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British Library that Honors Holocaust Survivors Defaced by Nazi Insignia

Antisemitic graffiti has been found in a town that welcomed Holocaust victims after the war. 

Cumbria Police is investigating after the graffiti was spotted in Windermere Library.

The vandal(s) daubed a swastika and a love heart in white on the side of the library. The graffiti was spotted by a number of residents and librarians.

The police confirmed the incident took place on September 2 and was logged as a crime which is now under investigation. 

The location of the graffiti is where the Lake District Holocaust Project hosts its exhibition, which tells the story of the 300 Jewish children who came to the Lake District in 1945 after surviving the horrors of the Holocaust.

Trevor Avery, of the Lake District Holocaust Project, said there had been a pattern of this kind of graffiti in the area with one similar incident spotted in Queen's Park in Windermere last year.

"It is becoming increasingly prevalent whatever the motives are for doing it and the police recognise that this even takes root in our pretty area of the Lake District," he said.

"It is really unpleasant and I'm disappointed. The vast majority of people in the village were embarrassed and ashamed of it. 

"You can imagine how the visitors felt when they came to the exhibition and were greeted by a swastika on the wall. 

"There is nothing funny about it or edgy. Ultimately, they are just making fools of themselves. I have got to protect the integrity of the exhibition and what its message is."

A group of volunteers from Anti-Racist Cumbria came and cleaned the graffiti on Monday.

Mr. Avery added: "We have got to make what happened 80 years ago relevant to youngsters today and oldest. 

"We have to take this seriously because it has happened too often. If it is a casual act of racism we have got to deal with it."

California School District Probing Antisemitic Incident Involving Students Saluting Hitler

The River Delta Unified School District is investigating after a photo depicting several high school students holding up a Nazi salute is circulating on social media.

ABC10 reached out to the district for comment after receiving the photo.

The district sent the following statement: “Thank you for reaching out to gather more information about this serious and critically urgent situation. We were made aware of this unacceptable and inexcusable student behavior just yesterday evening. Shortly after learning about it, our administrative team began preparing for a thorough investigation which began first thing this morning. Because the situation is under careful investigation, we are not able to provide any additional information at this time.

We absolutely will not tolerate such horrific behaviors and actions and appropriate disciplinary actions will be assigned immediately as these behaviors are in direct opposition to the values, beliefs, and goals of our schools and the district as a whole. We wholeheartedly will only accept actions and behaviors that respect, protect and celebrate the wonderful diversity of our student population and the community and world at large.”

Florida Police Searching for Suspect in Latest Antisemitic 'Goyim Defense League' Flyer Drop

A criminal investigation is underway after someone left antisemitic flyers in a New Smyrna Beach neighborhood.

Joe Kellermeier found the flyers in a plastic bag on his driveway. "Oh my gosh. What is wrong with people? What is wrong with you?" Kellermeier said.

The advocacy organization fighting antisemitism - StopAntisemitism - has attributed the antisemitic flyers to the Goyim Defense League (GDL). The league travels the country distributing these hateful flyers targeted Jewish communities. Similar flyers were found is surrounding counties over the weekend.

"I took a walk around the neighborhood 3:45, 4 o'clock. There was one of those plastic bags on every driveway," Kellermeier said.

New Smyrna police said they were called to a neighborhood near State Road 44 and Interstate 95 Monday about the flyers, which were in a plastic bag with some sort of substance.

And now police are sharing a flyer of their own trying to identify the suspect. They believe it was a man who may have been driving a dark-colored Honda sedan with South Carolina plates.

Kellermeier hopes they find him. "Hate in any religious specification is wrong," he said.

Florida Residents Discover Antisemitic 'Goyim Defense League' (GDL) Messages at Their Homes

Some Orange County neighbors say messages of hate, white supremacy, and antisemitism were thrown in their front yards overnight.

When they found them Sunday morning, they called the Orange County Sheriff's Office to investigate.

"The other one has a swastika," said a resident, who did not want to be named.

The advocacy organization fighting antisemitism - StopAntisemitism - has attributed the antisemitic flyers to the Goyim Defense League (GDL). The league travels the country distributing these hateful flyers targeted Jewish communities.

A man living in the Sand Lake Hills community says he and his neighbors found several Ziploc bags left in their front yards Sunday.

He says inside were some messages of hate, white supremacy, and antisemitism.

He didn't want to show his face on camera, but he did want to express his frustration.

"We're not trying to give them positive press here, but I think there needs to be something in the (legislation) that they don't feel it's OK that they can go and terrorize people, especially after mass shootings," the resident said.

His neighborhood is a tight-knit group with families from different backgrounds, including those of Jewish descent.

"So we're soliciting anyone with video cameras in the neighborhood now. The doorbell rings, etcetera, etcetera, so we can build the case against these people," the resident said.

There have been several cases of antisemitism in Central Florida. People want to see some change.

"Let's not wait until something happens. We have enough resources and information and cameras and printing and DNA and fingerprints, etcetera, etcetera, where these people shouldn't be able to do this in year after year, after year without someone taking responsibility," the resident said.

He says the Orange County Sheriff's Office is aware and is looking into who was behind the bags.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office released a statement Sunday afternoon, saying it's aware of the flyers distributed in the area.

"We know these groups demonstrate and distribute hateful flyers in high profile areas in order to agitate and incite people with antisemitic symbols and slurs. The Orange County Sheriff's Office deplores hate speech in any form. But people have the First Amendment right to demonstrate. What these groups do is revolting and condemned in the strongest way by Sheriff Mina and the Sheriff's Office," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

Neo-Nazi 'Blood Tribe' and 'Goyim Defense League' (GDL) Parade Swastika Flags in Orlando

Neo-Nazis marching near Orlando, Florida, over the weekend were confronted by a Black man in a video that was posted to social media on Sunday.

The Orlando-area has recently been the site of several far-right protests, stirring concerns from local residents amid a nationwide increase in antisemitic and racist hate crimes in recent years. Over the weekend, videos from several neo-Nazi protests were posted to social media, showing neo-Nazis march near Orlando, including at the gates of Walt Disney World.

One neo-Nazi march occurred alongside a busy road off the highway in Altamonte Springs, a suburb north of downtown Orlando. During that rally, participants shouted anti-gay and racist slurs, along with chants of "white power," according to video footage posted by StopAntisemitism on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The neo-Nazi marchers were confronted by a Black man, who was driving by the protest. Video footage appears to show the participants shouting racial slurs at him, as the man asks, "Why ya'll got those masks on?"—a reference to the cloth neo-Nazis often wear over their face to conceal their identities.

People hold swastika flags as neo-Nazi groups Blood Tribe and Goyim Defense League hold a rally on September 2 in Orlando, Florida. Video posted to social media showed a Black man confront neo-Nazis protesting in an Orlando suburb over the weekend.

"WARNING HATE SPEECH: It's important you see this. To know these people exist. During the 'Red Shirts March' of the neo Nazi groups 'Blood Trib' and 'Goyim Defense League' in Orlando, a black man drives by "Why y'all got those masks on" a moment of levity," posted video journalist Sandi Bachom.

This march was one of several recent neo-Nazi events held near Orlando.

Florida state Representative Anna Eskamani posted video footage showing a nearby protest at Cranes Roost Park, also in Altamonte Springs. During that protest, they were shouting, "We are everywhere," she wrote on X on Saturday. "Absolutely disgusting stuff and another example of the far right extremism growing in FL."

An Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesperson told Newsweek on Monday that a separate neo-Nazi protest occurred at the entrance of Walt Disney World on Saturday. The rally began at about 10:40 a.m. ET and lasted for two hours in the area of Hotel Plaza Boulevard and East Buena Vista Drive, near the Disney Springs shopping complex.

No arrests were made, the spokesperson added.

"We know these groups demonstrate in high profile areas in order to agitate and incite people with anti-Semitic symbols and slurs. The Orange County Sheriff's Office deplores hate speech in any form, but people have the First Amendment right to demonstrate. What these groups do is revolting and condemned in the strongest way by Sheriff Mina and the Sheriff's Office. They are looking for attention, and specifically media attention," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that law enforcement was unsure exactly where or when the Altamonte Springs incident occurred.

More Anti-Jewish 'Goyim Defense League' (GDL) Propaganda Found in Florida

Neighbors in West Melbourne feel violated and disturbed after antisemitic flyers ended up on their driveways in the middle of the night. 

It happened overnight on Sunday and some homeowners said it’s never happened in their quiet community before. Not knowing who’s behind the hate adds even more uncertainty. 

The advocacy organization fighting antisemitism - StopAntisemitism - has attributed the antisemitic flyers to the Goyim Defense League (GDL). The league travels the country distributing these hateful flyers targeted Jewish communities. Similar flyers were found in a nearby cities over the weekend.

FOX 35 News spoke with one homeowner who was walking her dog just before 5 a.m. She didn’t even make it past her driveway when a bag on the ground caught her eye.

"Where did that come from? Who’s behind that?" asked Linda Sartori, who was one of the first people to discover the troubling flyer and immediately called police and FOX 35 News.  

She’s only lived in West Melbourne for about six months and she wasn’t expecting to see something so troubling a few feet away from her home. 

"To find something on the ground of a hate kind of thing was very disturbing to me, you know," she added. 

She quickly realized she wasn’t alone and started noticing flyers in other driveways. 

Paula Irion also lives in the community. She didn’t see the flyers herself but said that isn’t normal.

"How dare they? How dare they come on, even if they didn’t come on the property, just spreading hate. I don’t like that," Irion said. 

That hate can have harsher consequences thanks to a new law sponsored by Rep. Randy Fine.

"You don’t have the right to litter on someone else’s property, and if you are caught, the penalties have gone up quite a bit in the state of Florida, you might find yourself in prison for a few years," the Brevard County representative said. 

Fine says these actions are not free speech, and those responsible for the flyers need to be held accountable. His new law makes the crime a third-degree felony in the state of Florida. 

West Melbourne Mayor Hal Rosesaid in a statement to FOX 35 News: "This type of hatred can’t and won’t be tolerated in our West Melbourne community or our state for that matter. Our police department are interviewing people and gathering flyers. Hopefully, these sick people will be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." 

If police find the person responsible for the flyers, they could be in prison for longer than five years because of how the crimes are prosecuted. Fine said it’s five years per incident. 

That means if there was a flyer in two separate driveways, that’s 10 years and the number can keep rising per flyer.

Fan Removed from U.S. Open for Shouting Hitler Related Slurs

A fan was ejected from a U.S. Open tennis match early Tuesday morning after German player Alexander Zverev complained the man used language from Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime. StopAntisemitism shared an image of the individual to Twitter.

Zverev, the No. 12 seed, was serving at 2-2 in the fourth set of his match against No. 6 Jannik Sinner when he suddenly went to chair umpire James Keothavong and pointed toward the fan, who was sitting in a section behind the umpire.

“He just said the most famous Hitler phrase there is in this world,” Zverev told Keothavong. “It’s not acceptable.”

Keothavong turned backward and asked the fan to identify himself, then asked fans to be respectful to both players. Then, during the changeover shortly after Zverev held serve, the fan was identified by spectators seated near him, and he was removed by security.

“A disparaging remark was directed toward Alexander Zverev,” U.S. Tennis Association spokesman Chris Widmaier said, “The fan was identified and escorted from the stadium.”

Zverev said after the match that he's had fans make derogatory comments before, but not involving Hitler.

“He started singing the anthem of Hitler that was back in the day. It was ‘Deutschland über alles’ and it was a bit too much,” Zverev said.

“I think he was getting involved in the match for a long time, though. I don’t mind it, I love when fans are loud, I love when fans are emotional. But I think me being German and not really proud of that history, it’s not really a great thing to do and I think him sitting in one of the front rows, I think a lot of people heard it. So if I just don’t react, I think it’s bad from my side.”

Zverev went on to drop that set, when he began to struggle with the humid condition s after Sinner had been cramping badly in the third set. But Zverev recovered to win the fifth set, wrapping up the match that lasted 4 hours, 41 minutes at about 1:40 a.m. He will play defending U.S. Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

Zverev said it wasn't hard to move past the fan's remark.

“It’s his loss, to be honest, to not witness the final two sets of that match,” Zverev said.

Florida Hit Again with Antisemitic 'Goyim Defense League' (GDL) Flyers

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday that residents of two developments had antisemitic content left in their neighborhoods.

The sheriff’s office told WPBF 25 News that residents in the Emerald Forest and Sugar Pond Manor developments had a small bag with antisemitic and extremist speech brochures left on the edge of their driveways.

The advocacy organization fighting antisemitism - StopAntisemitism - has attributed the antisemitic flyers to the Goyim Defense League (GDL). The league travels the country distributing these hateful flyers targeted Jewish communities. Similar flyers were found in a nearby city earlier this month.

The sheriff’s office added its deputies collected the items and said there were no direct threats made at this time.

West Palm Beach police said someone also left similar packets on four different streets in the city's southeast end.

The Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office said they found about 100 of the packets and told residents:

"If you find a packet, it is suggested that you use a plastic bag or gloves to pick it up and throw it away. Please do not attempt to open it. Discard it immediately."

In March, Atlantis police arrested Nicholas Bysheim in connection to passing out similar flyers.

Bysheim told WPBF 25 News that he was exercising his right to free speech and did not intend to stop.

“I’m going to continue distributing literature in my nation, my nation. Lineage built this nation,” said Bysheim.

Lerman said officials need to continue prosecuting the people behind the flyers.

"And maybe that needs to be their wakeup call, that this is something that they need to rethink. And their message needs to be silenced," said Lerman.

West Palm Beach Police said they were looking at surveillance video for clues and asked residents to check their own cameras.

The sheriff’s office added its deputies collected the items and said there were no direct threats made at this time.

Vandals Target New Synagogue in Southeast Florida

A new synagogue under construction in southwest Miami-Dade County is out thousands of dollars after vandals broke into the site and damaged much-needed equipment.

Rabbi Yossi Harlig, of the Chabad of Kendall, spoke to Local 10 News’ Rosh Lowe and said it won’t stop them from moving forward.

“All these wires were running up top and they ripped them all down,” he said. “This is the electric box -- they came in and cut it all out.” StopAntisemitism shared imagery of the extensive damage to the center’s electrical equipment.

Harlig awoke Tuesday morning to see that his new synagogue under construction had been vandalized.

“One thing we know is that we are not going to let a story like this stop us from opening up a center,” he said.

On the campus, there will not only be a synagogue, but also the new home for the Friendship Circle, which provides 26 programs for 300 families with special needs children.

“From here, you have to pull it out and re-run it,” Harlig said of the wiring that was pulled out.

Harlig said there were so many people who were looking forward to the completion of the project.

“We came in the morning. Especially for a building like this -- this will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he said. “That’s why it was so painful when we walked in. Why would someone want to do something like that?”

A GoFundMe page was started to help the synagogue pay for the cost of repairing the damage, and that page can be found by clicking here.

British Neo-Nazi Prison Guard Jailed for Waging Race War Against Jews

Ashley Podsiad-Sharp, from Barnsley, kept the handbook - containing detailed advice on how to kill people in a race war - in an encrypted hard drive.

He was convicted at trial of possessing a document likely to be useful in preparing an act of terrorism.

The 42-year-old worked at HMP Armley in Leeds until his arrest in May 2022.

Sentencing him to eight years in jail Judge Jeremy Richardson KC said Podsiad-Sharp "idolizes Hitler," denies the Holocaust and hates Jewish and gay people.

He described Podsiad-Sharp's White Stag Athletic Club (WSAC) as "a cauldron of self-absorbed neo-Nazism masquerading as a low grade all-male sports club" which he used to "camouflage your real purpose, to incite violence against those you hated".

Members of the group, in which Podsiad-Sharp called himself "Sarge", were required to prove they were racist to gain access and were questioned about their racial heritage and sexuality during a vetting process, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Judge Richardson said he was confident members of the group would eventually have committed acts of terrorist violence.

A far-right handbook called the White Resistance Manual was found on Podsiad-Sharp's computer and hard drive by counter-terrorism police.

The 200-page document called for armed resistance against the "threat to the white race" from Jews and non-white people and gave detailed information on how to build weapons and carry out terror attacks, the court heard.

Weapons including a bow and arrows, an eight-inch knife and an axe were found in Podsiad-Sharp's house.

Prosecutor Denise Bree-Lawton told Thursday's sentencing hearing that Podsiad-Sharp had "trained like a soldier" preparing for "armed struggle" as well as waging a "war of words" online to advance the message of white supremacy.

Peter Eguae, in mitigation, said there was no evidence Podsiad-Sharp "used or endorsed" the manual. He said his client "abhors violence" and used his weapons for archery and camping.

He argued Podsiad-Sharp's admiration for Hitler "doesn't make him a terrorist".

But Judge Richardson said he believed the manual was an "integral part" of Podsiad-Sharp's "malign purpose" of "encouraging acute violence towards those you hate".

He told the defendant: "You were recruiting men with equally malevolent views.

"I have no doubt whatsoever you harboured terrorist intentions and your motivation was terrorism.

"I have little to no doubt one or more of those individuals would have indulged in violence towards a minority group that you, and they, hated."

He said the "extremely dangerous" defendant must serve an additional five years on licence following his release from prison and would be subject to a serious crime prevention order which restricts his use of the internet.

Dressed in a T-shirt bearing the motto of Benito Mussolini's fascist paramilitary Blackshirts, Podsiad-Sharp gestured to supporters as he was led away to prison, saying "Jesus knows the truth".

Judge Richardson added he would write to justice secretary Alex Chalk MP to express concerns about Podsiad-Sharp's role at HMP Armley, where he said the defendant would have had access to vulnerable and disaffected white men.

"I have no idea what, if any, vetting was undertaken by the prison service when you obtained your job as a prison officer or what monitoring there was of you once in post," he said.

"A man with the perverted and extremely dangerous views you hold should never be employed in the responsible position of a prison officer."

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "While this appalling behaviour did not take place on our estate, we are absolutely clear there is no place in the Prison Service for anyone with such hateful and insidious views.

"Everyone applying to be a prison officer faces rigorous vetting processes to identify beliefs which would make them unsuitable for their position - which can result in employment being refused - and will always take immediate disciplinary action where staff are found to hold or disseminate extremist views."

Another California Elementary School Vandalized with Swastika

A student at an elementary school in Carmichael on Wednesday found a drawing of a Nazi swastika in a student bathroom on campus, officials said. Juliann Wolney, the principal at Del Dayo Elementary School, said in a message to parents that the student saw the Nazi swastika drawing during the lunch break.

The swastika, an antisemitic symbol commonly used by hate groups, was found on the wall of a bathroom stall. The swastika found at the Carmichael school came three days after campus staff found graffiti with antisemitic language and symbols at another San Juan Unified School District campus. That graffiti was removed before students arrived on campus Monday morning.

Raj Rai, a spokeswoman for the school district, said on Thursday there’s no indication that the antisemitic graffiti found Wednesday at Del Dayo is related to the antisemitic vandalism found at the Gold River Discovery Center, a K-8 school in the community of Gold River.

Rai said a single drawing of a swastika was found at Del Dayo; no other graffiti was found on the campus. The student who spotted the graffiti at Del Dayo on Wednesday reported it to school staff. Wolney said staff responded immediately and removed the drawing.

“Our school stands for respect and inclusion, and Del Dayo is a place where all are welcome and appreciated,” Wolney said in a message to parents. “Actions, symbols or language that exclude or demean others are not in alignment with our school community’s standards and will not be tolerated.”

The principal asked parents to take this opportunity to speak with their children about the impact that “vandalism such as this can cause.” “Students have brainstormed a list of ideas to repair any harm that may have occurred due to the swastika symbol being drawn on the wall,” Wolney told parents. “Action will be taken (Thursday) to carry out these ideas.”

The antisemitic graffiti found at the Gold River Discovery Center campus was reported to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. The school district spokeswoman said school staff is working with the district’s safe schools team to investigate the vandalism.

On Sunday, school staff found the antisemitic graffiti in several areas throughout the Gold River Discovery Center campus, Principal Kim Zeltvay said in a message sent to parents Monday. Like the Del Dayo principal, Zeltvay told parents her school “stands for respect and inclusion,” and vandalism such as this “will not be tolerated.”

She also encouraged parents to speak to their children about the impact of this type of vandalism. “I would like to ask that you and all of the Gold River Discovery Center community continue to keep an eye out for suspicious activity on or near our campus and to report anything out of the ordinary to school staff members and law enforcement,” Zeltway said in the message to parents. “Should you or your student have any information regarding this incident, please reach out to a staff member as soon as possible.”

Vandals Deface Colorado Park Bench with Nazi Symbols

Swastikas were carved and spray-painted into a park bench at Memorial Park Field in Steamboat Springs, just down the road from Steamboat Springs High School.

The multiple swastikas were found on Wednesday at the new park table that was placed on the edge of Memorial Park Field, in an area called Kaster’s Cove along the creek, said Shannon Lukens from Steamboat Radio.

Steamboat Springs Parks and Recreation Department put the park table in Kaster’s Cove earlier this summer. After hearing about the incident, Matt Barnard with Parks and Rec planned to remove the table on Wednesday.

“We don’t need to have that out there in our community,” Barnard told Steamboat Radio.

Barnard said the plan is to either resurface the table or replace the boards.

As of Wednesday morning, Steamboat Springs Police were notified and began an investigation into the vandalism. Steamboat Springs School District was also notified.

If you have any information on the vandalism, please contact Steamboat Springs Police at 970-879-1144.

California Area Chabad Jewish Center Robbed, Vandalized

Jewelry, electronic devices, equipment, credit card machines, and even charity boxes filled with donations all gone after a thief ransacked the Chabad of Bakersfield on Wednesday. StopAntisemitism shared an image of the suspect and the structural damage to their Twitter platform.

“Immediately, my heart dropped as I ran for the synagogue to go to the ark where we keep our sacred Torah scrolls. We have two sacred Torah scrolls,” said Rabbi Shmuel Schlanger.

Schlanger says the scrolls contain 600,000 letters transcribed by hand taking over a year to write making them priceless. “It’s the most valuable religious item, but not just valuable monetary wise, but in sacredness,” said Schlanger.

Now, with the Jewish holidays fast approaching Rabbi Schlanger wants the community to understand more than ever, this theft was not motivated by hate.

“This was not a targeted hate crime on the Jewish community. This is a problem in the community with rampant amounts of theft,” he said.

Rabbi Schlanger says he’s going to beef up security with a new alarm system, new Ring cameras, more secure doors with better locks, and 25 feet of more fencing since the thief was able to scale a 9-foot wall at a site that already has at least a dozen cameras.

Schlanger told 17 News he discontinued a security service just days before the robbery. “It could very well be that somebody knows somebody that knows somebody that gave this guy, this individual a heads up,” said Schlanger.

At the end of the day, Rabbi Schlanger says he’s thankful for the solidarity and support of the Bakersfield community. He also wants to share a message for the man who shattered the glass door and ransacked the rooms of a synagogue.

“If you’re gonna break into a synagogue take a Bible with you,” said Rabbi Schlanger. “Take two if you have a buddy that you think needs one too. And there it will teach you to be guided in life. That God will provide without having to steal.”

The Bakersfield Police Department wants your help identifying the suspect. Authorities say he’s a man in his 30s with brown hair last seen wearing a plaid jacket and blue jeans. If you have any information call the Bakersfield Police Department at 661-327-7111, or contact Detective R. Garcia at 661-326-3555.

English Pair Arrested for Carving Swastikas on Pigeons

Cambridgeshire Police were called on 22 August to reports of dead birds that had been found mutilated in the High Street, St Neots.

A woman and a man, both in their 20s, have been arrested on suspicion of a racial/religious public order offence.

They remained in custody, police said.

The arrested woman was 21 years old and from Baldock, Hertfordshire, while the man was aged 23 and from Chatteris in Cambridgeshire.

NYPD Apprehends Individual Harassing Jews

After being trailed by Williamsburg Shomrim for an hour, the NYPD arrested a man who was blaring antisemitic remarks over a loudspeaker in a Jewish neighborhood. U.S. based Jewish advocacy group - StopAntisemitism - shared the image of the suspect on Twitter.

On Monday evening, a man began making antisemitic remarks over a loudspeaker in front of the Satmar Beis Medrash at 152 Rodney Street in Williamsburg, as well as in front of a nearby wedding hall.

NYPD was notified and Williamsburg Shomrim followed the suspect for an hour until the NYPD arrived and took him into custody. Witnesses reported to the police that they heard him making remarks including that “Hitler should have finished the job” and other such antisemitic comments.

The suspect is being questioned by the police of the 90th Precinct and was later interrogated by the Hate Crimes Unit of the NYPD.

Canadian Antique Store Under Fire for Continuing to Sell Nazi Memorabilia

An antique shop in Waterloo Ontario finds itself under fire for displaying and selling a piece of Nazi memorabilia. The item, a 1930s Nazi tunic with a party pin and armband, is priced at $6,500 and sold at St. Jacobs Antiques Market.

Customer Jeremy Scharoun expressed his shock and disgust upon seeing the item. “It was just to profit off something pretty obscene,” he said to CityNews, emphasizing that there’s a significant difference between selling such an item and using it for educational purposes.

Scharoun later reiterated his concerns to store staff, who maintained that the items are historical pieces.

The store, in a statement to CityNews, confirmed that they sell military memorabilia from various eras, including both World Wars. They highlighted that their intention is to educate people about history, not to support Nazism. However, Scharoun argues against the idea of profiting from genocide.

Furthermore, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) has urged the antique dealer to halt the sale of the Nazi uniform, warning against it potentially falling into the hands of extremists. FSWC President and CEO Michael Levitt said in a statement, “This Nazi uniform belongs in an appropriate educational institution... Otherwise, it may end up in the wrong hands, including extremists and Nazi sympathizers.”

This is not the first time a vendor at a St. Jacobs antiques shop has sparked controversy by offering Nazi memorabilia for sale. In 2015, a vendor at Market Road Antiques tried to sell a letter signed by Adolf Hitler, items bearing swastikas, and a ring belonging to an SS officer before a petition resulted in the vendor removing the items from sale.

“FSWC’s position about this latest incident is consistent with its past condemnation of previous sales of Nazi memorabilia in Canada,” FSWC said in a statement.

St. Jacobs Antiques Market has responded to the backlash to CityNews, suggesting that the criticisms might be “a deliberate attack on our business for personal gains.”

New Jersey Township Settles Lawsuit Over Discrimination Against Orthodox Jews

New Jersey’s Jackson Township has settled a state lawsuit alleging that it used local ordinances to discriminate against Orthodox Jews, after settling both a federal complaint and a private lawsuit based on similar claims.

In the settlement with the state attorney general, Jackson Township will pay $575,000 in penalties and restitution funds, repeal the ordinances that allegedly target Orthodox Jews and adopt new policies and procedures that protect religious freedom. It will also form a multicultural committee composed of residents that will meet quarterly to combat discrimination, and local officials will undergo anti-discrimination training.

“No one in New Jersey should face discrimination for their religious beliefs,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement. “We are firmly committed to eliminating discrimination and bias across our state, and we expect local leaders to comply with our robust anti-discrimination laws.”

The settlement comes after years in which officials and community groups in and around Jackson have been accused of trying to push out Orthodox residents. Jackson borders the heavily Orthodox city of Lakewood, and Orthodox Jews have moved into the surrounding towns as Lakewood’s population has swelled.

Activists organized to oppose the arrival of the new residents, including one group that repurposed a famous anti-Nazi poem to cast Orthodox Jews as a threat to the area’s quality of life. In 2019 and 2020, there were multiple instances of swastika graffiti on Jewish-owned property in Jackson.

Local Jewish leaders accused the activists as well as local officials of antisemitism, with a synagogue suing Jackson in 2014 for barring it from building a girls high school. In 2020, the U.S. Justice Department sued Jackson, alleging that it banned religious boarding schools to keep out Orthodox residents. Jackson settled the federal suit last year for $200,000 and a repeal of the boarding school ban. It settled the synagogue’s suit in January for $1.35 million.

The state attorney general filed its suit in 2021, alleging that the township had adopted discriminatory zoning and land use ordinances as well as enforcement practices that targeted Orthodox Jews. The suit said those practices violated New Jersey’s anti-discrimination law.

According to the complaint, which was filed by the the previous state attorney general and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, the township engaged in discriminatory surveillance of the homes of Orthodox Jews, hoping to spot prayer gatherings that contravened local ordinances. (The city of Miami Beach in Florida recently agreed to pay a single congregation $1.3 million after facing a lawsuit over similar allegations.)

The complaint alleged that the township applied land use laws and zoning ordinances unfairly to inhibit the construction of yeshivas and dormitories as well as sukkahs, the temporary huts built for the fall festival of Sukkot. And it said the town effectively banned the creation of an eruv, or symbolic boundary made of string that allows observant Jews to carry items outdoors on Shabbat.

Under the terms of the settlement, Jackson is required to notify the state of any decision or regulation that would affect local religious land use or practice. The state will monitor the township’s compliance with the settlement requirements for three years.

“Religious freedom is a bedrock principle of American democracy, and we are deeply committed to protecting it here in New Jersey,” Sundeep Iyer, director of the state Division on Civil Rights, said in a statement. “As hate and bias – including against the Jewish community – continue to rise, it is critical that we call out religious discrimination when we see it, and it is especially important that we hold public officials accountable when they treat people differently based on their faith.”