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Canadian Parliament Gives Nazi WWII Soldier Standing Ovation For

UPDATE September 27, 2023: The speaker, Anthony Rota of Canada's House of Commons lower chamber on Tuesday said he would quit, a few days after he publicly praised a former Nazi soldier in Parliament in an incident that Russia said helped justify its war on Ukraine; more here.

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The speaker of Canada’s House of Commons apologized Sunday for recognizing a man who fought in a Nazi military unit during World War II.

Just after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an address in the House of Commons on Friday, Canadian lawmakers gave 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka a standing ovation when Speaker Anthony Rota drew attention to him. Rota introduced Hunka as a Canadian and Ukrainian war hero who fought for the First Ukrainian Division.

Jewish advocacy group fighting antisemitism - StopAntisemitism - shared the video of the incident to Twitter.

The First Ukrainian Division was a voluntary unit commanded by the Nazis that was also known as the Waffen-SS Galicia Division or the SS 14th Waffen Division. It was responsible for “mass murder” and “crimes against humanity during the Holocaust,” according to Canada’s Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center.

“In my remarks following the address of the President of Ukraine, I recognized an individual in the gallery. I have subsequently become aware of more information which causes me to regret my decision to do so,” Rota said in a statement.

He added that his fellow Parliament members and the Ukraine delegation were not aware of his plan to recognize Hunka. Rota noted Hunka, a Ukrainian immigrant, is from his district.

“I particularly want to extend my deepest apologies to Jewish communities in Canada and around the world. I accept full responsibility for my action,” Rota said.

Hunka could not be immediately reached for comment.

Canadian lawmakers cheered and Zelensky raised his fist in acknowledgement as Hunka saluted from the gallery during two separate standing ovations. Rota called him a “Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service.”

Zelensky was in Ottawa to bolster support from Western allies for Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion.

Vladimir Putin has painted his enemies in Ukraine as “neo-Nazis,” even though Zelensky is Jewish and lost relatives in the Holocaust.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office said in a statement that Rota had apologized and accepted full responsibility for issuing the invitation to Hunka and for the recognition in Parliament.

“This was the right thing to do,” Trudeau’s statement said. “No advance notice was provided to the Prime Minister’s Office, nor the Ukrainian delegation, about the invitation or the recognition.”

That did not stop the leader of the opposition, Pierre Poilievre, from slamming an “error in judgment.”

Trudeau’s “personal protocol office is responsible for arranging and vetting all guests and programming for state visits of this kind,” the Conservative leader posted on X, calling on the prime minister to “personally apologize.”

B’nai Brith Canada’s CEO, Michael Mostyn, said it was outrageous that Parliament honored a former member of a Nazi unit, saying Ukrainian “ultra-nationalist ideologues” who volunteered for the Galicia Division “dreamed of an ethnically homogenous Ukrainian state and endorsed the idea of ethnic cleansing.”

“We understand an apology is forthcoming. We expect a meaningful apology. Parliament owes an apology to all Canadians for this outrage, and a detailed explanation as to how this could possibly have taken place at the center of Canadian democracy,” Mostyn said before Rota issued his statement.

Members of Parliament from all parties rose to applaud Hunka. A spokesperson for the opposition Conservative party said the party was not aware of his history at the time.

New York Newsstand Defaced with Threatening Antisemitic Message During Yom Kippur

This year’s holiday began Sunday and will continue through Monday evening. At some point over the weekend prior to the holiday a person vandalized an Upper West Side newsstand with antisemitic graffiti.

“F*** Jews Die,” read the message on the newsstand at West 65th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

West Side Rag visited the newsstand Monday morning to see if the message had been erased.

The majority of the message was no longer distinguishable, but the words had not been completely wiped from the metal freezer.

An employee within the newsstand told the West Side Rag that they close on weekends and the message must have been written between Friday afternoon and Sunday evening. He added that he didn’t originally notice the graffiti when he arrived that morning and couldn’t fully clean it until he spoke to his boss.

The newsstand sits directly in front of LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, as well as in close proximity to Lincoln Center and the Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Complex.

“Truly disgusting,” one person wrote on Twitter in response to a photo of the graffiti.

The New York Police Department did not immediately respond to West Side Rag’s request for comment.

Maryland High School Addresses Students Performing Nazi Salutes

In a letter sent home to families Friday, Montgomery Blair High School’s principal said that a group of Maryland students allegedly performed an “antisemitic salute” together during a lunch period.

Principal Renay Johnson’s letter also said the students enacting the antisemitic salute were filming themselves doing it outside, when another student at the Silver Spring school saw and reported it.

The student who reported the incident called it “distressing.” Now, the school is working with Montgomery County police to investigate “the motivations behind this behavior and to prevent any future incidents.”

The school said it has a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech and that this behavior goes against their values of inclusivity for all.

“We understand that this incident may be deeply concerning to you, as it is to us,” Johnson wrote. “We want to assure you that we are committed to addressing this matter and using it as an opportunity for education and growth. We encourage you to discuss this incident with your child and emphasize the importance of respect and inclusivity in our diverse society.”

This isn’t the first incident of its kind at the school. In 2017, flyers stating “It’s OK to be white” were found on exterior doors to the school building by staff before students arrived.

Cleveland Area High School Football Team Under Fire for 'Nazi' Play

UPDATE September 27, 2023: Brooklyn head football coach Tim McFarland resigned on Sept. 25 after his team used antisemitic and racist words during a game against Beachwood three days earlier; more here.

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On Friday night, Beachwood hosted Brooklyn in a Chagrin Valley Conference high school football clash. However, words that were spoken on the playing field overshadowed the performances of the players.

In a letter to the Beachwood Schools community on Saturday, Superintendent Dr. Robert Hardis announced that a number of antisemitic incidents took place on the field. 

Hardis stated that he learned late in the first half of the game that Brooklyn’s team was repeatedly using the word “Nazi” to call out a play. Game officials were notified, as were Brooklyn's athletic director and head coach. 

The Jewish advocacy group StopAntisemitism called for the Brooklyn School District Superintendent to hold his coaching staff accountable.

According to Hardis, during halftime, "Brooklyn’s coach acknowledged using this word as the play call, apologized, and agreed to change it when the teams returned for the second half." Beachwood school leaders told the game officials that should the use of "Nazi" continue, they would pull their players off the field.

But while Hardis says that to his knowledge, "Nazi" was not used during the second half, members of Beachwood's team said that several Brooklyn players were using "a racial slur freely throughout the night."

Superintendent Dr. Ted Caleris released the following statement:

"On behalf of everyone in the Brooklyn City Schools family, we offer our sincerest apologies to the members of the Beachwood football family and school community for the hurtful, insensitive, and entirely inappropriate choice of language used during the first half of this past Friday night’s football game. Our football coaching staff expressed their regret to the Beachwood football family immediately during the contest, and took corrective measures in the second half, in finishing the contest. While to the knowledge of the Brooklyn City Schools, this language was not directed to any single individual, the choice in using it at all, was utterly and absolutely wrong. Brooklyn City Schools officials are looking more closely into this matter in order to determine what steps, if any, will be emerge as a result of this incident. The isolated incident does not represent the Brooklyn schools family on the whole, in our efforts to uphold tradition and pride of our diverse school community."

Montreal Neo Nazi Receives Jail Time after Inciting Antisemitic Hate

A Montreal neo-Nazi who was found guilty of wilfully promoting hatred against Jewish people has been sentenced 15 months in jail and three years of probation — one of the harshest sentences given for the crime in Canada, according to Quebec court Judge Manlio Del Negro. 

Gabriel Sohier-Chaput, 36, authored hundreds of articles and some podcasts in the far-right publication The Daily Stormer under the pseudonym "Charles Zeiger." He was found guilty in the Court of Quebec on Jan. 23.

Sohier-Chaput called for "non-stop nazism everywhere" and mocked a holocaust survivor, though he argued it was "satire" in his March testimony.

He is also prohibited from owning any weapons, including knives, for 10 years following his release; accessing any social media; writing and publishing articles; being in the presence of people who express hateful ideology, including participating in protests that target people based on race, gender, sexuality, or religion; communicating with the editor of The Daily Stormer and any similar publication and from leaving Canada.  

Sohier-Chaput will also have to undergo therapy to shed his "hateful ideology" and anger issues, said Judge Del Negro.

In July, the Crown and defence had jointly recommended Sohier-Chaput be sentenced to three months in jail with two years of probation — a recommendation Quebec court Judge Manlio Del Negro said "trivialized" the severity of the crime. 

Sohier-Chaput's lawyer, Antonio Cabral, said he was "very surprised" by the harsh sentence. He said he will submit a request to appeal the sentence Monday.

"We have someone who hasn't committed infractions for the last six years, we have someone who doesn't have a criminal record," Cabral said outside the courtroom. "If that's the judge's opinion, I respect it. But I have a different perspective."

Sohier-Chaput's previous lawyer, Hélène Poussard, submitted a request for an appeal on the guilty ruling in February.

A pre-sentencing report — which evaluated Sohier-Chaput's psychological state after the verdict — described him as a "socially shut-in" person with "limited introspection" who found "acceptance" in radical online communities and "showed a lack of remorse."

It also stated that his ideology had not changed since his arrest in 2018 and that he maintains that "his actions were legitimate" though he is no longer active in those online communities. He has not taken steps toward rehabilitation, like seeking therapy or community service, and called him a "hate influencer." 

"What is most worrisome is the joy he took to writing, as he says, 'things that we cannot say because of history,'" said the report.

At a sentencing hearing in July, Sohier Chapu apologized to those he had hurt, saying he was "now someone different."

But Del Negro said Friday that the apology seemed "opportunistic" rather than sincere. 

Del Negro cited the psychological report and a testimony from the vice-president of the Quebec chapter of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), Eta Yudin, in his final sentencing. Yudin had pointed out that online hate has real-world consequences as hate crimes against Jewish people in Canada reached record levels in 2021.

The judge said that the lawyers' joint recommendation was "unhinged" from the reality of the effects Sohier-Chaput's action had had on the Jewish community, and a three-month sentence would "undermine the public's trust in the justice system."

"Hateful discourse has no place in this world," said Del Negro, adding that hate speech goes against Canadian and Quebec values. 

Due to the "aggressive and violent tone" of Sohier-Chaput's writings and the "informed, structured, premeditated and systematic dissemination of hateful ideas," Del Negro said he is "convinced that he must be isolated from society."

Antisemitic Messaging Found at Cleveland State University

An antisemitic message was discovered and removed from Cleveland State University’s Union Building Sept. 21, according to a Sept. 22 letter to the campus community.

The message was written on the outside of the building, which houses the Counseling Center and other services above Rascal House at 1836 Euclid Ave.

“And though the University acted swiftly to remove the offensive graffiti as soon as it came to our attention, we fully understand that this abhorrent language likely has already affected members of our community in different ways,” the letter, signed by Phillip “Flapp” Cockrell, vice president for campus engagement and chief diversity officer, stated. “Cleveland State University strongly condemns this type of unacceptable behavior. We embrace and support a culture of diversity and inclusion – and as a community of scholars (and human beings), we expect our students, faculty, staff and visitors to treat everyone with dignity and respect.”

Early this year in February, an antisemitic racial slur was found on a community bulletin board in Fenn Tower, one of the downtown campus’ residence hall. The university sent out a similar letter outlining the consequences and the support resources available to staff and students.

The Sept. 22 letter stated students found responsible for destruction or defacement of property could face criminal charges and be sanctioned under the student code of conduct. Non-students could be charged with vandalism by CSU Police.

The Office of Institutional Equity is currently investigating the incident.

“By working together, we can help ensure all members of our community feel respected, valued and safe,” the letter concluded.

Antisemitic Graffiti Discovered at UT Austin

On Thursday, the University of Texas at Austin said it received reports of antisemitic vandalism on or near the campus.

“This conduct is not constitutionally protected speech. UT condemns these actions and will refer for discipline any University-associated individuals found to have vandalized University or city property. Moreover, the University condemns acts taken against people because of their race, color, religion, sex and national origin. Such conduct does not align with our institutional values. Our University supports and celebrates the diversity of our community.”

UT AUSTIN

The graffiti also read, “God’s d— is white”

The Jewish advocacy group StopAntisemitism tweeted a photo of the vandalism after it received reports from UT Austin students.

Student Detained Over an Antisemitic Episode at the University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania (Penn), one of America’s most prestigious institutions of higher education, was struck by an antisemitic incident of vandalism and harassment on Thursday, just one day before the school is set to host an anti-Zionist festival featuring several activists who have promoted conspiracies about Jewish power and called for violence against Israel.

On Thursday morning, an unidentified male walked into the university’s Hillel building behind a staffer and shouted “F___ the Jews” and “Jesus Christ is king!” before overturning tables, podium stands, and chairs, according to students and school officials who spoke with The Algemeiner. The perpetrator has been apprehended by campus police.

In a written statement, Penn Hillel initially described the perpetrator as a student before changing the wording to “an unknown member of the campus community.”

“As the door was opened, an unknown student ran into the building,” Penn Hillel said. “He stayed for less than a minute, and while he was in the building he knocked over several pieces of furniture, while shouting antisemitic obscenities about Jewish people.”

Penn Hillel went on to argue the timing and location of the incident were not coincidental.

“This person did not accidentally choose to enter our building,” the statement said. “He did not accidentally choose to shout antisemitic slogans. He chose our building. He chose to do so just three days before Yom Kippur [the holiest day in Judaism]. He chose to do so one day before a number of speakers are coming to campus who have histories of making antisemitic and hate-filled statements against Jews. This is not a coincidence.”

Rabbi Levi Haskelevich of the Penn Chabad-Lubavitch House, who arrived at the scene moments after it took place, told The Algemeiner that the perpetrator is known to suffer from mental health issues. He added that this is not the first antisemitic incident at Penn this month, noting that on Sept. 14, one day before the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah, a giant swastika was graffitied in the basement of the university’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design.

The incident prompted a response from Frederick Steiner, the design school’s dean, who described it as “disgraceful,” “cowardly,” and “abhorrent.” The school’s campus newspaper did not report on the story.

The two acts of hate occurred amid outcry from Penn’s Jewish community and outside activists over the school not moving or canceling the upcoming “Palestine Writes Literature Festival,” which is set to take place at Penn from Friday to Sunday. The event is sponsored by the university’s Wolf Humanities Center — which is described on its social media as “Penn’s gateway to the humanities, where the public and academy celebrate their common stake in the thinking arts”” — and its Department of Cinema and Media Studies.

Middle East experts and nonprofit leaders told The Algemeiner last week that the event is an “Israel hate fest” and noted that City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center professor Marc Lamont Hill, a former associate of Louis Farrakhan who has accused Israeli police of training American officers to kill Black people, will be speaking there.

Another speaker listed on the festival’s itinerary, Palestinian researcher Salman Abu Sitta, previously said during an interview that “Jews were hated in Europe because they played a role in the destruction of the economy in some of the countries, so they would hate them.”

Roger Waters, the former Pink Floyd frontman, is also a scheduled speaker. In recent years he has made comments about “Jewish power” and compared Israel to Nazi Germany. In May, during a concert held in Berlin, he performed in what looked like a Nazi SS officer uniform. A projection that played during the concert also compared Holocaust victim Anne Frank to Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh — who was accidentally shot and killed last year while covering an Israeli military raid in the West Bank — and the show was deemed as “deeply offensive to Jewish people.”

Islamic University of Gaza professor Refaat Alareer — who said in 2018, “Are most Jews evil? Of course they are.” — was initially scheduled to speak. However, StopAntisemitism, a nonprofit organization that tracks antisemitic incidents and hate crimes around the world, reported last week that Alareer had been removed from the speakers’ lineup.

The festival itinerary includes a host of other speakers who have praised terrorism against Israel and spoken out against Zionism.

Penn Hillel said in a recent open letter that it has three goals for the “Palestine Writes” event: a guarantee that Jewish students will not be forced to attend the festival against their will, the exclusion of speakers “who espouse explicit anti-Jewish hate,” and the removal of Penn branding from the event as well as the issuance of statements condemning the “antisemitic backgrounds” of certain speakers.

Speaking to The Algemeiner, Jewish and anti-hate groups expressed frustration with Penn for allowing the event to continue on campus as planned.

“Hate breeds hate,” said Liora Rez, founder and executive director of StopAntisemitism. “This underscores the urgency for [Penn] President Magill to relocate the upcoming panels featuring antisemitic speakers from campus this weekend. Do we really have to wait until someone is harmed before she takes action?”

Jacob Baime, CEO of the Israel on Campus Coalition, added: “The incident at Penn this morning is outrageous. The administration must swiftly condemn this antisemitism and do more to protect Jewish students. It is no surprise to see Jews attacked on campus the same week Penn is hosting a radical anti-Israel hate fest.”

Meanwhile, Rabbi Haskelevich said Penn’s Jewish community is still making efforts to foster education, friendship, and healing, despite the situation.

In response to the “Palestine Writes” festival, Penn’s Hillel and Chabad will host their own gatherings on Friday — a “Shabbat Together Event” and a “Proud Jew Shabbat,” respectively — to which both Jews and non-Jews are invited.

Rabbi Haskelevich told The Algemeiner that the events are “united” and will include a giveaway of mezuzahs to anyone who wants one. However, he also noted extra security measures will be implemented moving forward to ensure safety for those attending future events.

“Overall, we live in times where Jews have the ability to positively define for themselves what being Jewish means, and not merely as a reaction to anti-Jewish hatred. Indeed something which was more difficult in previous generations,” he said. “There are still incidents that rear the ugly head of anti-Jewish hatred and they must be nipped in the bud. The manner in which we will do so is by showing up to positively express our Jewishness proudly.”

Anti-Jewish 'Goyim Defense League' (GDL) Propaganda Found in Georgia Town

The Suwanee Police Department is actively investigating distribution of antisemitic flyers in various neighborhoods across the city. To date, over 100 of these offensive flyers have been discovered.

The flyers, each enclosed within a sandwich bag and accompanied by dried corn, have been found in numerous locations throughout Suwanee.

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 targeting Jewish communities.

Law enforcement officials are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to identify those responsible for this reprehensible act. Currently, there is no concrete suspect description available, and investigators are appealing to the public for assistance. They hope that individuals with surveillance footage in the vicinity may hold crucial information that could aid in solving the case.

Vandals Desecrate Jewish Cemetery in Germany

A Jewish cemetery in eastern Germany has been vandalized for the second time in the space of eighteen months, with the unknown perpetrators still at large.

Police in the city of Köthen — located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt — reported that 40 gravestones in the cemetery, which dates back to the 18th century, had been overturned.

The vandalism is believed to have taken place between Sept. 15-19, with an estimated damage of 20,000 Euros, the local police and public prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday.

The cemetery was last targeted in May 2022, when 16 gravestones were overturned. No arrests were reported following that incident.

Maryland Police Investigating Swastika Vandalism at Jewish Cemetery

Baltimore County residents have come across antisemitic graffiti and white supremacist flyers in the days leading up to one of the most important religious holidays on the Jewish calendar: Yom Kippur.

Whoever left these signs of hate is trying to send a message, but Baltimore County residents have a message that is even louder: hate is not welcome in their community. 

Brad Kauffman said his mother was visiting the United Hebrew Cemetery in Rosedale when she made a gruesome discovery.

"She discovered this swastika on the door, and she was just horrified to see this at the cemetery where her parents and grandparents and great-grandparents are buried," Kauffman said.

A bright red swastika and other defaming graffiti were spray painted on the door.

"It makes me so angry and just so sad someone had the gall to spread this message and vandalize this cemetery, which is supposed to be a solemn place of rest for someone," Kauffman said.

The Baltimore County Police Department is actively investigating the incident, according to authorities. Also, a nearby synagogue is working to remove the graffiti.

Across the county, another neighborhood was targeted, too.

"This morning, I was driving down the street after checking my mail and was about to turn and saw a sign plastered that I've never seen before," Robbie Leonard of Timonium said.

Leonard had spotted a white supremacist sign at the intersection of York Road and Padonia Road.

"I knew it was a white supremacist organization trying to recruit people who live in the area," he said.

Leonard noted that there was nothing supreme about the organization, though.

"I think they're losers," he said.

Within hours of the sign sighting, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said that it had been removed.

He noted that "hate has no place in Baltimore County."

Kauffman said both incidents are rooted in hate—a message he hopes will not prevail.

"We need to stop spreading hate in this country," he said.

While Baltimore County Police are investigating the graffiti found at the United Hebrew Cemetery, they are stopping short of calling the incident a hate crime, saying it's too early in the investigation to make that type of determination. 

NYPD Probing Discovery of Nazi Symbols on Currency Withdrawn from NYC Bank

The NYPD’s hate crime task force has launched an investigation after a woman received bills stamped with Nazi symbols from an ATM on the Upper East Side. 5:46 am The NYPD's hate crime task force has launched an investigation after a woman received bills stamped with Nazi symbols from an ATM on the Upper East Side.

The bills were withdrawn Saturday morning from a Chase Bank ATM at the branch on East 86th Street and York Avenue. One of the bills had a blue swastika stamped on the back of it, while another had a Nazi war eagle.

The woman returned the bills to the bank, which removed them from circulation. The task force is looking to track down who may have tampered with the bills. Chase Bank said that it took the machine the bills were dispersed from out of service, but it was reloaded with cash and was back in operation Wednesday evening.

Get Tri-state area news and weather forecasts to your inbox. The bank called the incident "unacceptable" and was looking into the matter on their own.

German Politician Refuses to Condemn Antisemitic Past

The recent scandal in Germany over a viciously antisemitic leaflet written by the deputy prime minister of Bavaria when he was a schoolboy graphically “represents the German constitutional state’s lack of response to the antisemitism at its heart,” the head of the country’s Jewish student union has declared.

Writing in the Judische Allgemeine news outlet on Wednesday, Hanna Veiler — president of the Union of Jewish Students in Germany (JSUD) — offered a scathing analysis of postwar Germany’s response to the widespread antisemitism that persisted following the defeat of the Nazi regime in 1945.

The scandal involving Hubert Aiwanger — Bavaria’s deputy prime minister — “makes clear what little space Jewish concerns and anger actually receive in political decisions,” she stated.

A report last month in the the Munich-based Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) news outlet alleged that Aiwanger was behind a typewritten leaflet mocking the Holocaust distributed at the Burkhart Gymnasium in the town of Mallersdorf-Pfaffenberg in 1987, when he was 17.

The leaflet parodied national history competitions through demeaning references to the Holocaust. For example, the “prize” for the best answer to the question “Who is the greatest traitor to the fatherland?” was “a complimentary flight through the chimney at Auschwitz.”

Similar “prizes” were offered for answers to other questions, among them a “lifelong stay in a mass grave,” a free shot in the back of the neck,” “a ticket … to the entertainment quarter Auschwitz,” and a “night’s stay in the Gestapo cellar, then a trip to Dachau.”

Aiwanger furiously denied being the author of the leaflet, for which his brother Helmut later claimed responsibility. However, Jewish leaders and German politicians across the spectrum were unimpressed by his denial, pointing to the presence of copies of the leaflet in his school bag. As the scandal intensified, former schoolmates of Aiwanger’s gave interviews in which they accused the deputy prime minister, now 52, of delivering Hitler salutes, imitating Hitler’s speeches, and cracking antisemitic and racist jokes.

However, Aiwanger was able to ride out the scandal after Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder declined to dismiss him, arguing — to the chagrin of many German Jews — that such a measure would be “disproportionate” given that the controversy took place more than 35 years ago.

Veiler asserted that the outcome in Aiwanger’s case confirmed “what the Jewish community has been pointing out for years: antisemitic and right-wing ideas did not disappear with the defeat of Nazi Germany.”

She continued: “While the image was repeatedly constructed in the political sphere that Germany had learned from its past and become good again, the inhumane ‘brown’ ideology lived on, especially in private life and in West German families. The Aiwanger case did not come as a surprise to many Jews. In German history, Nazi tendencies in the past of politicians are neither a novelty nor an isolated case.”

Veiler warned that German Jews “are once again observing that our interests are not worth much if we want to go beyond mere lip service.”

She added: “For every person who is allowed to remain in office despite their antisemitism and experiences no consequences, ten more antisemites dare to raise their voices publicly. All of this is leading to an increasing shift in discourse that will soon hit the Jewish communities with full force.”

Illinois Property Manager Receives Antisemitic Letter from Evicted Tenant

A property manager from Illinois filed a police report this week after received a vitriolic antisemitic message from a former tenant.

“We evicted this woman a year and a half ago, and for some reason she chose to send me this email now,” Linda Kogen — who works at Parkside Estates and Shorewood Towers in the suburban community of Glendale Heights, 25 miles west of Chicago.

The text of the email read:

“Thanks for not writing the referral letter. I didnt expect it. You’re satisfied with your choices though. You’re an evil person & what you intend serves your purpose. How do you stand yourself?

Rosh hashana Jewbitch.”

Rosh Hashanah, the two-day holiday marking the start of the Jewish new year, was celebrated last weekend.

“I did file a police report, because I’m concerned about her,” Kogen said.

“This was not the first time I’ve experienced something like this,” she recalled. “The place where I work, there are not a lot of Jews out here. There are no synagogues around here. And I do wear a diamond Jewish star every day. Because of that, I have had several people make pretty obnoxious comments to me, never in writing before though. But I refuse to take it off.”

“To me, this was an antisemitic rant, and it shows that I’m a Jew and I’m hated for it,” Kogen added.

Swastika Discovered in Louisiana Town

The DeSoto Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating after reports were made of swastikas drawn on a street and a sign in the area.

“Well, they covered it up, but we still know what it was,” said a woman who saw one of the swastikas that was drawn off Sloan Road. “We saw it when it first was there.”

The woman, who has lived in DeSoto Parish for decades, asked to remain anonymous for her safety.

She said she was shocked when she got word of a swastika drawing near Sloan Road. “I was surprised to see anything like that happening in DeSoto Parish.”

The woman’s daughter was disheartened when her Mom shared the news. “We hear about stuff that has happened that was like this in the past, but to see it and actually see that you know it still exists.”

She said this incident reinforces that racism is present.

“I still have connections in Mansfield, and it makes me wonder how safe were they in the area like this where you know somebody is basically telling you, yeah, there is racism still here.”

The woman also said she thinks this could cause people to copy the same action.

“It might turn into a safety concern knowing that it happened in that area, so they might target that area a little bit more.”

Canadian Member of the 'Goyim Defense League' (GDL) Arrested After Distributing Antisemitic Flyers

An arrest has been made in connection to antisemitic flyers that were distributed in neighborhoods throughout Peterborough.

On Friday, after a four-month investigation, officers with the Investigative Services Unit searched a home and located items connected to the distribution of the flyers between May and July of 2023.

During the investigation, the suspect provided police with a false name and address.

As a result, a 31-year-old Peterborough man was arrested and charged with mischief – obstructs, interrupts or interferes with any person in the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property.

The Peterborough Police Service is currently consulting with the Ministry of the Attorney General to have the incidents deemed as a willful promotion of hatred under the Criminal Code of Canada.

Chief Stuart Betts released a statement saying there is no room for hate in our community and that it was important to do a thorough investigation into the origin of this disturbing material.

Kansas University Student Discovers Antisemitic Vandalism on Campus

While antisemitism continues to rise across the country, Jewish communities at the University of Kansas and around Lawrence are combating that hatred with resilience and service.

A student discovered a graffitied swastika on the sidewalk in the area around 19th Street and Naismith Drive on Aug. 31, and the KU Police Department and KU Hillel were notified of the vandalism.

Bailey Nakelsky, the interim executive director of KU Hillel, subsequently notified the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX through their incident reporting form.

“I was able to file the report on behalf of the student, and then that puts the incident in the hands of the civil rights office, and we actually try to stay out of the investigation so that it stays unbiased,” Nakelsky said. “And the civil rights office responded immediately.”

The office interviewed Nakelsky and the student, then coordinated with KU Facilities Services to remove the graffiti.

“That happened so swiftly, like, nobody could even go back and find it because they cleaned it up so quickly, which means a lot to us,” Nakelsky said. “In a place where that might take a long time to clean up, that leaves the Jewish community feeling vulnerable even longer, but the fact that the university acted immediately was a really nice testament to how seriously they took this.”

KUPD Deputy Chief James Druen said that officers were dispatched to the area and were unable to locate the graffiti, assuming that the drawing had been cleaned up prior to their arrival.

Syracuse University Student Targeted with Antisemitic Graffiti

A Syracuse University student reported antisemitic graffiti drawn on a whiteboard on their door in Brewster Hall on Sunday, according to SU’s Department of Public Safety.

The student reported that the graffiti was done sometime after 11 p.m. on Thursday and that they erased it immediately upon seeing it.

After DPS received the report, officers met with the student to collect additional information and are now actively investigating the report. Investigators are reviewing video footage, conducting interviews and canvassing the area in Brewster Hall where the incident took place, according to a Bias Incident Report.

DPS has notified both the Syracuse and New York State Police Departments.