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Jewish Religious Structure at UPenn Targeted by Vandalism

An unknown individual vandalized a religious structure belonging to Chabad at UPenn on Monday night.

The vandalism occurred at an open lot across the street from Chabad at UPenn's Lubavitch House, where several sukkah structures were set up in preparation for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. There is no known footage or witnesses of the incident, Chabad Rabbi Levi Haskelevich told The Daily Pennsylvanian. StopAntisemitism shared an image of the incident to Twitter.

Penn Police noticed the incident while on patrol and subsequently notified Chabad, according to a statement from the Division of Public Safety. The statement said that no antisemitic connotation has been identified. 

“The Division of Public Safety worked with multiple law enforcement partners to review the graphic,” the statement reads. “No connections to any antisemitic meaning or group have been identified.”

In response to the vandalism, Chabad House held an event for students to paint over the graffiti on Wednesday evening. Eight students attended the event, spray painting “Happy Sukkot” in celebration of the holiday that will begin on Sept. 29. 

Haskelevich told the DP that he wanted to give students “complete artistic license” to “make something more beautiful” out of the incident. There are plans for students involved with the Jewish Heritage Programs to add to the artwork on Friday, he added. 

“The message is that there are challenges that each of us will have, and we should embrace those things,” Haskelevich said. “Try to transform them into positive energy rather than letting them put us down.”

Students who attended the painting event emphasized that it was a moment of “collective resilience” for Penn’s Jewish community, particularly following recent unrelated antisemitic incidents around campus. 

“The way we came together after this incident is a testament to the resilient attitude that we find in every adversity we face,” College senior and former Chabad President Jake Frank said. “We’re not looking to point fingers at anyone; we’re just trying to spread positivity.”

The opportunity to paint was also a significant moment of community building for Jewish students from different backgrounds, College and Wharton sophomore and Chabad board member Justin Shnayder added.

“The Jewish community is diverse, so being able to collectively unify all these different communities through painting was really beautiful,” Shnayder said. “I really appreciate that we were able to come together as one community.”

Last week, an unknown individual entered Penn Hillel, shouting "antisemitic obscenities" and knocking over furniture. Penn administrators also announced the discovery of a swastika painted in the spray room in Meyerson Hall. Following these incidents, Penn administrators released a statement condemning these antisemitic acts.

Chabad at Penn is a Jewish campus organization which offers "Shabbat, holiday and other educational, social, religious programs," according to its website.

Peruvian Man Arrested After Threatening to Bomb U.S. Synagogues

Authorities in Peru have arrested 33-year-old Eddie Manuel Nunez Santos, who the FBI has charged with making a string of bomb threats targeting U.S. Jewish institutions, including synagogues on Rosh Hashanah. Santos made more than 150 threats, mostly by email, against synagogues, hospitals, school districts and other institutions in five states between Sept. 15 and Sept. 21, according to the FBI’s complaint against him, which was unsealed Thursday. Nunez Santos was arrested in Lima on Tuesday, according to the FBI.

The FBI says Nunez Santos, who is Peruvian, embarked on the bomb threat spree after asking teen girls to send him pornographic pictures of themselves and being rejected. He is also being charged with crimes related to those requests, the FBI said.

Some of the emailed threats included phone numbers to contact. Those phone numbers, the FBI said, belonged to the teen girls who had rejected or cut off contact with him.

The tally of threats in the complaint reflect only some of those that have been reported by synagogues or their local police departments in the last few months. None of the threats have been credible.

The bomb threats targeting synagogues have, in many cases, led to congregations being evacuated in the middle of prayer services so that police can conduct a sweep of the building. In addition, the threats included in the complaint resulted in thousands of schoolchildren evacuating their schools; a lockdown of a hospital; and flight delays, according to the FBI.

The threats in the complaint were made to institutions in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Arizona, and Alaska, according to the FBI, but evacuations were reported in several other states including several in New Jersey on Rosh Hashanah. The FBI complaint also includes an example of a complaint received by a synagogue in Westchester County, New York, on Sept. 17, the second day of the holiday. “I placed multiple bombs inside the Jewish Center,” the threat said. “The bombs I placed in the building will blow up in a few hours. Many people will lay in a pool of blood.”

At the time, the Westchester Jewish Council’s security committee emailed synagogues in the county saying that local police and the council’s own security official had investigated the email and others received in the area that day and deemed them non-credible. The committee emphasized that all threats needed to be investigated, a warning that came after months of recurring fake threats.

Using data tied to the emails, and by investigating the included phone numbers, law enforcement agents were able to trace the emailed threats to Nunez Santos, who works as a web developer.

The five charges that Nunez Santos faces, if he is convicted, carry the potential of significant prison time. The charges of conveying hoaxes and communicating threats across state lines carry maximum sentences of five years in prison. The charges related to child pornography and exploitation carry much harsher penalties.

Arizona Law Student Arrested for Defacing Campus with Antisemitic Symbols

Four connected antisemitic statements and symbols were found on the Downtown Phoenix campus on Wednesday morning, highlighting photographer Dmytro Kozatskyi, who has a history of posting antisemitic material.

The graffiti outside the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication appeared on signs promoting the photo exhibition "Relentless Courage," which includes images from the war in Ukraine on the second floor. 

A swastika and the white supremacist symbol 1488 were painted on an upright sign in Taylor Mall. The phrase "Canadian war hero inside" and the name "Dmytro Kozatskyi" were painted on the window of the Cronkite building. 

That evening, ASUPD arrested law student Denis Zyalik and charged him with aggravated criminal damage, a class 5 felony, according to an ASU spokesperson.

The vandalism was taken down early Wednesday morning, and an email was sent to students from the Senior Associate Dean of the Cronkite School, Rebecca Blatt, that said the school apologizes for any distress the vandalism caused.

The symbols were found a day after the opening of the "Relentless Courage: Ukraine and the World at War" photo exhibition, which is set to be displayed from Tuesday, Sept. 26 to Friday, Dec. 22. The exhibition features a collection of photos from photographers on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. 

One of the photographers whose work is on display is Dmytro Kozatskyi, a member of the Ukrainian Azov Brigade who was taken captive by Russia in May 2022. Kozatskyi has a history of posting Nazi symbolism on social media, including a swastika on a pizza and a sweatshirt with the code "1488."

There are dozens of other antisemitic-related tweets by Kozatskyi archived on the internet. 

The State Press contacted ASU regarding Kozatskyi but didn't provide a statement in time for publication. The story will be updated if they provide one.

Regarding the hate symbol that was sprayed in front of Cronkite, the University said that while ASU supports free speech, it denounces antisemitic rhetoric. 

"While Arizona State University supports and protects freedom of expression and the First Amendment, the University strongly rejects and denounces hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric, including acts of intimidation whether they occur on campus or in the community," an ASU spokesperson said.

ASU President Michael Crow wrote a statement reaffirming the University’s values. 

"Let there be no confusion that while ASU vigorously protects freedom of expression for all members of our community," Crow said. "We recognize the difference between that constitutional right and activities orchestrated to provoke, incite or agitate with the intention of creating an environment of intimidation and fear."

Abraham Mogelson, a sophomore kinesiology student and outreach specialist at Hillel International at ASU, says while he's disappointed, he's happy with how ASU handled the situation. 

"I am disappointed, not in the school, but in the ignorance that is still prevalent in our community," Mogelson said. "At the end of the day, it sucks, but it doesn’t affect how I am going about my day. I don’t feel unsafe. In fact, I feel very safe in the Jewish community we have at ASU."

Nazi Symbol Uncovered at a Utah University on Yom Kippur

Weber State University officials are investigating an incident after finding a swastika carved into a table near the south entrance of the Shepherd Union Building.

Upon receiving the report on Monday night, students notified workers a short time before 10 p.m. at the Shepherd Union and the Student Access and Success leadership team.

According to a news release by WSU on Wednesday, the affected table was removed the following morning.

All other tables in the Shepherd Union were checked to make sure no further vandalism had occurred, officials said.

Finding this symbol on Yom Kippur, an important day for Jewish people, made it even more sensitive, as reported by the school.

"Weber State University condemns actions that perpetuate racism or make people feel unsafe, and the symbol scrawled on WSU property is not consistent with the values of the university, which strives to create an inclusive environment where all are welcome," school officials said. "We are committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for all of our campus locations."

Weber State University police took over the investigation. They said they had filed a vandalism report, including reviewing any video surveillance footage from the area.

2News spoke to a Utah Rabbi who expressed deep concern after the symbol was discovered on Yom Kippur.

Rabbi Avremi Zippel, who serves the Utah Jewish community, expressed hope that the university would turn this disturbing incident into an opportunity for growth and education, emphasizing the atrocities of the Holocaust.

Jessica Oyler, the Vice President for Student Access and Success at Weber State University, co-signed the alert sent to staff and students regarding the swastika incident.

She emphasized that safety is a top priority for the university.

When asked about security cameras in the student union building, Oyler confirmed they have them but mentioned uncertainty regarding when the incident occurred. She assured that the campus police would investigate this aspect.

Oleskylee and other students at Weber State University have voiced their concerns, stating that this is not the first instance of racism on campus. Several years ago, the university confirmed it investigated a white supremacy message reported within the same building.

Oleskylee urged action, stating, "This is where we socialize, and we need to be able to say not here." While commending the swift removal of the swastika, he called for the university to engage with affected students, especially those from minority backgrounds, and go beyond issuing statements.

Pennsylvania Synagogue Targeted During Jewish New Year

Responding to a generalized regional bomb threat, the Honesdale Borough Police checked the synagogue of Congregation Beth Israel on September 18th, the third full day of Rosh Hashanah, and found nothing.

Using bomb sniffing dogs, police were able to rule out immediate danger, which came as a relief to Rabbi Elliott Kleinman of Beth Israel, who reported the threat.

Mayor Derek Williams shared his support for the scary situation, saying, “Our hearts go out to Congregation Beth Israel and any faith community that has to deal with what they had to deal with today. A bomb threat, a national piece of nonsense.” 

Two San Francisco Virtual Council Meetings Bombarded with Antisemitic Rhetoric

Public commenters at recent council meetings in Larkspur and Tiburon have disrupted the proceedings with racist and antisemitic remarks.

The incidents both occurred during meetings on Sept. 20. At the Tiburon meeting, two speakers made bigoted statements during online public comments about the town’s climate plan. One denied the existence of the Holocaust, while the other made slurs and threatened violence against Jews.

At the Larkspur meeting, during the public comment period on the city’s communications team, two public commenters made racist and antisemitic slurs, laughed and repeatedly used white supremacist phrases.

The incidents are part of a pattern of racist and antisemitic disruptions at public meetings throughout the Bay Area, said Marc Levine, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League’s regional office. Other sites include Walnut Creek, Sacramento and Sonoma County, he said.

“Public meetings across the country are under attack by white supremacists. They are coordinating and victimizing public meetings,” said Levine, a former state assemblyman who represented Marin. “They’re not happening in isolation and it’s very important to understand that. These are coordinated attacks by these extremists to peddle in hate and stoke fear.”

Holli Thier, a councilmember from Tiburon who is Jewish, said the attacks were even more reprehensible because they happened between the holy holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

“We invite and we need all of our elected officials and residents to stand with us and not be silent in the face of hate and discrimination,” Thier said. “I lost family in the Holocaust. I think we really have to speak out and make sure that something like that can never happen again.”

Sky Woodruff, Larkspur’s city attorney, said during the council meeting that it was the third such disruption. He said the city has rules of decorum to limit profanity, but noted “all members of the public have a full fair and equal opportunity to be heard.”

“Hate speech is protected by the First Amendment,” he said. “We do have to allow these comments to occur.”

Some expressed concern that the comments could come from anyone and anywhere because of teleconference meetings.

Larkspur City Manager Dan Schwartz called the statements “awful.”

“It was really jarring for all of us,” Schwartz said. “We do condemn this, but frankly I am dismayed that court rulings say that this is somehow protected First Amendment speech. I don’t think this is what the First Amendment was written for. I’m so disappointed in the court system.”

Levine plans to speak about the issue Wednesday with the Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers and share tips for responding to extremist disruptions at public meetings. Tactics include sign-in and participation requirements, barring threatening conduct, time restrictions and requiring written comments.

“We don’t want hateful rhetoric to take over public spaces and we just recognize that violent language does not occur in a vacuum,” Levine said.

Elected officials in Larkspur and Tiburon condemned the comments.

Larkspur Mayor Gabe Paulson said, “I think what is so disruptive about it is the element of surprise. As a council we definitely condemn it.”

Jon Welner, a councilmember in Tiburon, said it was “disappointing and disheartening to hear these vile anti-Jewish comments during the council meeting.”

“I was pleased the council was able to respond promptly and decisively,” he said. “Tiburon is a warm and welcoming community. There is no place for hate in our town.”

Councilmember Isaac Nikfar called antisemitism, hate speech and racism “unacceptable.”

“I also believe that it is my responsibility as an ally to the Jewish community to stand up to antisemitism in all forms,” Nikfar said.

Jack Ryan, mayor of Tiburon, said he was “shocked” by the comments.

“I personally condemn this targeted hate,” he said. “And as a public entity, we have some work to do to try to prevent hate speech from tainting the public political process. Luckily, there are resources available, as this hate virus is not unique to Tiburon.”

Rice University LGBTQ+ Student Org Severs Relationship with Jewish Group

Rice Pride, the leading LGBTQ+ student group at Rice University in Houston, Texas, announced that it is ending its partnership with Houston Hillel, citing concerns among Arab and Palestinian students about participating in events with the Jewish campus organization. StopAntisemitism broke the news to their followers on Twitter.

“Hillel’s ‘Standards of Partnership’ are incompatible with Rice Pride’s mission to create an accessible and equitable space for queer students of all backgrounds,” Rice Pride said in a statement released last week during the Jewish High Holidays. “Historically, these ‘Standards of Partnership’ have been used by Hillel International to cut ties and spark conflicts with any organization that seeks to engage in spaces that validate Palestinian and Arab experiences, including but not limited to opposing student groups doing fundraisers for humanitarian aid in Palestine.”

Houston Hillel is a local affiliate of Hillel International, which operates roughly 850 chapters around the world and was built to enhance the experiences of Jewish students in college.

“Houston Hillel regrets Rice Pride’s decision to no longer partner with Houston Hillel, the only egalitarian, pluralistic, and inclusive Jewish campus ministry at Rice University,” Houston Hillel said in a statement responding to the announcement. “This decision by Rice Pride not only alienates queer Jewish students and leaves them unsure of their own acceptance in Rice Pride spaces, but also damages the campus climate for all Jewish students.”

Rice University’s campus newspaper, The Rice Thresher, quoted an anonymous LGBTQ+ Jewish student who said Rice Pride’s decision was poorly timed.

“This is certainly a decision that could have waited a single week,” the student said. “To make an announcement of this kind during the High Holy Days places a lot of extra stress on Jewish people, and shows there isn’t the level of cultural fluency I would like to see from Pride leadership.”

Rice Pride and Houston Hillel have co-hosted 12 events since 2016, according to the Hillel’s executive director. Jorge Arnez, a co-president of Rice Pride, told The Thresher that the decision to cut ties was based on the actions of other Hillel chapters and Hillel International’s standards of partnership, not Houston Hillel.

“No one has specifically cited that Houston Hillel itself has made them uncomfortable in any way,” Arnez said. “But they’re under the direction of Hillel International and that’s enough for a lot of students, especially considering current events at Rice regarding the Israeli-Palestine [conflict], that I think that a lot of students wouldn’t feel comfortable engaging [with Rice Pride].”

According to StopAntisemitism CEO Liora Rez, Rice Pride’s decision undermines its stated commitment to being tolerant and inclusive.

“Rice Pride’s apparent conviction that Zionism cannot coexist with queerness belies their supposed commitment to inclusivity,” Rez told The Algemeiner, calling on Rice University to “investigate whether this exclusion violates club rules — and to condemn it regardless.”

Rice Pride’s announcement is not the first time that a campus organization has disassociated with Jews based on support for Israel, which has often been called the Middle East’s only “safe haven” for the LGBTQ+ community.

In Feb. 2022, a student at the State University of New York at New Paltz was forced out of a sexual assault awareness group she founded after sharing a pro-Israel social media post. The incident prompted the US government to launch a civil rights investigation to determine whether the university failed to prevent the discrimination experienced by the student.

Wisconsin Educator Made Antisemitic Comments and Gestures in Classroom

A teacher in the Elmbrook School District is accused of making an antisemitic gesture and remark in class.

The principal at Wisconsin Hills Middle School in Brookfield sent a letter to parents confirming the incident took place last Thursday, Sept. 21.

The letter said the school investigated and determined the teacher did not intend to cause harm, but did violate school policy.

The letter said corrective measures are being taken, but did not fully elaborate.

Popular California National Forest Defaced with Swastikas

When San Luis Obispo resident Jason Barroca drove up a familiar, tree-lined road on Saturday, he expected a peaceful camping trip in the Los Padres National Forest.

Instead, he and his partner were greeted by swastikas spray-painted onto a rock formation next to the road past Lopez Lake.

“We were disgusted,” Barroca said. “To see hate like that is very disturbing for us.”

The rock formation is about a mile from the gate on Hi Mountain Road, he said.

Meanwhile, traffic signs on Hi Mountain Road near Lopez Drive were defaced with Nazi symbols as well, according to San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department spokesperson Shelly Cone.

The Public Works Department will replace the vandalized signs “ASAP,” Cone said, but the agency is not responsible for cleaning up the rock formation as the land is either private property or owned by the Los Padres National Forest.

As of Tuesday morning, the district ranger for this area of the Los Padres National Forest was aware of the vandalism and arranging to remove it, according to agency spokesperson Andrew Madsen.

Typically, when the U.S. Forest Service receives a complaint, park rangers investigate the site as soon as possible and clean the graffiti on the same day, he said.

“Any kind of offensive graffiti is something we’ll hop on as soon as we can,” Madsen said. “It’s very unfortunate that something like that would happen.”

Antisemitic and Homophobic Hecklers Disrupt Cleveland Town Hall Meeting

Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin shut down public comment twice during the Sept. 25 council meeting after Griffin said one of the speakers made an antisemitic remark and a negative comment about the LGBTQ+ community.

Griffin said a second speaker was stopped after he started invoking individual names, and another speaker was cut off after exceeding the three-minute time limit. Griffin said the incidents have Cleveland City Council looking into potential rule changes for public comment during council meetings.

“Anytime that I have the gavel, I am going to shut people down whenever they insult any race, gender, sexual orientation or religious affiliation," Griffin said. “It was a very sad commentary about what public comment is supposed to be doing. I’ve heard from several LGBTQIA community members, I have heard from several Jewish Community leaders, I’ve heard from the Jewish Community Federation.”

Griffin told News 5 council has no intention of stopping public comment at council meetings, which was established in August of 2021, but said public comment could be restricted to Cleveland residents only, or other measures can be taken without violating First Amendment rights.

“It’s just unacceptable, and we have to have swift action in order to deal with these types of issues," Griffin said. “We are going to talk to the law department to see how we can tighten up some of the constraints so we don’t have more episodes like we did yesterday.

Ward 8 Cleveland Councilman Michael Polensek told News 5 he's appalled by public comment speaker misconduct, which has some going over the three-minute time limit and making inappropriate remarks. However, Polensek said the council is not out to restrict anyone's First Amendment rights.

“I’m opposed banning anyone’s ability to espouse their beliefs, or their ignorance or their stupidity or racism if they wish to do so and let them expose themselves for what they are," Polensek said. “The council president will take his direction, we’re going sit down and talk, we are going to dialogue among ourselves, and if we have to tighten up the rules to make it more clear, I’m fine with that.”

Jonathan Entin, Case Western Reserve University Professor of Law, told News 5 that Cleveland City Council can make some rule changes to public comment during meetings without infringing on First Amendment rights.

“The city does not have any constitutional obligation to allow public comments in council meetings at all," Entin said. “The city could also limit the subject that people talk about to things that the city may have some obligation or responsibility, and I think they probably can limit the comments to people who are residents of the city.”

Griffin said city council attorneys and the Cleveland Law Department will review potential public comment rules changes in the coming days, with the potential of new guidelines being in place this October.

Vandals Deface English Pub with Antisemitic Slurs

A pub frequented by Arsenal fans near the Emirates football stadium has been daubed with the word “Yids” alongside a tag used by Tottenham Hotspur supporters.

The incident took place ahead of Sunday’s clash between the rival north London clubs, which was drawn 2-2.

Images of The Brewer apparently taken the night before the match showed the words “THFC” – shorthand for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club - and “Yids” sprayed onto the front of the pub.

By Sunday morning, the graffiti had already been cleaned off according to fresh images posted online.

Dave Rich, Director of Policy at CST, wrote on Twitter /X: “Daubing ‘YIDS’ like this is antisemitic. It's the same graffiti my grandparents had to put up with from Mosley's fascists and the idea that Spurs fans are 'reclaiming' it is nonsense. It has to stop.”

Although “Yid Army” is a common chant among Tottenham supporters, including Jews, it has become more controversial over the years.

Last year the club surveyed its fans on the use of the phrase and found that Spurs supporters themselves – Jewish and non-Jewish alike – opposed its use.

Arsenal will hold an antisemitism workshop for all employees of the club on October 12. The sessions will be delivered with the help of the Jewish Gooners group, a new affiliate that was launched in April.

Barry Frankfurt, who is closely involved with Jewish Gooners, said: "Overnight the word 'Yid' has been daubed on pubs close to Arsenal in the lead up to this afternoon's North London derby. The motivation is irrelevant.

"This is antisemitism and it must end. Yid is not an appropriate nickname and to see graffitied like this is shocking."

Alaskan Man Captured Over Murder and Violent Online Threats Towards Jews

A Dillingham man already charged with murder in the deaths of two local residents is now also facing federal charges he posted antisemitic threats on a controversial unmoderated website and targeted a Florida sheriff who spoke out against such violence.

Joshua Wahl, 31, was arrested in August on separate charges of first- and second-degree murder in state court after two people were found shot to death inside an apartment. StopAntisemitism shared the image of Wahl to Twitter.

Wahl began posting antisemitic sentiments on the unmoderated website 4chan in 2019, according to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court of Alaska. The posts included death threats and an image of a bomb, the indictment said.

Wahl also posted videos online depicting himself and others “using high-powered lasers” as weapons to blind law enforcement, according to the indictment.

In February, Sheriff Michael Chitwood of Volusia County, Florida, made national headlines when he spoke out against people who distributed antisemitic fliers and broadcast a message supporting Adolf Hitler.

In April, Wahl began posting threats to kill and injure Chitwood on 4chan, the indictment said. He also emailed Chitwood threats, which included descriptions of weapons he owned and videos of him burning through a photo of Chitwood with a laser, according to the indictment. The threats continued until at least July, the indictment said.

On Aug. 19, Wahl was arrested on murder charges tied to the deaths of 32-year-old Jennifer Gardiner and 31-year-old Timothy Evans. He was connected to the crime because he left a distinctive weapon at the scene that investigators identified as belonging to him through online videos and posts on 4chan, according to the affidavit filed in that case.

Rex Butler, who is representing Wahl in the state case, said in an interview Tuesday that his client was friends with Gardiner and Evans. Wahl was at the store and not present when they were shot and killed at a house in Dillingham, Butler said. The gun that police used to tie Wahl to the crime belonged to one of the victims, he said.

Butler said he was not yet representing Wahl in the federal case.

An indictment filed in federal court and unsealed Monday charged Wahl with cyberstalking and transmitting threats in interstate commerce. Wahl remained in custody at the Anchorage Correctional Center on Tuesday afternoon on a $200,000 bail in the state case.

Jewish House of Worship in Florida Vandalized by Swastika During Yom Kippur

Police are investigating after a swastika was found painted on a wall near a Jewish temple in Pembroke Pines. StopAntisemitism shared the news of the antisemitic incident on Twitter.

The disturbing find was made Monday on the back side of a shopping center on Pines Boulevard next to Chabad of Pembroke Pines.

The Chabad is the Jewish orthodox temple in Pembroke Pines and dozens of Jews were there for Yom Kippur services, which were happening all day and into the evening Monday.

Yom Kippur is the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

An employee with the temple noticed the swastika, and other graffiti markings, after services.

The markings were painted over on Tuesday but the rabbi said the incident is disturbing.

"People always tell us, 'Rabbi, you’re the luckiest synagogue in the world, you don’t even need security, you have a police station right here,' which is, when we bought this property, we are like great, we are safe. Generally speaking, like I said, this is such a safe, quiet neighborhood," Rabbi Moedechai Andrusier said.

Andrusier said he also heard reports of graffiti in other parts of Pembroke Pines. He said police told him it could be the work of ignorant teens who don't know any better.

Pembroke Pines Police said they are indeed investigating.

"We are actively gathering evidence in order to locate any suspect(s) involved in this incident, including identifying any possible CCTV footage from the area," police said in a statement.

Antisemitic Stickers Plague Kentucky Town

A Covington resident wants to put an end to the antisemitic and racist material she says has been popping up in her neighborhood periodically over the last few years.

Even though it’s a difficult issue to solve, it’s a fight she’s not going to give up.

Missy Spears has lived in Covington for 13 years. While the city is generally regarded as more welcoming and inclusive than most, Spears started noticing stickers being posted in the Mainstrasse neighborhood that would challenge that idea in 2019.

“After we started taking them down quickly, they stopped coming as often. Now it seems like it happens about every six months,” she said.

Most recently, Spears said more material started popping up in August and September featuring things like swastikas and the n-word. They weren’t just posted on public property, either, but in people’s yards.

Security cameras captured some of the people who appeared to post the stickers.

“There’s not much that the cops can do. It’s a first amendment right. Which is why we educate people on when they see them to take them down,” Spears said.

Covington Police say officers have been made aware, but there is limited legal action they can take.

Spears said she brought the issue to city hall years ago.

“Their response was to start a positive sticker campaign, but we need more than that,” she said. “We take great pride in this neighborhood and making sure folks feel welcome. I see it as, if they’re attacking us because of it, then we’re doing something right.”

Antisemitic 'Goyim Defense League' (GDL) Flyers Surface in South Carolina

Police are investigating after homeowners in Mount Pleasant awoke Tuesday to find flyers containing antisemitic messages littering their driveways.

The leaflets were distributed across several neighborhoods, including Carolina Park, Charleston National, and Tupelo, according to reports.

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.

Sgt. Ashley Croy with the Mount Pleasant Police Department (MPPD) said the incident was document and an investigation is currently underway.

The flyers were first reported to law enforcement on Tuesday morning, the day after the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur.

There is no place for hate in our community,” Mayor Will Hayne wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “To whoever distributed the vulgar, antisemitic flyers overnight (at the time of Yom Kippur, no less) in our community, you failed. We are responding with love & concern for those you targeted and with disgust for your kind of hatred.”

Holocaust Denier Runs for School Board in Minnesota

Vaughn Klingenberg, a candidate for a school board election in Roseville, Minnesota made an appearance on a VT Radio podcast in July to candidly discuss his extensive antisemitic beliefs and Holocaust denial, a recording shows.

During his interview on the VT Radio’s “Uncensored Alternative Foreign Policy Talk” podcast, Klingenberg made several claims about the Holocaust and Judaism that are highly questionable. Much of Klingenberg’s claims are based on a baseless theory that “big Zionist Jews” orchestrated the Holocaust to persecute “little Jews,” and that Nazis were actually trying to save Jewish people locked up in concentration camps.

“Zionist Jews wanted the Holocaust, not the Nazis,” Klingenberg claimed (13:00). “The thing is too and what annoys me, is that we’re doing the Jewish community a favor. We’re doing them a favor by giving them the facts about the Holocaust which they may not want to face. I think there’s profound cognitive dissidence in the Jewish community. But us Holocaust truthers are doing the Jews a favor.”

Earlier in the audio (9:45), Klingenberg also said that “the Jewish religion is an ideology based on victimization,” which is a lethal combination with “the master race ideology.”

Over Hitler’s 12-year reign in Germany, millions of Jews were stripped of rights, forced into concentration camps and killed by overwork or outright murder.

Another fact that Klingenberg contested was the figure of 6 million Jewish death because of the Holocaust. He claims that it is closer to 300,000 deaths that were mostly due to Typhus and a famine in Germany at the time. He also said (16:30) that “there’s absolutely no evidence whatsoever that Jews were gassed in the concentration camps.”

Klingenberg has a website where he showcases books he has written, including “The Big Lie: The Holocaust.” The website also states that Klingenberg’s goal is to “assist individuals to think for themselves, free of external intellectual coercion or self-imposed political correctness.”

According to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office, Klingenberg filed his candidacy for the 2023 municipal and school district elections on Aug. 14 of this year. He is slated to appear on the ballot for the Roseville School Board election that will be held on November 7th.

Should he be elected, Klingenberg will be one of six members on the school board to oversee education policy decisions for a town of 36,000 people.

Antisemitic 'Goyim Defense League' (GDL) Flyers Target Texas Town

Just hours before the Jewish religious holiday of Yom Kippur antisemitic flyers were discovered on cars outside of a gun show in Allen.

"We had a nice time and I saw a flyer on the car and I kind of thought it was a menu for a local restaurant," said Andy, who didn't want his last night used. "This was hate speech. This wasn't a different political view or supporting a particular political party, this was hate speech."

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.

The antisemitic flyers had been placed on cars all around the parking lot.

Andy took the flyer home to show his wife, who was just as taken aback by the message.

"I can't believe it's 2023 and the symbols and the rhetoric in this flyer was reminiscent of World War II antisemitism and it really made me sick," said his wife Catrina.

In a statement to NBC 5, the organizers of the event, Premier Gun Shows, released a statement that reads:

"Premier Gun Shows was not aware of this taking place yesterday. The individual or group that was distributing these on vehicles has done so at a few other shows in the past. They do not make their presence known. Premier Gun Shows absolutely and without a doubt rejects and condemns this messaging and the hate behind it. We have been advised that since many of our shows are hosted at public venues we cannot interfere or remove these flyers - they are protected under the First Amendment, no matter how terrible. Again to be very clear, these flyers do not reflect Premier Gun Shows values or beliefs."

Antisemitic 'Blackshirt' Flyers Discovered in California Town

San Luis Obispo residents in the Old Town Historic District woke up to antisemitic propaganda on their driveways and yards on Sunday, which is the start of Yom Kippur, a Jewish high holiday.

Similar to fliers left in Grover Beach and Paso Robles, the fliers include a Nazi symbol along with the words, “A call to action.” The fliers ask readers to visit the California Blackshirts’ Telegram channel, where they describe themselves as a pro-white activist group.

The group delivered the fliers in small plastic baggies packed with small rocks. They were found in the area around Leff and Broad streets