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Maccabi Haifa to play Belgian Soccer Club to Empty Stadium Due to Concerns of Antisemitism

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The mayor of a Belgian city announced that safety concerns over the war Israel/Hamas war impacting an upcoming soccer match between the Israeli club Maccabi Haifa and the Belgian team KAA Gent.

The difference is that this time people are being banned from the stands, not the field.

On Feb. 21, the two teams will face off in Ghent, Belgium, in the second leg of their Conference League playoff. But because of safety concerns related to the war — which has accompanied a spike in antisemitism internationally — they will play in an empty stadium.

Ghent Mayor Mathias De Clercq made the call on the advice of local police, according to the Associated Press. Thomas Dierckens, a spokesperson for Mayor De Clercq, added that KAA Gent Arena does not have an outer perimeter, which could lead to disruptions in and around the stadium.

“Based on police information, serious problems are expected,” Dierckens told the Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.

“This not only has consequences for the safety of fans and players, but also sporting consequences,” he said. “If the match is stopped for more than half an hour due to disruption, UEFA will give KAA Gent a forfeit score of 0-5.”Ceasefire protests have been occurring regularly in Ghent, according to the AP, including at the city’s New Year’s reception.

The Gaza war has affected international sports across countries, including in South Africa, where a young Jewish cricket star was investigated for hate speech and stripped of his leadership role with a national team over safety concerns stemming from his pro-Israel comments.

In Turkey, an Israeli soccer player was detained for a public gesture marking 100 days of the war. Israel’s national hockey team was suspended from a tournament in Bulgaria, and then reinstated.

Israeli soccer teams have played all home games in neutral countries since the outbreak of the war on Oct. 7. The Union of European Football Associations, or UEFA, had ruled that Israel could not host international games due to security concerns.

Israel’s national teams chose to play their home games in Felcsút, Hungary, while Maccabi Haifa, one of the top teams in the Israeli Premier League has been playing in Larnaca, Cyprus, and Budapest.

Antisemitism has long been an issue in European soccer, with one major league, Germany’s Bundesliga, taking steps to curb anti-Jewish sentiment among its fans and at its stadiums. In the English Premier League, the Arsenal and Chelsea clubs launched Jewish fan groups, while Tottenham cracked down on fans’ use of the slur “Yid.”

The notion of holding a sporting event without fans is rare, but not unheard of. On some occasions, teams have been forced to play in empty stadiums as a punishment — as in 2013 when FIFA ordered Bulgaria and Hungary to play World Cup qualifiers without fans because of what it called “abhorrent, shameful” racist and antisemitic abuse against opposing teams.

Sometimes known as “behind closed doors” events, the decision to keep stadiums empty has also been made in the past due to inclement weather, public safety and, most notably for US sports fans, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hostile Organization at MIT Threatens Jewish Students with Genocidal Rhetoric

Jewish students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are set to return to the classroom next month, where they will be greeted by an anti-Israel student group that is threatening to shut down "business as usual at MIT" until the Jewish state is no more.

The group, MIT Coalition Against Apartheid, made its threat in a December Instagram post. "When we return next semester," the group said, "we will be even stronger and even bigger to make sure that there is no business as usual at MIT until Palestine is free! From the river to the sea." While it's unclear exactly how the group plans to escalate its advocacy against the Jewish state, its members are already in hot water with the university over demonstrations that violated school policy and left Jewish students fearful.

In early November, for example, Coalition Against Apartheid organized an infamous protest in which members occupied MIT Lobby 7, a campus hub located inside of the school's main entrance that leads to classrooms and faculty offices. The group moved forward with the protest despite a school policy prohibiting demonstrations in Lobby 7 and other areas of campus where protesters would disrupt classes. The protest included calls for "Intifada" and saw participants occupy the lobby from 7:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. MIT leaders used an emergency notification system to tell students to avoid the area, and the school's Jewish attendees said the protest made them "feel MIT is not safe for Jews."

Coalition Against Apartheid's pledge to take "even stronger and even bigger" action will test MIT's resolve as the school faces criticism over its response to campus anti-Semitism. MIT president Sally Kornbluth faced calls to resign after her participation in a disastrous December congressional hearing, during which she argued that "calling for the genocide of Jews" may not violate the school's code of conduct. Days later, House Republicans launched an investigation into MIT and other elite universities.

While Kornbluth has since pledged to reassess the school's policies on "harassment, bullying, intimidation and discrimination," her administration has gone easy on Coalition Against Apartheid members in the past.

During the group's Lobby 7 protest, MIT staff delivered slips of paper informing participants they would be suspended if they did not leave the area. "With the current disruption of institute activities, a line has been crossed," the message read. But protesters refused to leave, staying in the lobby from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

After the ordeal, Kornbluth watered down her disciplinary threat. Students involved in the protest received a "non-academic suspension," allowing them to continue attending class. A harsher punishment, Kornbluth said in a statement, could have led to the deportation of foreign students, prompting the president to back down.

While Kornbluth's statement did not include names of any Coalition Against Apartheid foreign members, at least one of the group's leaders does not hail from the United States. That student, electrical engineering and computer science major Mohamed Mohamed, hails from west London, where his mother and father emigrated from Somalia and Sudan, respectively. Mohamed is frequently featured in the group's Instagram videos—in one recent post, he vowed to defy MIT policies, saying, "We won't stop, and they can't suspend the movement."

In addition to Mohamed, Coalition Against Apartheid is led by MIT senior Safiyyah Ogundipe, a chemical engineering student from Virginia. Ogundipe, who served as the group's president as recently as November, was present at the Lobby 7 protest and dismissed the school's demand to disperse, calling it "something that was causing anxiety amongst some of our students." Ogundipe during an interview with the Chronicle of Higher Education also pledged to fight back against MIT leaders.

"I'm not gonna be run off of my own campus," she said.

A third Coalition Against Apartheid member, undergraduate student and former Microsoft intern Alejandro Tañón Díaz, echoed Ogundipe's rhetoric, saying in an Instagram post he and other group members will come back "bigger and stronger … until apartheid falls." Another member, graduate student Susanna Chen, argued in a Jan. 7 interview that Israel will not be defeated until activists are "willing to put their neck out and really take the risk … to actually fight meaningfully against the U.S. war machine."

Mohamed, Ogundipe, Díaz, and Chen did not respond to requests for comment. MIT spokeswoman Sarah McDonnell emphasized Kornbluth's "continuing efforts to combat antisemitism on campus and review student disciplinary processes."

"MIT and President Sally Kornbluth reject antisemitism and other forms of hate," McDonnell said.

Members of MIT's Jewish community, however, are not convinced. In a Jan. 11 letter to school leadership, the MIT Jewish Alumni Alliance criticized Kornbluth's actions to address antisemitism, characterizing them as hollow and uninspiring.

"Unless MIT is willing to step up and address these misguided and blatantly antisemitic behaviors and beliefs, Jewish students will continue to face intimidation from outside and inside the classroom," the group wrote. "Our genocide unfolded in the wake of world-class German universities of MIT’s caliber turning their backs on us. Our conscience will not allow us to remain silent if we see MIT follow a similar path."

Daughter of Far Left French MPs Arrested for Antisemitic Social Media Posts

The daughter of two far left French parliamentarians has been arrested in Paris for allegedly posting antisemitic content on social media that amounts to “apologizing for terrorism” and “provocation to commit intentional attacks,” according to the police charge sheet.

22-year-old Inès Corbière was arrested on Tuesday for posts made in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas pogrom in southern Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were murdered and over 200 kidnapped amid atrocities that included rape, bodily mutilation and decapitation.

Corbière is the daughter of Raquel Garrido and Alexis Corbière, two MPs who sit in the French National Assembly on behalf of “La France Insoumise” (LFI — “France Rising”), a far left grouping that has frequently attacked Israel’s military response to the Hamas atrocities.

Corbière is understood to have operated a now suspended account on the X/Twitter platform using the handle “Babynesou.”

One comment on the feed spoke disparagingly of the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

“Maybe I don’t have a soul, but they don’t bother me at all, I even find them rather annoying, especially the kids,” the post read.

On the eve of a pro-Hamas march in Paris, another post asked provocatively: “Who’s excited to go and destroy the Zionists there?”

Another post dated Nov. 14 showed a young woman understood to be Corbière arguing with a person who was filming her at a demonstration on a cellphone. “I’m antisemitic, I don’t give a damn!” the woman is heard yelling before telling her interlocutor to “stop filming.”

Antisemitism in France has surged since the Oct. 7 Hamas pogrom, with more than 1,500 incidents recorded between October and November.

A statement issued by LFI two days after the pogrom described the onslaught on Israeli civilians as an “armed offensive by Palestinian forces led by Hamas.” Earlier this month, another LFI MP, David Guiraud, faced widespread criticism when posted a video from the Japanese manga cartoon “One Piece” in which a character known as Doflamingo complains of being silenced in denouncing the crimes of the “Heavenly Dragons,” an ultra wealthy and secretive global elite that serves as a “world government.”

The theme has been eagerly picked up by antisemitic agitators who regard it as a symbol of the world Jewish conspiracy imagined in antisemitic screeds such as the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a fabrication of the Russian secret police first published in the early 20th century.

University of Minnesota Under Investigation for Antisemitism

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating whether discrimination occurred at the University of Minnesota, one month after it received a complaint raising concerns about antisemitism at the Twin Cities campus.

The U is one of 99 schools "that are currently under investigation for discrimination involving shared ancestry," a term the department uses to describe incidents that occur based on someone's ancestry or nationality.

"An institution named on this list means that [the department's Office for Civil Rights] has initiated an investigation of a case concerning that institution," according to the U.S. Department of Education website. "Inclusion on the list does not mean that OCR has made a decision about the case."

University administrators said in a statement that they "will be fully responsive to the Office for Civil Rights throughout its inquiry."

The Department of Education announced this fall that it would "take aggressive action" to combat what it described as an "alarming nationwide rise" in reports of antisemitism and Islamophobia since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October.

Leaders at universities across the country are facing renewed pressure to balance concerns about academic freedom — which generally protects an instructor's ability to teach and do research in their area of expertise — with a desire to ensure that students from varying backgrounds feel safe and welcome on campus. Presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT faced backlash after they testified before Congress on how their schools might handle complaints about antisemitism — and two of them have since resigned.

In December, U law Prof. Richard Painter and former U Regent Michael Hsu asked the U.S. Department of Education to investigate concerns about antisemitism at the University of Minnesota. The pair raised concerns about the university's decision to allow some faculty members to post pro-Palestinian statements on an official university website.

In messages to university leaders and interviews, Painter and Hsu have criticized a statement from the Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies department. The chair of that department couldn't be reached Wednesday. That department's initial statement said, "We stand against antisemitism" and went on to note that objecting to the war is not antisemitic.

The complaint filed by Painter and Hsu also listed five incidents for potential investigation, some of which predate the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas. Among other instances, the complaint alleged that a department was "soliciting rabidly antisemitic external reviewers" in the tenure process and that a Jewish faculty member was "accosted" while filming what the pair described as a "pro-Hamas rally." That description has drawn criticism from some other faculty members who said they were aware of pro-Palestinian rallies but not pro-Hamas rallies.

Both Painter and Hsu said Wednesday that they welcomed the federal investigation and looked forward to seeing how the case resolves.

"I think the university has been too deferential to academic freedom, where the professors can do anything and say anything based on academic freedom," Hsu said.

The university's statement said it "stands firmly in support of speech and actions that provide an atmosphere of mutual respect, free from any form of prejudice and intolerance, as our Board of Regents policies state. We will continue to work every day to uphold these values while balancing our legal responsibilities to honor free speech."

The federal investigation could take months and typically involves conducting interviews and requesting records from the schools under investigation. In past cases where the Department of Education found violations at other universities, it required schools to boost trainings for harassment or tighten their policies prohibiting discrimination.

California City Council Virtual Meeting Disrupted by Antisemitic Pranksters

The incident took place in Norwalk on Tuesday, Jan. 16 during the public comment period of the meeting of the Ordinance Committee which was discussing a redistricting ordinance, the sale of city property, and blight prevention.

"I unequivocally condemn these ignorant, racist individuals for their anti-semitic, racist statements made during last night's Ordinance Committee meeting," said Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling. "These individuals are bigots, and such statements are incredibly gross, obscene, and hateful and demonstrate the exact opposite of what the City of Norwalk stands for."

Rillings said the Norwalk Police Department has initiated an investigation and the city's IT department is developing new protocols to help ensure it never happens again.

Darlene Young, Common Council president said that although these individuals were most likely not Norwalkers, there seemed to be a national trend among this type of vitriol.

 "The Norwalk Common Council unequivocally condemns any acts of hatred," Young added. 

The police department is also working with the Prosecutor's Office to determine if the people are identified whether the statements rise to the status of a hate crime and could be prosecuted. 

Holocaust Memorial in Pennsylvania Desecrated for Second Time

One of Philadelphia's Holocaust memorials is at the center of a hateful vandalism investigation.

The base of a monument at the Horowtiz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza was littered with piles of trash Tuesday afternoon.

This comes just days after police say a swastika was spray-painted on a wall of the Arch Street memorial.

Surveillance video caught the suspect in the act over the weekend.

Philadelphia police and homeland security are looking to identify a suspect they say committed an act of vandalism by spray-painting a swastika at the Horowitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza Sunday.

Philadelphia police and Homeland Security are currently investigating the situation.

David Adelman, part owner of the Sixers, says it's personal and that he is partnering with the Citizens Crime Commission to offer a reward to help identify the vandal.

"To know that a plaza that was named for my grandfather, a holocaust survivor, was vandalized with such hate, proves just how much these types of memorials and educational opportunities are needed and the compassion still lacking in our communities," Adelman said.

Jewish Mother and Daughter Attacked by Anti-Israel Protesters in Upper East Side

A Jewish mother said she and her daughter were “violently” attacked by anti-Israel protesters who called her a “Nazi b–h” on Manhattan’s Upper East Side this week — and called on Mayor Eric Adams to get a handle on the demonstrations.

The 43-year-old mom, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was dropping off groceries at her apartment after returning from upstate on Monday when she and her daughter were surrounded by protesters.

“When I came back, she [her daughter] was in the middle of this chaos,” the mother told The Post Tuesday.

The Upper East Sider said when she took out her phone to start recording the chaos after checking in on her daughter, she was told she was a “Nazi b—h,” to which her daughter said, “We’re Jewish.”

“When they heard we were Jewish … they all came around my car and started screaming, ‘You murderous Jews,’ ‘Death to all you Jewish bastards,’ and [were] banging on my car,” she said in a phone interview.

The protesters also put stickers on her car and wouldn’t allow her to move her vehicle, all while chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Death to America,” among other things, she said.

“Those protesters are calling for violence, they’re calling for violence here in New York,” she said. “They are absolutely not calling for any kind cease-fire.

“They’re getting more and more dangerous and more and more violent.”

After being called a “Nazi b–ch,” the mother got into the car, where her daughter already was. The crowd of protesters began to swarm their vehicle, attacking it and screaming at them. A male protester even threw an apple at their windshield so hard, it nearly cracked it.

The mom, who said protesters were also attacking other cars, began honking and screaming at the demonstrators to move.

At one point, both the mother and daughter opened their doors, she said. She had asked the protesters to move while her daughter got out of the car to respond to the rude comments the protesters were throwing at her mother.

The police report indicates the daughter was “pulled” out of the car by the arm by a protester, but the mother said she couldn’t confirm if her 17-year-old was pulled out or got out herself as she was busy on the other side of the car.

Eventually, traffic cops came to their rescue and told the protesters to move on and leave the vehicle alone. Afterward, the mother-daughter duo drove off and called the police, who met them near the scene and escorted them to the 19th Precinct.

“The second they found out we were Jewish, they violently attacked us … they were looking to hurt me because I was Jewish,” the Yorkville mom said.

Although neither she nor her 17-year-old was injured, she’s doesn’t even want to think about how the incident might have played out if NYPD traffic cops hadn’t intervened and told the protesters to continue on their way and to leave their car alone.

The pair went to the 19th Precinct to report the incident as a hate crime and talked to detectives, who are investigating what the mother described as the “most horrible experience we’ve been through.”

Police confirmed two police reports were filed Monday and said the “incident is being investigated as a possible bias incident by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.” 

“There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing,” a spokesperson told The Post.

The mom, who wears a “Bring Them Home” necklace proudly, is calling on the mayor to protect the people of New York and support the NYPD to help corral the ongoing protests that have been taking place frequently across the city since Oct. 7, the day Hamas attacked Israel.

“Mayor Adams is doing absolutely nothing,” she criticized. “I don’t think Mayor Adams is protecting NYPD or New York residents. I don’t think he gives them what they need and he’s certainly not giving it to those of us living in this city in this chaos.

When contacted, the Mayor’s Office referred The Post to links to Adams’ previous statements on the protests. 

Adams said in late December that he doesn’t believe people should just be “able to take over our streets,” but said it was inevitable as the NYPD has to follow a new protest policy — which went into effect last September as part of a Black Lives Matter settlement — that forces officers to be “extremely more hesitant in actions that they would have carried out in the past to keep the peace.” 

Despite Adams’ words, the Upper East Side mom said people she’s talked to have nothing good to say about how the mayor is handling the protests, which happen weekly throughout the boroughs. 

“He’s doing nothing to help us.”

Although this is her first instance of antisemitism, she said her children have experienced it at school and that her daughter is “terrified.”

“I think it’s dangerous to let this go on … it has to come to an end,” she said. “We were in danger yesterday, this is a hate crime.”

The same protesters stopped outside Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where patients were receiving treatment, to yell at them through the window, accusing them of having “complicity in genocide.”

They also protested outside Mt. Sinai Medical Center, a Starbucks and a McDonald’s, accusing the latter two of making “meals for genocide.”

“If we don’t stand up and fight against this hate, it’s going to be a very, very, very scary thing,” the Upper East Side mom told The Post. “They don’t even know what they’re fighting for, they’re just looking for violence.”

Three people were arrested at the protest, cops said. Adham Elsharkawi, 27, of Brooklyn was arrested and charged with making graffiti and possession of a graffiti instrument.

A 16-year-old was also arrested and charged with obstruction of governmental administration and disorderly conduct.

The third person, who was not named, was issued a summons for graffiti/unlawful possession of an indelible marker, police told The Post.

American University Accused of Antisemitism in Civil Rights Complaint

Shocking allegations of antisemitic assault, discrimination, and harassment at American University in Washington DC were unveiled on Wednesday in a new complaint filed with the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Jewish on Campus.

According to the complaint, pro-Hamas supporters spat on a Jewish Israeli student, someone graffitied swastikas in dorms for first-year students, and four Jewish students were charged with student conduct violations for recording video footage of pro-Hamas agitators tearing down missing persons posters of Israelis who were taken hostage by the Palestinian terrorist group on Oct. 7.

Shared with The Algemeiner on Wednesday, the complaint alleges egregious violations of Title VI of the US Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in programs and activities that receive federal funding. The document begins with a summary of incidents experienced by Tomer Ben-Enzer, a music and computer science major who, in addition to managing a rigorous course load, works two jobs as a teacher’s assistant and piano tutor to put himself through school. He is a Jewish Israeli American.

Ben-Enzer lost family and friends during Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel and has since then participated in events held to commemorate their lives. After leaving one such event held on campus, pro-Hamas protesters who saw him wearing an Israeli flag shouted “Zionist pig” at him. Two others riding on scooters with their faces concealed by keffiyehs — traditional headscarves worn in the Middle East that have become symbols of solidarity with the Palestinians against Israel — and N95 masks spat on him.

According to the complaint, although Ben-Enzer reported the incident to campus authorities and filed an additional complaint with the school’s Title IX office, which handles all reports of alleged discrimination, the university never responded to him, forcing him, at the advice of his mother, to avoid further harm by concealing his Star of David. Despite doing so, the spitting incidents continued, happening four more times. He was also called a “Zionist killer.”

Ben-Enzer allegedly had no recourse until the occurrence of an incident that was reported by The Eagle, American University’s campus newspaper, in November. He and other musicians had organized a recital, scheduled to take place on Dec. 10, and had posted around campus advertisements promoting the event. Someone later vandalized the advertisements, writing “Death to the Zionists Hitler was right” and drawing a swastika on them. American University refused to commence an investigation of the vandalisms, the Brandeis Center alleges, and two FBI officers dressed as civilians attended the recital to protect Ben-Enzer and his guests from violence.

“That the FBI needed to be called in demonstrates the level of physical threat to which [Ben-Enzer] was subjected. The situation on campus for Jews like [him] has deteriorated to such a degree because AU has long been derelict in its duty of care and protection of Jewish students on campus,” the complaint says.

“The university’s response to the incidents targeting [Ben-Enzer] has been wholly inadequate. It took the administration five days to contact [Ben-Enzer] after the vandalism incident, and even then, only one dean emailed him, nearly a week after the event, to inquire about his well being,” the document continues. “This was only after [Ben-Enzer] notified his professors that the administration had not offered him any support. AU’s failure to investigate the spitting incident [he] reported left the student feeling abandoned by the university and demonstrated the university’s lack of care and concern.”

The Algemeiner received permission to use Ben-Enzer’s name, which is redacted from the complaint where he’s described anonymously.

American University has ignored other antisemitic incidents on campus, according to the allegations. After Oct. 7, swastikas were graffitied three times in the first-year dormitory Letts Hall, as well as in a bathroom and on the doors of the residences of two Jewish students. A fourth vandalism was aborted when the student being targeted opened their door, causing the perpetrator to flee. One student whose door was vandalized was contacted by a person assumed to be involved in the incident in a text message that read, “I know who you are, Jew.”

The Brandeis Center added that 2023 was the third year in a row that swastika graffiti appeared on campus. In 2021 and 2022 the Nazi symbol was graffitied in bathrooms during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, two of the holiest holidays in the Jewish religion. The civil rights organization alleges that American University never launched a serious investigation of the incidents, essentially enabling the behavior.

One of the last examples of alleged civil rights violations cited in the complaint touches on an issue that has received ample media attention in the months following the atrocities of Oct. 7: tearing down missing persons posters of Israelis who were taken hostage by Hamas. At American University, tearing down posters of any kind constitutes a violation of the student code of conduct. However, the Brandies Center alleges, the school’s administration did nothing when pro-Hamas supporters tore down missing posters of Israelis. It did, however, file disciplinary charges against Jewish students who recorded them committing the act.

“By turning the situation on its head and treating the perpetrators as the victims, the university demonstrated a disregard for the facts, held its Jewish and Israeli students to a double standard, enforced its own code of conduct in a discriminatory fashion, and retaliated against Jewish students for attempting to engage in the legally protected activity of attempting to protect their civil rights,” the complaint says.

The Brandies Center went on to describe numerous other incidents of alleged discrimination and bullying in the classroom. It is asking the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to conduct a thorough investigation of its claims and has, in the interim, asked American University to suspend disciplinary proceedings against the Jewish students who filmed the vandalisms of missing persons posters, review its processes for investigating antisemitism, and begin compensating Ben-Enzer for lost wages and emotional suffering he has endured as a result of the treatment to which he was allegedly subjected during the fall semester.

American University did not respond to a request for comment for this story and has not yet responded publicly to the allegations, which are among the most damaging lodged against a US university since Oct. 7.

“Jewish students deserve consistent support from their university administrators, not harassment for standing up against antisemitism,” Jewish on Campus founder and CEO Julia Jassey said in a statement on Wednesday. “We urge a swift investigation and a campus climate where no student has to endure such harassment.”

Swastikas Drawn on Windows and Baseball Field at California High School

An investigation is continuing into antisemitic and anti-Black messaging found on the grounds of Pleasant Hill Middle School at the start of the Christmas break.

The vandalism, being investigated as a hate incident, occurred about 1:30 a.m. Dec. 21 when approximately five male juveniles walked onto campus, according to Pleasant Hill police.

The juveniles used their fingers to draw swastikas on several school windows after fogging the windows with their breath. The males also drew swastikas on the infield dirt of the baseball and softball fields.

In addition, Mt. Diablo Unified School District officials said the perpetrators left derogatory racial language against the Black community. No permanent property damage was found.

Lt. Jason Kleven noted no suspects have yet been identified in the case and nothing was observed on camera footage that revealed any distinguishing markings on the clothing.

Along with vandalism charges, he noted enhancements could be added if interviews with individuals show that hate against protective classes underscored what took place.

Based on what appears on the video, Kleven acknowledged ignorance, as much as hate mongering, was driving those responsible.

‘‘Looking at the age of the people in the video and they were just being stupid – that’s a possibility,” said Kleven.

The district said police are “diligently investigating” the crime to identify those responsible.

In the hours after the incident, Superintendent Adam Clark contacted parents of local students.

“It is with deep regret and sorrow that I write to you today. Regrettably, this week, Pleasant Hill Middle School experienced a disturbing incident of hateful vandalism. This act of vandalism involved the defacement of our school grounds with anti-Semitic symbols (swastikas) and derogatory racial language (‘N’ word),” he wrote in an email.

“We are taking these actions with the utmost seriousness and have promptly reached out to the Pleasant Hill Police Department to assist in this matter. The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our foremost concern, and we unequivocally condemn any form of prejudice, bigotry, or hate,” Clark continued. “We are committed to a swift resolution and holding the perpetrators accountable for their actions.”

To ensure that such episodes don’t quickly fade into the ether, Clark encouraged all schools to reference incidents that may occur on their campuses in their discussions about equity, tolerance, inclusiveness and creating welcoming environments in classrooms.

When asked for her perspective in the incident’s aftermath, Pleasant Hill Middle School Principal Terry McCormick declined to spotlight student reactions or specify how it is being used as a teachable moment in classrooms.

The hate-riddled vandalism comes in the wake of active roles Pleasant Hill area schools and their students are playing in recent city/diversity commission “United Against Hate” initiatives, including a Unity Walk and Community Conversations about Community, Equity and Inclusion.

Israeli Flag Ripped Down from New York Synagogue

The Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating a report that an Israeli flag was snatched from outside a popular Staten Island synagogue on Tuesday.

According to police, just before midnight, an unknown male exited a vehicle in front of the Young Israel Synagogue on Forest Hill Road, Willowbrook. The individual then hopped over a small fence before ripping the flag down from a flagpole, police said.

There have been no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing, police said.

“We live in an environment that’s encouraging aggression right now that leads to such acts of vandalism and hate,” said Mendy Mirocznik, president of the Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island (COJO). “A message has to be out that in America we may be entitled to our opinions and how we feel about things, but it’s not acceptable to be uncivil and hostile towards people.”

Merocznik added that, while members of the Jewish community are being assaulted verbally when they walk down the street, the stealing of a flag takes things to another level of hate and violence.

“This needs to be nipped in the bud,” he said.

Mirocnzik went on to praise members of Staten Island’s law enforcement community for their quick response to the incident and the seriousness with which they take the investigation.

A spokesperson for the synagogue could not be reached by press time.

Two Jewish Men Beaten by Gang in Brooklyn

2 Jewish men were injured after getting attacked and beaten by a gang of 5 suspects last Thursday night, in Crown Heights.

The incident occurred near Kingston Ave and Lincoln Place at approximately 11:30PM. According to the victim, he was walking nearby when the group of thugs asked him a question and he stopped next to them.

Moments later, they began to viciously attack him. The victim also stated that the perpetrators displayed a gun to his face. They also attacked a witness who attempted to assist the victim.

Crown Heights Shmira extensively searched for the suspects but they were not located but identified. Shmira is currently working with the NYPD’s 77th Precinct to apprehend the suspects.

Please be aware of your surroundings. In case of an emergency, call 911 and Shmira 24/7 at 718-221-0303.

Temple University, Muhlenberg College Latest Schools Hit with DOE Complaints Alleging Antisemitism

The Department of Education has added Temple University and Allentown's Muhlenberg College to the list of schools under investigation for alleged discrimination.

The Office for Civil Rights opened the investigations into "discrimination involving shared ancestry" under Title VI Jan. 16, according to the department's website. 

The colleges join Drexel University, Rutgers University and Lafayette College, among others around the country, on the list of schools with recently opened investigations.

The University of Pennsylvania is also under investigation by two U.S. House of Representatives committees for alleged antisemitism. 

Former Penn President Liz Magill came under fire last month after she spoke about antisemitism at a hearing in front of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. She and Penn's board chair Scott Bok resigned shortly after that hearing.

A Temple University spokesperson sent us this statement on the situation Wednesday:

Temple University unequivocally condemns hate and discrimination against any person and will always strive to ensure that all of our students, faculty, and staff feel welcomed and safe in our community and throughout our campus. 

We are aware of the Department of Education complaint and intend on fully complying, providing the department with robust information on how we are supporting our community through these challenging times. As this situation evolves, the university will continue to adapt, ensuring that all members of this community have access to the support and resources that they need.

Arizona Traffic Signed Hacked with Anti-Israel Message

A digital traffic sign was hacked in Pima County, angering the community due to an anti-Israel message.

The hack happened right in front of several local businesses on Cortaro Farms Road.

One such business is Flourish Yoga, which is only separated from the sign by a small parking lot. The owner, Amy DeSylvester, said she arrived at work Monday morning to find the sign changed.

“I came in and I went into the studio and I saw the sign,” she said. “It was pointed directly at my space.”

The sign is meant to broadcast road work set to start Wednesday. Instead, it showed several messages that were not related to each other or to road work, like a racial slur against people from China, an anti-Israel statement, an anti-HOA statement, and a pro-Gaza statement.

“I think there’s so much hate in this world today that it’s sad that you’re driving by and you’re seeing those messages,” DeSylvester said.

She said she called Pima County and the Sheriff’s Department before taking matters into her own hands.

“It had been turned, so it was facing directly at my business, so when my members were coming out they were seeing it right in their face,” she said. “I had kids yoga going on, a lot of different demographics coming in and going from the studio that day, so we ended up going out and putting trash bags over it to cover it up.”

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it is illegal to cover up a traffic sign when it’s being used as such, but in this case and at that time, the sign wasn’t being used to control traffic. Because of that, covering the sign wasn’t impacting traffic.

Still, the PCSD and the county suggest calling them to report when you see a sign that’s been hacked, just like DeSylvester did.

“They said that they had been aware,” she said “There were many calls and complaints about it and that they were looking into it.”

DeSylvester is thankful the sign is back to normal but thinks prevention and reaction could be better.

“Maybe locking up the box a little bit so people don’t have access to it and then responding to the calls faster,” she said. “If somebody calls and says this is going on, get somebody out right away and turn it off.”

Once contacted, the county has to reach out to the company who manages it. That could be why there’s a bit of a delay in the response.

Antisemitic Graffiti Found on Roadway in Maine

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after antisemitic graffiti was found in Harpswell.

Deputies say the graffiti involves a swastika and a reference to the Holocaust that had been painted on the roadway at the intersection of Stevens Corner Road and Harpswell Islands Road.

The graffiti occurred sometime between Jan. 12 and Jan. 15.

If anyone has information, contact the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office at (207) 774-144.

MSNBC Producer Claims Condemnation of Hamas is "Tone-Deaf" and Spreads Blood Libel Against IDF

An MSNBC producer called condemnation of Hamas’s violence against Israeli women “tone deaf” on Sunday and accused the IDF of perpetrating similar atrocities against Palestinians.

Nicole McReynolds, an associate video producer on Ali Velshi’s MSNBC show, scolded Big Time Rush singer James Maslow over an Instagram post that described Hamas’s murder, mutilation, and rape of Israeli women on October 7.

“James, I’m a huge fan of yours, but this is quite tone deaf. We are all aware of the horrors that Israelis went through on October 7th, and are still going through — but to not even mention the atrocities that Israel and the IDF have put Palestinians through is ridiculous,” McReynolds wrote in a since-deleted Instagram comment. “Just under 25 thousand people have been murdered by the Israeli government (and the IDF has raped and mutilated both women and children) and half a million people are starving.”

“While there is no easy solution to this, what is happening on both sides should not be happening at all,” she continued. “We all need to be open minded, educate ourselves, and have compassion.”

McReynolds’s now-deleted LinkedIn profile listed her as an employee of Velshi, MSNBC’s Chief Correspondent Ali Velshi’s weekend show.

Velshi has brought on his show many pro-Palestinian commentators who have legitimized Hamas’s attacks. On October 7, the same day Hamas waged its attack against Israel, Velshi invited Palestinian activist Nour Odeh on his show to discuss what Velshi called “Israel’s inhumane treatment of the Palestinians who live under Israeli occupation.”

To think that the “record number of Palestinian children killed by Israeli occupation forces, a record number of Palestinian homes demolished by Israel, a record number of Israeli settler attacks against Palestinian villages where homes and businesses were set on fire, where Palestinians were injured or killed by armed Israelis,” wouldn’t “have consequences, or wouldn’t have a reaction from the Palestinians, all Palestinians, was delusional,” Odeh said.

Odeh also stressed the importance of recognizing the “context in which all of this is happening, the fact that Israel is an occupying power, the fact that Israel has violated international law and Palestinian rights.” At the time Velshi invited Odeh on the show, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had just declared war on Hamas, and Israeli Defense Forces were still calculating the magnitude of Hamas’s attack.

Velshi has also urged the United States not to “reward Israel’s bad behavior” and has called Israel’s democratic system “ostensible” because “millions of people, Palestinians who live under illegal occupation, are subject to Israeli persecution and prosecution without either its protections or the right to vote.”

As a video producer, McReynolds shapes the direction of the show by creating news packets, pitching news segments, and compiling video clips for on-air stories.

Maslow’s post attracted a host of pro-Palestinian activists who seconded McReynolds’s unsubstantiated claims.

“Bro I love you but now your [sic] emberassing [sic] yourself with this bullshit.. you see what is happening right now but still you support the bullshit!” European amateur boxer Farzahd Razaghzadeh commented. “Wouldve respect you more if you supported all innocent people.”

U.S. intelligence, Israeli authorities, and independent investigations led by the New York Times and USA Today have all confirmed details of Hamas’s systemic brutalization of women on October 7. A growing number of witnesses, health-care workers, and October 7 survivors have corroborated heinous claims that Hamas terrorists gang-raped women on the streets of Israel, stabbed women in their vaginas, cut off women’s breasts, and even shot and killed a woman while inside of her.

MSNBC did not respond to a request for comment.

Danish Authorities Arrest Seven People Planning Terror Attack with Hamas Links

Seven people suspected of involvement in a planned terror attack foiled by Danish authorities in December have links to the Islamist terror group Hamas, Danish police said Friday.

Danish prosecutor Anders Larsson has confirmed that the case “has links to Hamas,” Danish police told AFP in a statement.

The prosecutor was speaking in Denmark’s Eastern High Court on Friday as the case was being heard behind closed doors.

Police said on December 14 that they had arrested three people in Denmark suspected of planning a “terror” attack, but provided no other details.

A total of seven are now suspected of involvement.

The prosecutor’s statement appeared to back up comments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on December 14 that Denmark’s security forces had “thwarted an attack, the goal of which was to kill innocent civilians on European soil.”

“The Hamas terrorist organization has been working relentlessly and exhaustively to expand its lethal operations to Europe, and thereby constitute a threat to the domestic security of these countries,” Netanyahu said of the apparent plot against Jewish or Israeli targets.

Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said Friday that the alleged connection to Hamas “confirms that the threat against Denmark is serious, but luckily we have a strong police and intelligence service doing their best to protect us every day.”

In December, Israel updated travel warnings for dozens of countries, amid rising antisemitism and threats of violence against Israelis and Jews around the world as its war against Hamas in Gaza continues, sparked by the terror group’s October 7 massacres.

DOE Investigating New Jersey Disctrict Over Antisemitism

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating Teaneck Public Schools over possible claims of antisemitism and discrimination, the federal agency confirmed to Patch.

The investigation into Teaneck schools joins a growing list of similar federal Title VI civil rights probes following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.

According to a Department of Education list, the investigation into the district was opened on Jan. 5. While a Department of Education spokesperson could not confirm the nature of the investigation, the spokesperson provided context on the probe by directing Patch to a news release announcing the agency's efforts to take "aggressive action" against antisemitism in schools.

The department declined to comment further on the investigation, the spokesperson said.

The investigation comes amid tensions between Teaneck students, administrators and community members following Hamas' attack on Israel when militants stormed through Israeli communities, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.

More than 23,000 people in Gaza have been killed during Israel's military campaign, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory. That toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

In October, Teaneck residents packed a school board meeting over a letter sent to families by Superintendent Andre Spencer, offering support and counseling to students affected by the conflict, according to a Bergen Record report.

Residents criticized Spencer and said he should have explicitly condemned Hamas and terrorism.

A month later, a group of about 100 students at Teaneck High School staged a pro-Palestinian walkout and called for an end to the violence, according to an ABC7 report. Spencer allowed the walkout despite complaints from local Jewish organizations, the report said.

A day before the planned walkout, a local Jewish organization held a rally denouncing antisemitism, CBS News reported.

"If somebody wants to spread that hateful speech, that has no place in our public schools," said Rabbi Daniel Friedman with the Jewish Center of Teaneck, according to the station.

When contacted by Patch, Teaneck Public Schools spokesperson Connie Le declined to comment on the investigation, citing privacy reasons.

"But all such matters are addressed appropriately," Le added. "We do not tolerate any harassment, bullying, or intimidation and thoroughly investigate any reports of this type of behavior."

South African Jewish Soccer Player Stripped of Captain Title

South African cricket’s governing body has stripped a Jewish player of the captaincy of a youth squad following a row over his support for Israel.

In a statement published on Friday, authorities said that if David Teeger were allowed to lead the nation’s team at the Under 19 World Cup it could lead to “conflict or even violence”.

South Africa expects protests at the tournament, which it will host later this month.

Teeger faced criticism and an investigation after he dedicated an award to Israel late last year.

Accepting a “rising star” award, the teenager said: “Yes, I’ve been [given] this award, and yes, I’m now the rising star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel.

"And I’d like to dedicate it to the state of Israel and every single soldier fighting so that we can live and thrive in the diaspora.”

Following his remarks, the Palestine Solidarity Alliance filed a complaint with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, which launched an investigation.

Former judge Wim Tregrove, appointed to investigate the claims, found that Teeger had made the comments in a personal capacity unrelated to cricket.

The young sportsman’s speech was not, therefore, “detrimental to the sport or inter-team relations” he said.

Tregrove added: “The Constitutional Court has made the point that the right to freedom of expression does not protect hate speech, but emphasized that the expression of unpopular or even offensive beliefs does not constitute hate speech.”

Despite his verdict, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has stripped Teeger of his captaincy before the World Cup. 

"As is the case with all such events, CSA has been receiving regular security and risk updates regarding the World Cup,” they said in a statement.

"We have been advised that protests related to the war in Gaza can be anticipated at the venues for the tournament. We have also been advised that they are likely to focus on the position of the SA Under-19 captain, David Teeger, and that there is a risk that they could result in conflict or even violence, including between rival groups of protestors.

"CSA has a primary duty to safeguard the interests and safety of all those involved in the World Cup and must accordingly respect the expert advice of those responsible for the safety of participants and spectators.

"In all the circumstances, CSA has decided that David should be relieved of the captaincy for the tournament."

This is in the “best interest” of the other players and Teeger, the statement claimed.

The cricketer, who keeps kosher and observes Shabbat, will be allowed to play as a regular team member.

Jewish leaders previously condemned the launch of an investigation into Teeger over his support for Israel. 

"Cricket South Africa should be ashamed of itself to subject a young schoolboy to a Maoist inquisition to test his ideological purity,” Chief Rabbi Goldstein said.

Mandy Yachad, a Jewish cricketer who represented South Africa in international competitions, previously told the JC he would boycott upcoming matches over the “racist” treatment of Teeger.

He said: “Not only will I not accept invitations to the pavilion as a former national player, but I will refuse to enter any of the grounds where the matches are being played… I love watching our teams, especially at the Wanderers and at Newlands, but not after what’s just happened.”