driving quickly through her neighborhood. The driver threw a bag on her driveway that was filled with dried corn.

The message inside had a slogan stating “Every aspect of Disney child grooming is Jewish.” It also had more hateful information trying to convince others that it is true. 

“There’s just a lot of hate in the world right now. And it just hurts my heart to see how hateful people are,” said Carpenter. 

Unfortunately, it’s hard to identify the driver and license plate because of how fast the driver is going. 

“I tried to enlarge it to see the tag, but it looked to me like the tag was obscured. But I did contact the police, you know, and felt like it’s probably not against the law, you know, freedom of speech and all that. But it is littering,” said Carpenter.  

StopAntisemitism is the leading Jewish organization tracking every movement of the Goyim Defense League (GDL). The GDL is responsible for this flyer drop as well as hundreds around the country. The leader of the neo-Nazi group is Jon Minadeo II. Minadeo and his group travel the country, harassing the Jewish communities and spreading harmful conspiracies against them.

A couple of months ago, KFOR reported on the act happening in neighborhoods across the metro. 

In one neighborhood, residents found hateful antisemitic fliers inside zip lock bags filled with either dried corn or rice to keep them from blowing away. 

Several different notes have been collected by police and the FBI.

Notes that have been found contain antisemitic messages casting Jews as villains destroying society and promoting things like pornography and financial scandals.  

Partners at LA Law Firm Resign After Antisemitic Emails Surface

John_Barber_Jeffrey_Ranen_Resign_Antisemitism

Jeffrey Ranen (left) and John Barber (right) of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith

The name partners of U.S. law firm Barber Ranen have resigned after their former law firm Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith found dozens of emails that showed the lawyers using racist, sexist, homophobic, and antisemitic language while they were there, according to Barber Ranen's chief executive officer.

John Barber and Jeffrey Ranen resigned after the firm requested their resignations, Barber Ranen CEO Tim Graves said in a statement on Monday.

Barber, who was firmwide managing partner at Barber Ranen, and Ranen, who was its chief financial officer, apologized in a joint statement Monday afternoon. They said they resigned "to allow our friends and colleagues to continue on without the cloud of our conduct hanging over them."

"The last 72 hours have been the most difficult of our lives, as we have had to acknowledge and reckon with those emails," they said. "They are not, in any way, reflections of the contents of our hearts, or our true values."

The two men co-founded Barber Ranen, which launched last month with more than 100 lawyers from Lewis Brisbois. Ranen was in the firm's Los Angeles office and Barber in Newport Beach, California.

Lewis Brisbois said in a statement it was not aware of the emails and that it launched an investigation after it received an anonymous complaint about the lawyers. Dozens of the lawyers' emails, some dating back to 2008, were first reported by the New York Post and later reviewed by Reuters.

In a March 2022 email provided by Lewis Brisbois, Barber — who led the firm's employment practice — said one Los Angeles County Superior Court judge likes being called "sugar tits."

In June 2012, when Ranen complained to Barber about an employee working overtime, Barber responded "Kill her," including a description of a violent sex act, according to the emails Lewis Brisbois provided.

Ranen in a March 2014 email to Barber, provided by the firm, said he almost always emails work questions to a Jewish lawyer outside of Lewis Brisbois Saturday morning, during the Jewish Sabbath.

"This Jew is cracking me up," Ranen wrote to Barber, who responded, "Jew hater." In other emails, the two men used racial, sexist and homophobic slurs.

Graves said in a statement that Barber Ranen will "form a new firm," adding that its equity partners expressed "their disappointment and disdain for the language Mr. Barber and Mr. Ranen used."

Lewis Brisbois' management committee said Lewis Brisbois is conducting a full review of Barber and Ranen's correspondence and interviewing other employees.

Chicago Police Standoff Ends with Nazi Member's Death

A SWAT team responded to the 4100 block of West Chicago Avenue in West Humboldt Park over an armed man on an abandoned warehouse roof.

Neighbors of a man involved in a standoff with Chicago police Friday after he was seen brandishing a gun from the roof of a Humboldt Park building said they have been trying to bring attention to the situation for more than a year.

The man, who later took his own life inside the building in the 4100-block of West Chicago Avenue, had been the subject of more than 40 calls for service since January 2022, a police department source told the Sun-Times.

An autopsy revealed he died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. His death was ruled a suicide.

Neighbors said they reported seeing the man sitting on a makeshift platform atop the building, possibly with a gun, and had displayed an illuminated board with a swastika painted on it.

Along with the Chicago neighbors, NGO StopAntisemitism was following the situation as it unfolded.

Officers responded shortly before 10 a.m. Friday to a report of a person with a gun on a roof, according to police, who said the man went inside and refused to come out. About 12 hours later, a SWAT team entered the building and found the man dead.

A review of his social media accounts showed he had a history of making threats directed at government officials and had shared conspiracy theories.

In one Facebook post, he linked to a video that claimed to depict a fleet of UFOs from the "milky way 57th legion," and last week shared a picture of a mannequin hanging from a noose in what appears to be a law enforcement uniform with the caption "this is for you Chicago police department ... and homeland security."

Court records showed he had been arrested on low-level drug charges decades ago, as well as some traffic offenses, but he had no recent charges.

"All of you and this operation against me will be executed," he wrote in a separate Facebook post as recently as Thursday. "Take that to the bank and take that to the grave."

Calls for Oregon House Minority Leader's Resignation After Son's Nazi Salute Emerges

A photo showing the son of Oregon House Minority Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson of Prineville performing a Nazi salute in front of a vintage airplane with a swastika on it has prompted calls for Breese-Iverson’s resignation. Both Breese-Iverson and her son have issued apologies.

The image started circulating on social media Saturday, with members of the Central Oregon Diversity Project (CODP) calling for Breese-Iverson, a Republican, to resign to focus on her family. CODP also claims it happened on a school field trip and alleges that the school did not immediately discipline the teen.

The incident happened May 31 at the Ericksen Aircraft Collection in Madras, the Crook County School District confirmed to Central Oregon Daily News.

The photo shows two people, one of those purportedly being Breese-Iverson’s son, performing the salute in front of the World War II-era plane with a swastika on the tail. The teen’s face is seen, but the face of the other person is scribbled out.

It’s unclear who took the photo.

The Ericksen Aircraft Collection website says it has a Focke-Wulf 190 which includes a swastika on the tail.

Breese-Iverson issued an apology on Facebook. She acknowledged that her son did pose in front of the plane, but did not specifically address the salute. 

“This week, my son was on a field trip at the Erickson Aircraft Collection which hosts a retired Nazi airplane. Out of extremely poor judgement and without considering the impact this photo would have, he posed in front of the aircraft. My husband and I have been in contact with the school administration about enforcing adequate consequences for his actions, both at school and at home. In no way do my husband or I condone these actions, and we apologize to anyone impacted by this image.”

She included an image of a handwritten apology that she said was from her son.

“When I was on a field trip with World War 2 planes, I walked past a plane with a Nazi symbol on it, and posed for a photo that my friend took and posted. It was a dumb mistake. I really get that now. Doing something bad in the moment without thinking can cause harm. I apologized to anyone that was offended and have accepted the punishment handed down to me by the school and my parents.”

Commenting to Central Oregon Daily News by email, Breese-Iverson said those involved are minors.

When asked about what disciplinary measures were taken, the Crook County School District said it was prohibited from commenting on that specifically due to federal law. The district released this statement:

“Crook County School District does not condone or tolerate any form of discrimination, hate speech, or the use of symbols that are considered hate speech. School administrators take issues like this seriously and utilize existing policies for appropriate disciplinary action.

“HOUSE BILL 2697, also known as Every Student Belongs, requires education providers to prohibit the use or display of any symbols of hate on school property or in an education program except when the use or display aligns with the state standards of education for public schools. It also requires educators to adopt a policy addressing bias incidents and hate symbols. Crook County School District follows existing state law to address disciplinary action when students use hate speech, symbols, or offensive and inappropriate gestures.

“The school district will not comment on the specific discipline of any student, as that would be a violation of a student’s privacy rights under the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA). School administrators respond immediately and appropriately to any bias complaints or hate speech incidents when they occur. We also believe that education is an important component by giving students an opportunity to self-correct and learn from their actions.”

Rep. Emerson Levy, D-Bend, who is Jewish, released this statement on Sunday after learning of the image:

“As a state representative and a member of the Jewish community in Central Oregon, many people have asked my thoughts regarding the disappointing photo of Minority Leader Breese Iverson’s son performing a Sieg Heil at the Eriksen Air Museum.

Without equivocation, the photo is inexcusable and offensive. To be clear, I speak only on behalf of my Jewish family and not for the Jewish community.

I have a personal and legislative policy regarding social media when the subject is a minor and only raise this issue today after Minority Leader Breese Iverson publicly raised the issue by commenting yesterday on her sons’s unacceptable behavior.

Personally, and professionally, I’ve had no interactions with Minority Leader Breese Iverson that suggest she holds antisemitic beliefs. I do not believe she supports these grotesque anti-human views in her personal or family life.

This raises a more significant issue around education, including education around the Holocaust and Pogroms. Our children must learn history, the bad, and the good, to ensure the darker moments aren’t repeated. In an era where books are once again banned, there are some that prefer to ignore to rewrite history for their own narrative and to ease their own minds.

When something is wrong, we say something, partly to ensure that harmful outcomes don’t reoccur. If we as a community fail to present and learn from the past, honestly, we will be doomed to relive that nightmare because, without intervention, history will repeat itself.”

White Supremacist Goyim Defense League (GDL) Member Arrested in Oregon

Following a string of flier drops from the Goyim Defense League in Eugene and Springfield neighborhoods earlier this year, it appears that the antisemitic hate group has left its mark in South Eugene, even causing a fight. 

On the night of June 1, a man was assaulted with a bat as he attempted to wash away fresh graffiti on the inside of the drive-thru for the abandoned bank building at the corner of E 40th and Donald St. in South Eugene. 

NGO StopAntisemitism has followed the movements of the Goyim Defense League (GDL) across the nation. The group’s leader, Jon Minadeo II, encourages his members to harass and intimidate Jewish communities. As a result, various GDL members have been arrested for littering offenses, trespassing Holocaust memorials, physical assault, synagogue burnings, and even child predatory charges. Earlier this year, Franklin Barrett Sechrist was sentenced for the burning of Temple Beth Israel in Texas.

According to the Eugene Police Department and corroborated by reports to DSM, the fight began with a local man attempting to wash off two handwritten URLs on the side of the building. The first is a web page that acts as an infinitely reusable flier for GDL, and the second is for a website that accuses Jewish people of organizing the 9/11 terror attacks. 

At some point, the man was confronted, and a fight ensued. The noise from the altercation alerted people from around the area to what was happening, and a crowd descended upon the property before the Eugene Police Department arrived. 

The man who was attacked was checked by medics but was not transported to a hospital. The alleged attacker, Sebastian Django Foy, aged 20, was arrested and charged with Second Degree Assault and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. He is currently being held in the Lane County Jail. 

Long Island Teens Arrested for Defacing Abandoned College with Antisemitic Symbols

Police say vandals broke into buildings at the Oakdale campus of the former Dowling College in two separate incidents this week.

They say swastikas were scrawled inside the historic Idle Hour Mansion over the weekend. That vandalism was followed a few days later by an unrelated break-in and burglary.

Police say four suspects defaced the building over Memorial Day weekend. They say detectives with the Hate Crimes Unit investigating the case noticed two teens loitering on the campus.

Detectives questioned the pair and linked them to a break-in and burglary that happened at the library on campus on May 31.

"That's when the ball started rolling," said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison. "We were able to track down these individuals, went to their residence, placed them under arrest."

Police say 19-year-old Zachary Pandolf, of Patchogue, was charged with burglary. He pleaded not guilty at arraignment and was released without bail.

Three other defendants in the case are minors and will be in court at a later date.

Swastika Spray-Painted on San Francisco Elementary School

A swastika was found spray-painted outside an elementary school in San Anselmo, California, Thursday, according to an email to parents from school district officials.

Teachers at Wade Thomas Elementary School arrived on campus early Thursday morning to find the symbol spray-painted on asphalt pavement near a classroom, the email said. Wade Thomas serves just under 400 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

“We are treating this incident as hate-motivated behavior and will move forward with consequences to the full extent possible if the person/s responsible is/are identified,” Ross Valley School District Superintendent Marci Trahan said in the email to parents.

School staff covered the graffiti immediately and notified law enforcement, Trahan said. When officers finished inspecting the area, school maintenance staff removed the symbol. The incident is under investigation, Trahan said. The Central Marin Police Authority did not respond to a request for comment.

In her letter to parents, Trahan strongly condemned the graffiti as an “act of hatred and discrimination.”

“It is tremendously disheartening to have this happen on one of our campuses and within our RVSD community where we have worked to create acceptance and a strong sense of belonging for all of our students, staff, and families,” Trahan wrote. “Such acts of hate are deeply offensive and an affront to the mission and values of the Ross Valley School District.”

More Antisemitic Goyim Defense League (GDL) Flyers Discovered in Central California

Antisemitic flyers that have appeared in neighborhoods throughout Tuolumne County in recent weeks are drawing condemnation from residents, as well as the attention of local law enforcement agencies.

The flyers typically are found in plastic bags with rice inside to weigh them down and feature statements blaming Jewish people for gun control, mass immigration, abortion, and the “COVID agenda,” among other things.

“The motivation is so hateful and misinformed, historically inaccurate, and just rooted in ignorance, and that always concerns me,” said Lori Slicton, whose father’s neighborhood on Mount Brow Road in Sonora was peppered with the flyers on May 21. “Any time we dehumanize people, it tends to cause violence, and I’m fundamentally opposed to that.”

There have been at least six confirmed reports to the Sonora Police Department dating back to May 18 of antisemitic flyers in bags being found outside homes on North Arbona Circle, Morning Star Court, West Jackson Street, West Sunset Drive, Elk Drive, and North Stewart Street.

The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office has also received reports over the past month of the flyers being found on residential streets in Columbia, Tuolumne and the unincorporated area of Sonora.

Slicton, who primarily lives in Alameda and has a residence in Sonora, said she called the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office about the flyers in her father’s neighborhood and described the deputy who spoke to her as “very supportive and concerned.”

“It’s important to draw attention to it right away and be clear that we’re not going to tolerate this kind of activity in our community,” Slicton said.

Laurie Padgett, of Tuolumne, said she found one of the flyers in the front yard of her home on May 6 and soon after learned many of her neighbors had received them, as well.

Padgett said she has always felt safe since moving to the township of Tuolumne from Lake County seven years ago, but finding the flyer in her yard made her feel targeted even though she’s not Jewish.

“To come out and see something like that in front of your house, you think, ‘Who did this and is this directed at me?’ “ she said. “Then finding that it was more widespread, at least you don’t feel like it’s targeted at me, should I be watching over my shoulder … but it was just disappointing to see that kind of thinking in this little town.”

There are widespread reports of the same flyers being found in areas throughout California and the United States over the past year-plus.

The flyers appear to be produced by a recognized antisemitic hate group known as the Goyim Defense League (GDL) that was reportedly founded by a former Sonoma County man , Jon Minadeo, who has since moved to Florida. NGO StopAntisemitism has been following Minadeo and the GDL’s movements nationwide.

Jewish organizations across the Bay Area have been forced to increase security measures due to a recent rise in antisemitic threats, including instances of the same flyers, according to the Marin Independent-Journal.

A representative for a local Jewish organization that covers Tuolumne, Calaveras and Amador counties, who spoke under the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation or harassment, said they stopped publicizing locations of their upcoming events and have hired security guards to be at them in recent years.

The representative had only heard of one instance of the antisemitic flyers being found recently in Calaveras County and said they currently don’t consider it to be an immediate threat, though they believe there should be public awareness about the issue.

“The thing about antisemitism and Nazis is you have to confront them,” the representative said. “History says you can’t be complacent.”

David Duke Defends Roger Waters

Former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters has earned the full-throated endorsement of the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) following a five-date tour of Germany that has ended with a police investigation into allegations of antisemitism against the 79-year-old veteran rocker.

In a posting on Gab, a social media platform much favored by white supremacists, the former KKK Imperial Wizard David Duke praised Waters — a prominent supporter of the “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions” (BDS) campaign targeting Israeli sovereignty —  for confronting the “Jewish Global Deep State” in both his defense of the Palestinians and his opposition to western support for Ukraine as it pushes back against the Russian military invasion.

Former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters has earned the full-throated endorsement of the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) following a five-date tour of Germany that has ended with a police investigation into allegations of antisemitism against the 79-year-old veteran rocker.

In a posting on Gab, a social media platform much favored by white supremacists, the former KKK Imperial Wizard David Duke praised Waters — a prominent supporter of the “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions” (BDS) campaign targeting Israeli sovereignty —  for confronting the “Jewish Global Deep State” in both his defense of the Palestinians and his opposition to western support for Ukraine as it pushes back against the Russian military invasion.

Waters has been vocal in criticizing western support for Ukraine’s democratic government and for arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “fighting fascism.” In Feb., the singer delivered a rambling speech to the UN Security Council at the invitation of the Russian mission to the world body, a few days after giving an interview to a German news outlet in which he argued that Russia was morally superior to Israel as “Moscow does not run an apartheid state based on the genocide of the indigenous inhabitants.”

Duke’s defense of Waters came just days after police in Berlin announced an investigation into Waters for appearing in a Nazi-style uniform during his May 17-18 shows at the Mercedes Benz Arena in the German capital. Waters has rejected the accusation that the uniform was an endorsement of Nazism, pointing out that it first featured in Pink Floyd’s 1982 conceptual album and movie “The Wall,” in which the main character, Pink, is driven by drug abuse and other pressures into becoming a Nazi-like figure.

NGO StopAntisemitism featured Roger Waters as their “Antisemite of the Week” for his ongoing antisemitic speech and performances throughout his shows, most recently in Germany.

“My recent appearance in Berlin has provoked malicious attacks from those who want to slander and silence me because they disagree with my political views and moral principles,” Waters stated in the show’s aftermath.

Among those backing a legal prosecution against Waters is Felix Klein, the leading German federal official tasked with combating antisemitism. Following the Berlin concerts, Klein urged the police and the judicial authorities to “remain vigilant,” at the same time encouraging members of the audience to file complaints against Waters.

At his final show in Frankfurt on Sunday night, Waters refrained from donning the offending uniform, saying that wearing it would be inappropriate given the history of the Festhalle, the venue where he performed, where in Nov. 1938 more than 3,000 Jews were arrested, beaten and tortured by the Nazi regime prior to being deported to concentration camps. Several pro-Israel demonstrators lined the pathway to the Festhalle on Sunday night, waving Israeli flags and holding signs condemning antisemitism. Among those addressing the demonstrators was the city’s mayor, Mike Josef of the center-left SPD Party, who pledged that “Frankfurt will remain the best city for Jews” and that “a concert like this in the Festhalle must definitely not be repeated.”

German Youth Soccer VP Suspended Following Antisemitic Fiasco

The vice-president of a Berlin soccer team whose players were disciplined after they proffered Nazi salutes and antisemitic invective towards a rival Jewish team has been subjected to a two-year ban.

The Berlin Football Association (BFV) announced the ban against Ergün Cakir — vice-president of the club CFC Hertha 06 — on Thursday. Cakir will also be required to pay a 1,000 Euro fine.

Players from CFC Hertha 06 assailed their visiting opponents from the German-Jewish club TuS Makkabi Berlin after the match referee blew the final whistle in contest between the two sides on Nov. 13 last year, which Makkabi won 7-4.

In extraordinary scenes that were documented in a special report by the referee, Ender Apaydin, the Makkabi players were threatened with “cremation” — a reference to the Nazi gas chambers — while Apaydin himself was told that he had been “bought by the Jews,” the Berliner Zeitung news outlet reported on Monday.

According to Apaydin, trouble began when the Makkabi players, who are drawn from many nationalities and ethnicities in the Berlin league’s 17-19 age group, attempted take a team photo while standing on the Hertha pitch in front of an Israeli flag. Cakir’s son, who plays for Hertha, approached the group, screaming, “I’ll f*** your country and your flag, you sons of b*****. Take down the flag or I’ll cremate you and your dirty flag, you b******, like the Germans did to you.”

NGO StopAntisemitism reported these remarks to their followers on Twitter.

Cakir was interviewed about the incident in a subsequent television documentary about antisemitism in sport.

“My son will hate the Jews for the rest of his life – I know that 100 percent,” he declared.

He then complained that no-one had engaged in a dialogue with his son. “They said from the start, ‘we are Jews, we have the right, we can do anything we want,'” he said.

BFV President Bernd Schultz said that the punitive action against Cakir should “be seen as a clear signal that antisemitism will not be tolerated in the Berlin Football Association and will have clear consequences,” in remarks reported by Sport1 news outlet.

Illinois Catholic School Spectators Shout Antisemitic Slurs at Opposing Team During Soccer Match

Antisemitic slurs shouted by a spectator during a recent girl’s soccer playoff game between St. Viator High School and Deerfield High have been condemned by both schools.

The remarks during the May 23 game in Deerfield were aimed at Deerfield players, who represent a community with a sizable Jewish population.

"As a school community, we stand united against all acts of hatred on our campus, in our local communities, and across our nation and our globe," Deerfield High School Principal Kathryn Anderson said in an email to the school community. "We will stand up and fight against prejudice."

St. Viator is a private Catholic school. Its president, the Rev. Dan Lydon, called the jeers "deplorable and unacceptable."

"Saint Viator High School and the entire Viatorian community make every effort to provide a community of faith that supports and recognizes those of all faiths," Lydon said in a statement posted to the Arlington Heights school's website. "We strongly condemn antisemitism, and we will not tolerate hateful acts or discrimination of any kind."

Lydon couldn't be reached for additional comment Wednesday.

The taunts, which included references to the Holocaust, were hollered by a male spectator during the second half of the Class 2A sectional semifinal contest.

The then-scoreless game was halted for about 10 minutes after Deerfield player Jessie Fisher reported the taunting to game officials.

Fisher, who is Jewish, was surprised and angered by what she'd heard. So were her teammates.

"Everyone was like, 'Did that really happen?'" Fisher said Wednesday.

Fisher said it was the first time she'd personally been confronted with antisemitism. Reports of antisemitic incidents reached an all-time high in the U.S. in 2022, but the problem didn't feel real to Fisher until she heard the taunts.

"I was pretty upset," she said.

Before play resumed, the stadium announcer warned the crowd that no hate speech would be allowed during the game.

"I never would've thought that I'd be playing on my own field and would hear something and (wouldn't) feel safe," Fisher said.

Rabbi Richard Prass, whose daughter Ruth is on the Deerfield squad, was in the crowd to cheer her team and heard the announcement. He later learned what prompted it.   

"Antisemitism and hate speech has made it to local high school soccer game ... my children's high school!" he said in a Facebook post. "This man who shouted the antisemitic slur which has echoes of Nazi Germany should be condemned."

St. Viator went on to win 1-0.

During the traditional postgame handshake, Deerfield coach Rich Grady told St. Viator coach Byron DeLeon about the nature of the comments that had disrupted the match. In response, DeLeon said he'd look into the matter.

The fan who shouted the comments hasn't been identified.

Anderson praised her school's athletes for speaking up.

"No one should ever face this vile behavior or fear for their safety and security," she said.

The Deerfield athletes are planning a public response to the slurs.

"We all want to do something," Fisher said. "The first step is to have people be aware that these things do happen."

Grady said he's "extremely proud" of his players.

St. Viator returned to Deerfield on Friday for the sectional championship game against Lake Forest.

Ahead of the match, a sign was posted at the entrance to the Deerfield High stadium proclaiming the school doesn't tolerate "antisemitism, racism or any other hateful comments based on race, religion, gender or sexual orientation." Similar signs will be posted at all Deerfield High athletic facilities, Grady said.

Also Friday, Deerfield's stadium announcer read a statement from Athletic Director Nate Flannery denouncing the slurs.

Pittsburgh Playground Plagued with Anti-Jewish Propaganda

The Wightman Park and Playground in Squirrel Hill is the latest place where multiple people reportedly found several antisemitic stickers and flyers.

“We don’t need these stickers here. We don’t want any more propaganda or rhetoric getting out there,” said the organization’s Director of Community Security, Shawn Brokos.

Brokos first learned about the propaganda from a post on Reddit that reads, in part, “I’ve removed at least 15 Nazi stickers and flyers so far.”

“When we get these reports, we do a lot of intelligence work to better determine who these groups are that are posting,” explained Brokos.

Her organization monitors activity like this all throughout the area, working with police and the FBI.

Brokos says nearly two dozen people have reported a number of public places in Squirrel Hill and Oakland being targeted with similar imagery in the last couple weeks.

“We have a very strong community outreach group where people will either call us, they’ll email us, post it online,” Brokos said. “The information gets to us pretty quickly.”

At Wightman Park, 11 News spoke to Squirrel Hill resident Al Zeman, who is upset by the stickers and flyers.

“I’m just enjoying sitting here, and to think that there’s that kind of poison atmosphere out there is very disturbing,” he said.

Unfortunately, with the synagogue shooting trial now underway, Brokos expects to see more hateful images popping up in the area.

“[The flyer] contained a hate symbol, a swastika, which is traumatizing, and now we see that on day one of the trial,” Brokos said. “The community’s already been traumatized, and now this is one more thing that they have to see as a constant reminder of the threats that are out there against the Jewish community.”

The Jewish Federation is asking community members to contact them about any anti-Semitic flyers or stickers — and suggests removing them or crossing them out, if possible.

11 News reached out to Pittsburgh Police, who said:

“Police in Zone 4 are aware and they are investigating. Beyond that, Public Safety has no additional information to share at this time.”