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Watchdog Group: Antisemitic Attacker’s Plea Deal ‘Slap on the Wrist’

A New York man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a Jewish man wearing an Israeli military hoodie last December.

Suleiman Othman of Staten Island, N.Y., will spend two months in jail and serve three years of probation, which Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said “should send a message that this kind of intolerance has serious consequences.”

The watchdog group StopAntisemitism sees things differently.

The organization is “extremely troubled” that a repeat offender is getting such a light sentence, it stated. “These slap-on-the-wrist punishments serve only to make New York City’s Jews less safe by emboldening those who would do them harm.” 

The group also called on the city’s criminal justice leaders to “hold antisemites accountable rather than handing them sweetheart deals.”

On Dec. 26, 2021, Suleiman Othman, then 28, punched Blake Zavadsky, then 21, twice and threw an iced coffee at him. He insisted that Zavadsky take off his Israeli sweatshirt and said: “Why do you support those dirty Jews?”

Watchdog Groups Slams 'Insufficient Sentence' for NYC Antisemitic Hate Crime

Watchdog group StopAntisemitism condemned on Tuesday the "insufficient" sentencing of Suleiman Othman, who received a two-month sentencing for his violent antisemitic assault on Blake Zavadsky in Brooklyn in 2021. 

"StopAntisemitism is extremely troubled that repeat violent antisemite Suleiman Othman was sentenced to a mere two months in prison for his unprovoked assault on Blake Zavadsky in 2021," the group said. "Othman, who was released on $1,000 bail rather than the recommended $35,000, previously rejected a plea deal that would’ve seen him serve six months."

StopAntisemitism continued: "These slap-on-the-wrist punishments serve only to make New York City’s Jews less safe by emboldening those who would do them harm. The city needs principled leaders in the criminal justice system who will hold antisemites accountable rather than handing them sweetheart deals."

Othman, a Staten Island resident, violently assaulted Zavadsky, a Jewish man wearing an IDF sweatshirt, in Brooklyn in December 2021.

Blake Zavadsky in his IDF hoodie after being attacked on Sunday.

In November 2022 alone, antisemitic hate crimes across New York City's five boroughs more than doubled from a year prior, New York Police Department data revealed, resulting in a 125% increase. 

Back in January, New York Jewish leaders gathered outside the Brooklyn Criminal Courthouse while Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez’s prosecution of Othman took place inside the courthouse. Othman rejected the plea deal offered to him at the time. 

Rallygoers demanded action for the Jewish community, which continues to be the target of a growing number of hate crimes. They also condemned the plea deal offered by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg to an antisemite who participated in a gang attack on a Jewish man near Times Square in May 2021. 

Jewish Organizations Critique Biden's Antisemitism Strategy

While most Jewish organizations and Jewish leaders support US President Joe Biden’s unprecedented broad strategy to combat antisemitism announced last week, some have added a hint of criticism to their comments.

Aside from entities such as the Republican Jewish Coalition that said “Joe Biden had a chance to take a strong stand against antisemitism and he blew it,” a number of more central or a-political organizations have said they are worried about the definition of antisemitism as portrayed in the 60-page national strategy plan on combating antisemitism in the US.

One of the main legacy Jewish organizations, The World Jewish Congress (WJC), led by president Ronald Lauder, thanked the White House for the new plan, but also added some hinted criticism: “We must have concrete action, not just words,” the WJC said towards the end of its statement reacting to the White House strategy. “The inclusion of a secondary definition in addition to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism is an unnecessary distraction from the real work that needs to be done,” they said of the Nexus definition, that was included in the text referring to the different types of antisemitism.

THE STRATEGY specifically said that it acknowledges IHRA as the main definition of antisemitism but also acknowledged the existence of other definitions such as the Nexus Document, that is more to the left of the political map regarding its attitude towards Israel and to antisemitism.

They emphasized that “even with those concerns we are deeply satisfied that the national strategy to fight antisemitism provides an invaluable investment in promoting and realizing tolerance, safety and security for Jews across the country.”

The StopAntisemitism organization only focused on the criticism of the new White House strategy. They said that they are “extremely disturbed by several key aspects of the White House’s antisemitism strategy. Our country’s crisis of Jew-hatred needs to be addressed clearly, completely and as a phenomenon unto itself and the Biden Administration’s plan falls short on all counts.”

StopAntisemtism added that this strategy was written “against the advice of major antisemitism advocacy organizations,” and that “the plan does not use the IHRA definition to delineate what counts as antisemitism, instead relegating it to a brief paragraph that also includes the inferior, competing Nexus definition.”

They explained that “not using IHRA as a foundational guide creates a gaping hole; while the plan acknowledges that Jews have been targeted because of their connection to Israel, it fails to name anti-Zionism as a primary form of antisemitism.

“The plan will not even allow antisemitism to stand alone, repeatedly mentioning planned executive actions to fight ‘antisemitism, Islamophobia, and related forms of bias and discrimination.’ Fighting Islamophobia and other bigotries is an excellent goal, but it does not belong in this particular antisemitism strategy,” StopAntisemitism said.

StopAntisemitism is a grassroots watchdog organization dedicated to “exposing groups and individuals that espouse incitement towards the Jewish people and State and engage in antisemitic behaviors,” according to their website. Founded in 2018, StopAntisemitism was born “in response to increasing antisemitic violence and sentiment across the US.”

Senior officials in central Jewish organizations in the US said wholeheartedly that the White House strategy is “beyond expectations,” yet that they are “worried about the fact that the Nexus definition of antisemitism was included,” and that “anti-Zionism isn’t necessarily seen as antisemitism,” according to the new plan. Senior Israeli officials actually said that the fact that the progressive Jerusalem Definition of Antisemitism wasn’t included, is a success. They added that “the fact that IHRA is mentioned as the main definition of antisemitism, means that anti-Zionism is perceived to be antisemitism.”

The source added that the State Department, as well as the administration itself, has been using IHRA as the official definition for antisemitism and aren’t planning on changing that. In addition, they explained, “more than half-of-the US States have already adopted IHRA,” and therefore, “IHRA is the only definition that is used by law enforcement,” in the US.

The IHRA definition is a non-legally binding statement that provides a broad and general description of antisemitism, accompanied by 11 illustrative examples that include criticism of Israel as a potential manifestation of antisemitism. The Nexus definition is a more recent and alternative definition that aims to provide a clearer and more precise description of antisemitism, with a focus on the nexus between antisemitism and Israel or Zionism. The Nexus definition also provides guidelines to identify when criticism of Israel or opposition to it crosses the line into antisemitism, without stifling legitimate debate or expression.

Another difference is that the IHRA definition has been widely adopted and endorsed by various governments, institutions and organizations around the world, while the Nexus definition has been supported by some academics and activists who are critical of the IHRA definition for being vague, ambiguous and susceptible to misuse. The two definitions have sparked controversy and debate among different Jewish communities and groups over how to best define and combat antisemitism in the 21st century. All of the mainstream Jewish organizations in the US have pushed for the administration to adopt the IHRA definition solely.

Biden Administration Unveils Strategy to Counter Antisemitism

US President Joe Biden unveiled an unprecedented broad strategy to combat antisemitism on Thursday morning local time, launching a plan that has been in the works for months and that has sparked debate among Jewish organizations.

The 60-page National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism was announced in a video presentation and live-streamed conversation between its two architects — Susan Rice, Biden’s chief domestic policy adviser, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is the first Jewish spouse of a US vice president. Also on the livestream were Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall and Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. 

Biden, who did not attend the launch but was featured in a recorded message, called the plan "the most ambitious and comprehensive" government initiative in combatting antisemitism, which includes 100 new actions the Administration will take to raise awareness of antisemitism and its threat to American democracy, protect Jewish communities, reverse the normalization of antisemitism, and build cross-community solidarity. 

Emhoff called the plan personally meaningful. "This plan will save lives," the second gentleman said. "Antisemitism can only be combatted with united efforts. We are committed to making sure everyone can live openly and safely in their communities. We cannot normalize hate seen across our nation."

Rice reflected on growing up in a mixed Jewish-Black community. She spoke of her first trip to Israel at age 14 with her father and brother. "At the UN I was proud to defend Israel against unfair attacks. I loathe injustice, antisemitism and racism. Jewish commitments to tikkun olam, repairing the world, have long been inspirations for me.

A firm and unrelenting response from government is urgent and essential."

Rice said next year the US Holocaust Memorial Museum will launch the first-ever US-based Holocaust education research center.

Eighty-five percent of Americans believe at least one antisemitic trope, Rice said, calling the statistic "unacceptable." 

Rice, who is set to step down as the president's domestic policy adviser Friday, said her parting request is for everyone to do whatever you can, in your communities, your schools, your dorms, your houses of worship and your workplaces to counter antisemitism."

Sherwood-Randall said she approaches the plan "apolitically and agnostically," reflecting that her father faced antisemitism throughout his life. "The hard reality is antisemitism is becoming mainstream," she said. "This is evident on social media." 

She said the plan calls on tech companies to establish a zero tolerance policy for hate speech.

Sherwood Randall pledged increased funds to physical security of synagogues, adding that the Departments of Homeland security and Justice will meet with Jewish communities and provide technology to steer individuals away from radicalization.

Lipstadt called the launch a "historic moment in the modern fight against what's known as the fight against the world's oldest hatred."

"Where antisemitism persists, democracy suffers," she said. 

Lipstadt referenced a rabbinic teaching, saying that "you are not obligated to finish the task, but neither are you free to turn away from it." 

A source who was consulted on the antisemitism strategy said that the administration originally hoped to launch the strategy, which in the works since December, at the Jewish American Heritage Month event last week at the White House. But it was delayed because of concerns among Jewish community leaders over how the term “antisemitism” would be defined.

The plan was expected to embrace a “working definition” of antisemitism advanced in recent years by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, whose examples of antisemitism include using “double standards” when criticizing Israel and calling it a “racist endeavor.”

But there have been tussles on social media over efforts, first reported by Jewish Insider, for the plan to also mention an alternative definition of antisemitism. That definition, written by a group of academics and called the “Nexus Document,” has tighter standards around when anti-Israel speech is antisemitic. It says that applying double standards to Israel may not necessarily be antisemitic, but “to treat Israel differently solely because it is a Jewish state” would be.

In days leading up to the plan's launch, a number of Jewish organizational leaders have been reassured by White House officials that the reference to the Nexus definition will not detract from the plan’s embrace of the IHRA definition.

Watchdog group StopAntisemitism said the Biden Administration's plan "falls short on all counts."

"Against the advice of major antisemitism advocacy organizations, the plan does not use the IHRA definition to delineate what counts as antisemitism, instead relegating it to a brief paragraph that also includes the inferior, competing Nexus definition," the group said. "This flies in the face of the plan’s assertion that 'If we cannot name, identify, and admit a problem, we cannot begin to solve it.'"

"Not using IHRA as a foundational guide creates a gaping hole; while the plan acknowledges that Jews have been targeted because of their connection to Israel, it fails to name anti-Zionism as a primary form of antisemitism," StopAntisemitism continued. "The plan also does not allow antisemitism to stand alone, as it repeatedly mentions planned executive actions to fight 'antisemitism, Islamophobia, and related forms of bias and discrimination.' Fighting Islamophobia and other bigotries is an excellent goal, but it does not belong in this particular antisemitism strategy."

StopAntisemitism said that "IHRA was mentioned in a brief paragraph that also includes the inferior, competing Nexus definition."

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) said on Thursday that the Biden administration "blew it" on antisemitism policy.

"Joe Biden had a chance to take a strong stand against antisemitism and he blew it," said RJC CEO Matt Brooks. 

"The IHRA definition of antisemitism is the definition endorsed by every mainstream Jewish organization. Biden’s own Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism has urged other countries to 'embrace' it as an “integral” tool against the rising tide of Jew-hatred. The IHRA definition is indispensable because it recognizes that criticism of Israel is antisemitic when it delegitimizes, demonizes, or applies double standards to Israel," Brooks continued. 

"After initial reports that its new strategy would enshrine the IHRA definition, the Biden administration came under heavy pressure from the anti-Israel left, forcing a delay in the roll-out. Now, in the waning days of Jewish American Heritage Month, the White House is attempting a last-minute straddle – undermining the IHRA definition by promoting alongside it an alternative definition that says applying double standards and singling out the Jewish state for criticism is not antisemitic."

The White House plan also contains many other positive elements, including access to kosher food, security grants, inter-agency involvement and promotion of education material.

Ultimately, adopting the IHRA working definition is only the first, but necessary step, in the legal fight against the scourge of Jew-hatred in all its manifestations. The definition also needs to be unwaveringly implemented and applied, and we look forward to working with our global partners in doing so."

Jewish Groups ‘Extremely Disturbed’ and Say Biden ‘Blew It’ On Policy to Counter Antisemitism

The White House on Thursday rolled out a 60-page strategy to counter antisemitism in the United States that some Jewish and anti-hate groups say misses the mark. 

The Biden administration cites an alarming rise in hate crimes that disproportionately impact American Jews as part of the impetus for the government-led effort to combat antisemitism. 

As part of the strategy’s four-pillar approach, the White House seeks to increase awareness and understanding of antisemitism, including how it threatens America, and broaden appreciation of Jewish American heritage.

The administration would also like to improve safety and security for Jewish communities; reverse the normalization of antisemitism and counter antisemitic discrimination; and build “cross-community” solidarity and collective action to counter hate.

But some groups have taken offense to what the White House says it considers antisemitism, and argue that President Biden has chosen a diluted definition of the term that doesn’t say it’s antisemitic to oppose Israel’s creation or hold the Jewish state to different standards than other countries.

Rather than solely using the International Holocaust Remembrance Association (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which is favored by numerous mainstream Jewish organizations, the White House strategy calls several definitions of antisemitism “valuable.” 

The Biden administration cites an alarming rise in hate crimes that disproportionately impact American Jews as part of the reason for creating the national plan to combat antisemitism. 

“The most prominent is the non-legally binding ‘working definition’ of antisemitism adopted in 2016 by the 31-member states of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which the United States has embraced,” the White House strategy acknowledges. 

The document continues, “In addition, the Administration welcomes and appreciates the Nexus Document and notes other such efforts.” 

The Zionist Organization of America argued in a statement Thursday that “the Nexus Document states that opposition to Zionism – i.e., the right of the Jewish people to self-determination and to live as a nation-state in their religious and ancestral homeland – is not necessarily antisemitic.

“The Nexus Document fails to appreciate that for many if not most Jews, their connection to their religious and ancestral homeland is an essential part of their Jewish identity.”

The White House documents don’t have a clear definition of antisemitism, according to some Jewish groups.

Liora Rez, executive director of watchdog group StopAntisemitism, argues that the Biden administration’s acceptance of numerous definitions “flies in the face of the plan’s assertion that ‘If we cannot name, identify, and admit a problem, we cannot begin to solve it.’” 

In a statement, Rez adds that she is “extremely disturbed by several key aspects of the White House’s antisemitism strategy” and says the Biden plan “falls short.”

“Against the advice of major antisemitism advocacy organizations, the plan does not use the IHRA definition to delineate what counts as antisemitism, instead relegating it to a brief paragraph that also includes the inferior, competing Nexus definition,” Rez writes.

The White House calls the strategy a “whole-of-society plan that both meets this moment of escalating hatred and lays the foundation for reducing antisemitism over time.”

“Not using IHRA as a foundational guide creates a gaping hole; while the plan acknowledges that Jews have been targeted because of their connection to Israel, it fails to name anti-Zionism as a primary form of antisemitism,” she argues.

Similarly, Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks said in a statement that “Joe Biden had a chance to take a strong stand against antisemitism, and he blew it.”

“The IHRA definition of antisemitism is the definition endorsed by every mainstream Jewish organization. Biden’s own Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism has urged other countries to ‘embrace’ it as an ‘integral’ tool against the rising tide of Jew-hatred. The IHRA definition is indispensable because it recognizes that criticism of Israel is antisemitic when it delegitimizes, demonizes, or applies double standards to Israel,” Brooks adds. 

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean and director of global social action at the Simon Wiesenthal Center – a Jewish global human rights organization – applauded the White House’s efforts on Thursday, but in his praises he emphasized the importance of the IHRA definition of antisemitism. 

The Biden administration wants to improve safety and security for Jewish communities, reverse the normalization of antisemitism, counter antisemitic discrimination and build “cross-community” solidarity and collective action to counter hate.

“Central to this fight is the adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism by all agencies, internet companies, universities and cultural institutions across our country. For without a single definition, accountability for anti-Semitic acts and hate crimes would be made that much more difficult,”  Rabbi Cooper said in a statement. 

He adds that “we must also remember that a significant portion of the antisemitic hate generated against the Jewish people specifically targets genocidal and murderous rhetoric and acts against the democratic Jewish state of Israel which today is home to the largest Jewish community in the world.”

Rabbi Cooper notes in a statement to the Washington Free Beacon that “the fight against antisemitism cannot be a multiple-choice question.”

The Republican Jewish Coalition also believes that the White House caved in to influence from the “anti-Israel left” when crafting the document. 

“After initial reports that its new strategy would enshrine the IHRA definition, the Biden administration came under heavy pressure from the anti-Israel left, forcing a delay in the roll-out. Now, hours before a Jewish holiday and in the waning days of Jewish American Heritage Month, the White House is attempting a last-minute straddle – undermining the IHRA definition by promoting alongside it an alternative definition that says applying double standards and singling out the Jewish state for criticism is not antisemitic.

“This decision seriously weakens the White House strategy. It is yet another instance of Biden caving to the anti-Israel radicals who constitute a growing Democratic constituency at both the elected and grassroots levels. It’s clear that only a Republican president will fully embrace the IHRA definition and put the full force of the federal government behind the fight against antisemitism in all its forms,” Brooks writes.

StopAntisemitism also criticized Biden for allowing the plan to veer into strategy for combating other hate crimes and not solely focusing on antisemitism. 

“The plan will not even allow antisemitism to stand alone, repeatedly mentioning planned executive actions to fight ‘antisemitism, Islamophobia, and related forms of bias and discrimination.’ Fighting Islamophobia and other bigotries is an excellent goal, but it does not belong in this particular antisemitism strategy,” said Rez. 

“The Administration grossly missed its chance to make a clear statement on what constitutes antisemitism, and America’s Jews will suffer as a result,” she added. 

White House Deputy Director of Communications Herbie Ziskend told The Post on Thursday that “President Biden’s comprehensive National Strategy to counter antisemitism reaffirms the United States’ unshakable commitment to Israel’s right to exist, its legitimacy, and its security—and makes clear that when Israel is singled out because of anti-Jewish hatred, that is antisemitism. And that is unacceptable.”

NJ Jewish Leaders Welcome Biden's New Antisemitism Strategy but Some Want More Action

The White House on Thursday unveiled the country's first national strategy for combating antisemitism, including what the Biden administration said were more than 100 initiatives aimed at countering rising hate against the Jewish community.

The plan won praise from Jewish leaders in New Jersey, which has seen antisemitic incidents surge to record levels in recent months, including an attempted fire-bombing at a synagogue in Essex County and an online threat last fall that led to the shutdown of dozens of temples and community centers across the state.

Jason Shames, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, applauded the plan. "The unprecedented spike in antisemitism has caused significant pain and alarm in our communities, and we look forward to working with our elected officials, and other faith and race-based groups to enhance security and fight back against all forms of hate and make our country a safer place," he said.

"As Jewish American Heritage month comes to a close, the announcement of this important plan is an opportunity for us to reaffirm that no one should live in fear because of who they are."

The strategy, which the White House said was informed by the input of over 1,000 stakeholders, calls for enhanced Holocaust education in schools through programs developed with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It also calls on tech companies to establish a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech and asks Congress to increase funds for security at synagogues. The plan seeks to build allyship across communities to fight hate, the White House said.

"Silence is complicity," President Joe Biden said in a video message at the event touting the plan. "I will not remain silent. You should not either."

The strategy is built around four broad pillars, Biden said: increasing awareness and understanding of antisemitism, improving safety for Jewish communities, reversing the normalization of antisemitism and building solidarity among different religious groups.

It also affirms the U.S. "commitment to the State of Israel's right to exist, its legitimacy and its security," as well as the religious and cultural ties many American Jews have to Israel.

American Jews account for only 2.4% of the U.S. population, but they are the victims of 63% of religiously motivated hate crimes, according to FBI data included in Biden's announcement.

Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris and the first Jewish spouse of a vice president, said antisemitism was threatening democracy. "I know the fear, the pain, the anger that Jews are living with because of this epidemic of hate," he said. "I will not stand idly by and allow antisemitism to poison our society."

The plan drew widespread praise from the Jewish community, but the strategy also met criticism from those who felt the White House could do even more.

Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism, said the plan falls short. While it "acknowledges that Jews have been targeted because of their connection to Israel, it fails to name anti-Zionism as a primary form of antisemitism," she said. In addition, the plan doesn't allow antisemitism to stand alone, she said, repeatedly mentioning planned executive actions to fight “antisemitism, Islamophobia, and related forms of bias and discrimination.”

"Fighting Islamophobia and other bigotries is an excellent goal, but it does not belong in this particular antisemitism strategy," Rez said.

White House Caves to Anti-Israel Pressure on Antisemitism Rollout

The Biden administration in its long-awaited report on combating Jew hatred is making a concession to anti-Israel activists by embracing a watered-down definition of antisemitism that says it's OK to hold the Jewish state to higher standards than other countries.

The Thursday announcement is a significant blow to mainstream Jewish groups, which had lobbied the White House to exclusively endorse the stronger International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. While the White House says the United States "has embraced" the IHRA definition, it also praises the conflicting "Nexus" definition, which states that it is not antisemitic to denounce Israel's creation or treat the Jewish state more harshly than other countries.

Anti-Israel groups such as J Street and Americans for Peace Now had pushed the White House to mention multiple definitions of antisemitism in the report to avoid giving legitimacy to the IHRA standard, which prominent Biden administration officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have endorsed. The Biden administration's report states there are "several definitions of antisemitism, which serve as valuable tools to raise awareness and increase understanding of antisemitism."

"The most prominent is the non-legally binding 'working definition' of antisemitism adopted in 2016 by the 31-member states of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which the United States has embraced," says the report. "In addition, the administration welcomes and appreciates the Nexus Document and notes other such efforts."

Advocates for the IHRA have argued that supporting the "Nexus" statement would undermine efforts to fight antisemitism and coalesce global leaders around a strong definition.

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations—which also lobbied for the IHRA definition—said on Thursday that the group "wholeheartedly applaud[s] the Biden administration's continuing embrace of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which is the most universally accepted definition of antisemitism."

But the decision to include dueling definitions drew criticism from other antisemitism watchdogs.

Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism.org, said the Biden administration "grossly missed its chance to make a clear statement on what constitutes antisemitism, and America's Jews will suffer as a result."

"Against the advice of major antisemitism advocacy organizations, the plan does not use the IHRA definition to delineate what counts as antisemitism, instead relegating it to a brief paragraph that also includes the inferior, competing Nexus definition," said Rez. "This flies in the face of the plan's assertion that 'if we cannot name, identify, and admit a problem, we cannot begin to solve it.'"

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, called the report an "important and impressive blueprint" but said he was concerned that the White House didn't enshrine IHRA in its definition of anti-Semitism.

"The fight against antisemitism cannot be a multiple-choice question," he said. "IHRA was, is, and remains the definition that needs to be adopted."

The White House said on Thursday that it is also partnering on the initiative with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has a long history of antisemitism. CAIR "will launch a tour to educate religious communities about steps they can take to protect their houses of worship from hate incidents" as part of the initiative to combat anti-Semitism, the White House said in a statement.

Biden Admin Unveils New National Strategy To Combat Rising Antisemitism

The White House released its first-ever national strategy to combat antisemitism on Thursday, touting over 100 new programs to combat record-high levels of anti-Jewish attacks in the U.S. in recent years.

The 60-page plan was released following a press conference Thursday at the White House with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, outgoing White House Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice and Homeland Security Advisor Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randle. The administration’s strategy includes annual threat assessments by the FBI and Homeland Security, tasks the Department of Education with creating programs about fighting antisemitism for schools, includes antisemitism in diversity, equity and inclusion training for federal employees and pushes online platforms to have zero-tolerance policies for hate speech.

Democratic President Joe Biden said in a video released on his Twitter account that the plan is the most “ambitious and comprehensive” strategy against the “venom” of antisemitism.

“In the past several years, hate has been given too much oxygen, fueling a record rise in antisemitism,” Biden said. “Its simply wrong.”

Under the new strategy, the FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center will begin annual threat assessments of ” antisemitic drivers of transnational violent extremism.” The decision comes in light of recent FBI hate crime statistics showing anti-Jewish attacks increased to 814 incidents in 2021, with assaults increasing by 16% from 2020.

The plan tasked The Holocaust Memorial Museum with creating a U.S.-based Holocaust education research center to study Holocaust education in the U.S. and create materials and research to improve Americans’ awareness of the subject. The DOE is similarly launching an Antisemitism Awareness Campaign this year by working with schools to “amplify their efforts … that need help responding to an uptick in antisemitic activity.”

Multiple sports leagues will meet at an event hosted by the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism to discuss “all forms of hate” in sports, according to the plan. Social media is also a priority for the White House.

The White House partnered with over a dozen advocacy groups including the American Jewish Committee, National Basketball Players Association, the Interfaith Alliance and the Southern Poverty Law Center, among others, to create the plan, according to the White House fact sheet.

Some in the Jewish community, however, were not pleased to see organizations such as the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has accused Israel of being an “apartheid state,” among the White House consultants.

Many in the Jewish community hoped that the Biden administration would include the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, created in 2016, as the set standard for the plan. The White House, however, only briefly mentioned the IHRA definition as well as the Nexus definition, viewed as a more progressive version of the IHRA, as “valuable tools to raise awareness.”

StopAntisemitism Executive Director Liora Rez told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a prepared statement that SA was “extremely disturbed” by parts of the White House’s plan, specifically that it did not exclusively include the IHRA.

“Against the advice of major antisemitism advocacy organizations, the plan does not use the IHRA definition to delineate what counts as antisemitism, instead relegating it to a brief paragraph that also includes the inferior, competing Nexus definition,” Rez said. “This flies in the face of the plan’s assertion that ‘If we cannot name, identify, and admit a problem, we cannot begin to solve it.'”

Biden’s plan goes further than targeting just antisemitism. The Department of Housing and Urban Development was charged with rooting out not only antisemitism, but “Islamophobia, and related forms of bias and discrimination,” according to the plan.

Federal DEI training will also include subjects on both antisemitism and Islamophobia, while small businesses will be put in touch with community resources to learn how to combat “antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate,” among multiple other initiatives.

Rez told the DCNF that these measures, while good on their own, don’t “belong” in a national strategy on antisemitism.

“The plan will not even allow antisemitism to stand alone, repeatedly mentioning planned executive actions to fight ‘antisemitism, Islamophobia, and related forms of bias and discrimination,'” Rez said. “Fighting Islamophobia and other bigotries is an excellent goal, but it does not belong in this particular antisemitism strategy.”

Other Jewish advocates expressed a more positive outlook on the strategy. Roz Rothstein, co-founder and CEO of StandWithUs, an educational organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism, told the DCNF that SWU applauded the “comprehensive nature of the plan.”

“We are pleased that the administration recognizes the preeminence of the IHRA Working Definition in helping to identify and raise awareness about antisemitism, ” Rothstein said. “While we maintain our concerns that the reference to alternative definitions could create unnecessary confusion, we are hopeful that the administration’s embrace of the IHRA definition will be evident in the implementation of the overall plan. We are encouraged in this hope by the plan’s expression of unequivocal support for the State of Israel’s legitimacy and its condemnation of antisemitic attacks against the Jewish State.”

The White House and CAIR did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

New York State Assembly Member Pushes for Pro-BDS Legislation

Democratic New York State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani is advocating for a BDS bill that he calls the “Not on our dime! Ending New York funding of Israeli settler violence act.”

The legislation would “prohibit [New York state] not-for-profit corporations from engaging in unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activity; allows for recovery of a civil penalty by the state attorney general; creates a private right of action for violations,” according to the Jewish Press.

Mamdani is a close ally of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and was also endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America.

In August 2022, he wrote on Twitter that “NYC politics operates on an understanding of Palestine that's grounded purely in imagination, w/o any relationship to reality.”

He also claimed that the IDF “initiates terror” against Palestinian Arab civilians.

“It's how you get politicians lining up to say that they believe in Israel's right to defend itself, on the Monday after the IDF initiated a weekend of terror – targeting apartment buildings and killing 44 Palestinians, incl. 15 CHILDREN, and injuring 360 others,” he said.

He further criticized American aid to Israel, writing: “It's how you get politicians saying Israelis & Palestinians should resolve their differences themselves, that we shouldn’t put a thumb on the scale.”

The Assembly member’s proposed legislation would enact punishments on New York non-profits that help struggling communities in Judea and Samaria, citing BDS talking points.

According to the StopAntisemitism NGO, the bill would “punish not-for-profit groups in NY that support Jewish communities in Israel.”

“Thankfully Queens Democrat assembly members Daniel Rosenthal and Nily Rozic – part of a group of 25 assembly members – are fighting to ensure the bill is ‘dead on arrival,’” StopAntisemitism said on Twitter.

“This is just another example of Linda Sarsour's antisemitic tentacles looking to cause Jews harm, here and abroad,” the added, posting an ad from Mamdani in which he is endorsed by the Palestinian-American BDS-supporting activist Sarsour.

The group of 25 members released a joint letter highlighting the dangers of Mamdani’s bill, which they said would penalize Jewish non-profits that support the poor and pay for medical treatments for victims of Palestinian Arab terrorism.

“This bill targets them all. In response, we say Not on our watch,” Rosenthal and Rozic said, according to the Jewish Press.

They described the bill as a “ploy to demonize Jewish charities with connections to Israel. It was only introduced to antagonize pro-Israel New Yorkers and further sow divisions within the Democratic Party.”

Advocacy Groups Fight Rise in Antisemitism in Florida with Billboard Campaign

Nonpartisan watchdog nonprofit StopAntisemitism has teamed up with the Christian advocacy organization Philos Project to fight rampant Jew-hatred with a billboard campaign across Florida. 

Troubled by the amount of antisemitism coming from white supremacist groups based in Florida, the Philos Project wants to ensure Jewish Floridians know that groups such as the Goyim Defense League and NatSoc do not represent Christian values. For support, Philos turned to StopAntisemitism, which has been at the forefront of condemning these hate groups.

“Partnering with StopAntisemitism was a natural fit: we both believe in driving grassroots action to support diversity,” said Philos Project Deputy Director Luke Moon. “Florida has unfortunately become a hotbed of antisemitism, which goes against Christian values, and we could not allow our Jewish neighbors to shoulder this burden alone.”

StopAntisemitism has become a target of these white supremacist groups because of its work exposing the perpetrators behind hateful flyers, banners, and vandalism across America through its relationships with law enforcement and the media. StopAntisemitism was honored when Philos Project asked to partner to promote unity.

“We need more non-Jewish groups like the Philos Project to take a public stand against antisemitism,” said StopAntisemitism Executive Director Liora Rez. “Jews cannot be alone in this fight; bigotry and hatred being spewed in Florida will not end with the Jewish people nor stop at the state border. We hope these billboards encourage and empower more of our allies.”

One Orlando billboard is located on Southbound FL-15 near Orlando International Airport; the other on Turkey Lake Road near Sand Lake Road in Doctor Phillips. Three floating billboards, one in Miami and two on Pinellas County’s Gulf Beaches, could not have been accomplished without the generous support of Ballyhoo Media. Ballyhoo’s core values of boldness, innovation, and community perfectly aligned with the mission of this campaign. 

“The opportunity to expand the reach of this important campaign was a no-brainer. Bringing our community together against hate is an invaluable initiative for our brand,” said Adam Shapiro, CEO of Ballyhoo Media.

If you would like more information or to speak with Liora Rez of StopAntisemitism, Luke Moon of Philos Project, or Adam Shapiro of Ballyhoo Media, please contact Solomon Howard at solomon@redbanyan.com.

State, Cities Fight Back Against Growing Antisemitism In Florida

With the signing of a bill by Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 1 increasing penalties for antisemitic acts of harassment and vandalism, the Jewish community in Florida is now calling on cities throughout state to demonstrate its solidarity by adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism.

DeSantis signed House Bill 269 following his visit to Israel in April to help the country celebrate its 75th anniversary of independence.

The bill, which received the unanimous approval of both the House, 114-0, and the Senate, 40-0, expands the legal penalties against those who harass, threaten or intimidate people on the basis of religious beliefs, making all threats a first-degree misdemeanor and all "credible threats" a third-degree felony.

DeSantis said the new law reinforces the vow he made to the Jewish people in 2019 when he signed HB 741 into law in 2019, combating antisemitism in public education.

The legislation also allowed him to place economic sanctions on Airbnb, which attempted to boycott Jewish homeowners in Judea and Samaria. Airbnb was placed on DeSantis' newly created Florida List of Scrutinized Companies. Ben & Jerry's was later added to the list after the ice cream company boycotted Israel.

“In 2019, I had the opportunity here in Israel to sign into law groundbreaking legislation to root out antisemitism from our public education system, establishing Florida as a leader in protecting religious liberty,” DeSantis said during his April 28 address in Jerusalem. “Four years later, the threats faced by religious Americans of all faiths have evolved. Through this legislation, we are ensuring that perpetrators who commit acts of antisemitism and target religious groups or individuals will be punished.”

Passage of House Bill 269 was universally lauded by Jewish groups throughout Florida.

"This is an important first step toward giving law enforcement the tools they need to hold antisemites accountable for their targeted acts of harassment and intimidation," said Mike Igel, chairman of the Florida Holocaust Museum. "It sends a clear message to antisemites that acts of bigoted intimidation will not go unpunished."

Meanwhile, Clearwater became the 24th city in Florida and the only city in Tampa Bay to approve a resolution adopting the definition of antisemitism outlined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

The Clearwater City Council voted unanimously in favor of the resolution in April.

"All sorts of bigotry and hatred are certainly intolderable, but with the increase in violence and hate directed at the Jewish community, this resolution is particularly appropo now," said council member Kathleen Beckman.

"It is very sad and troubling to me that in 2023 we need to be gathered here today asking you to pass a resolution regarding antisemitism," said Stuart Berger, a 34-year resident of Clearwater and director of the Jewish Community Relations Council for the Gulf Coast Jewish Federation of Florida.

"Antisemitism has often been described as the most ancient and enduring of hatreds, and much like the virus, it adapts to the times it finds itself in," Berger said. "In our country antisemitism went underground after the second world war. Unfortuately, it never went away. And today it is no longer underground. We know passing this resolution will not end antisemitism but it is an important step to combatting it."

"It helps to remind our citizens that violence, hatred and bigotry will not be tolerated," said Samuel Huckin, a Clearwater resident and board member of the Jewish Federation of Florida. "Jewish people are just 2 percent of the world population but receive over 55 percent of hate crimes."

Although the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism has been adopted by 39 countries, including the United States, and 30 U.S. states, Clearwater resident Bruce Holberg said, "Unfortunately, antisemitism has become in fashion again."

With 269 reported incidents of antisemitism in Florida last year, Florida is now fourth in the nation for antisemitic activities, Holberg said.

As part of the effort to fight antisemitism, nonpartisan watchdog nonprofit StopAntisemitism has teamed up with the Christian advocacy organization, Philos Project, to launch a billboard campaign, condemning antisemitic behavior.

“Florida has, unfortunately, become a hotbed of antisemitism, which goes against Christian values, and we could not allow our Jewish neighbors to shoulder this burden alone," said Philos Project Deputy Director Luke Moon.

“We need more non-Jewish groups like the Philos Project to take a public stand against antisemitism,” said StopAntisemitism Executive Director Liora Rez. “Jews cannot be alone in this fight; bigotry and hatred being spewed in Florida will not end with the Jewish people nor stop at the state border. We hope these billboards encourage and empower more of our allies.”

One billboard is located near Orlando International Airport, another is in Miami and two more are located on Pinellas County's Gulf beaches.

Last November, another nonprofit group called JewBelong placed three billboards along Interstate 275 in at Floribraska Avenue, Westshore Boulevard and near Tampa International Airport after derogatory flyers began appearing in Tampa neighborhoods and swastikas were painted on buildings in the city.

"The occurrence of antisemitic incidents continues to rise in the Tampa Bay area as evidenced by the dissemination of offensive flyers, neo-Nazis rallying on street corners and vandalism at schools, government buildings and libraries," said JewBelong co-founder Archie Gottesman.

While he said the messaging of these billboard campaigns is "provocative," Mark Segel, director of strategic initiatives for the Tampa Jewish Community Centers and Federation, said they "recognize the benefit of such a campaign" and are pleased to see national nonprofits join their effort to fight antisemitism in Tampa Bay.

He said the Tampa JCCs and Federation are eager to partner with non-Jewish and Jewish communities "to explore how we can work together to make Tampa a safe and welcoming place for people of all faiths, races, nationalities and backgrounds."

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Blocks Rep. Rashida Tlaib from Hosting Anti-Israel Event

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday foiled Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s attempt to host an event at the Capitol with anti-Israel groups that decry the founding of the Jewish state as a “catastrophe.” 

“This event in the US Capitol is canceled,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced in a tweet on Tuesday. “Instead, I will host a bipartisan discussion to honor the 75th anniversary of the US-Israel relationship.” 

Tlaib (D-Mich.), a member of the far-left “Squad” of congressional lawmakers, had planned to host an event with nine anti-Israel groups at the Capitol Visitor Center on Wednesday titled “Nakba 75 & the Palestinian People.” 

“Nakba” — which means “catastrophe” — is the Arabic term for the events surrounding the founding of Israel. 

“It’s wrong for members of Congress to traffic in antisemitic tropes about Israel,” McCarthy told the Washington Free Beacon, which first reported on Tlaib’s event. “As long as I’m speaker, we are going to support Israel’s right to self-determination and self-defense, unequivocally and in a bipartisan fashion.”

McCarthy noted that he intervened late Tuesday to reserve the space where Tlaib’s event was slated to be held. 

The description for Tlaib’s event read: “May 15th marks 75 years since the beginning of the Nakba, which means ‘catastrophe.’ Seventy-five years ago, Zionist militias and the new Israeli military violently expelled approximately three-quarters of all Palestinians from their homes and homeland in what became the state of Israel.”

The organizers of the event also said they hope to educate members of Congress and their staffs on the “ongoing Nakba to which Israel continues to subject Palestinians.” 

Liora Rez, the executive director of the nonprofit group StopAntisemitism, told The Post on Monday that another group behind the event, the Institute for Middle East Understanding, is “one of the top propagators of false anti-Israel rhetoric on social media.”

It’s unclear if Tlaib’s event will be rescheduled.

Her office did not respond to The Post’s request for comment. 

Rashida Tlaib to Host Nakba Day Congressional Event

Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) will be hosting an event at the Capitol Visitor Center on May 10 commemorating Nakba Day.

The event, titled “Nakba 75 & the Palestinian People,” lists several anti-Israel groups as organizers, including Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Action, the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), and Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU). The event page says that it will feature Tlaib, but The Washington Free Beacon and Jerusalem Post both noted that only “a sitting member of Congress” can reserve a spot at the Capitol Visitor Center.

“May 15th marks 75 years since the beginning of the Nakba, which means ‘catastrophe,’” the event page states. “Seventy-five years ago, Zionist militias and the new Israeli military violently expelled approximately three-quarters of all Palestinians from their homes and homeland in what became the state of Israel. To uplift the experiences of Palestinians who underwent the Nakba, and educate Members of Congress and their staff about this history and the ongoing Nakba to which Israel continues to subject Palestinians, we’ve partnered together to host this congressional and community educational event, to be followed immediately afterward by dinner.”

Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) told The Jerusalem Post, “There is strong bipartisan support in Congress for the US-Israel relationship, and no effort that attempts to rewrite history and question Israel’s right to exist has any hope of succeeding. At a time when that relationship is integral to our joint fight against terror, expansion of Israeli-Arab normalization efforts, and shared security and intelligence efforts, this narrative only sows divisiveness and hate.”

Jewish groups also denounced Tlaib and the event.

“The real Nakba is [that Tlaib] got elected to represent her district and the American people in Congress,” Simon Wiesenthal Center Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action Agenda Rabbi Abraham Cooper told the Free Beacon. “She could have been and should have been someone who would work tirelessly to bring Palestinians and Israelis together to make peace. Instead, she continues to serve as a cheerleader for demonization and delegitimization of the Jewish state.”

Stop Antisemitism Executive Director Liora Rez similarly told The New York Post that Tlaib “continues to mischaracterize Israel’s history and policies, making her a natural ally for organizations like IMEU, one of the top propagators of false anti-Israel rhetoric on social media. The real ‘catastrophe’ is Rep. Tlaib and her allies’ refusal to engage with Zionism in good faith. Fact checks haven’t stopped them because they hold ideology above accuracy; as long as they ignore the reality of Israel’s past, they can’t participate in honest conversations about its present and future.”

Brooke Goldstein, who heads The Lawfare Project and co-founded End Jew Hatred, tweeted: “It’s one thing to spew hateful rhetoric, it’s another to use US Congress to do so. Rashida Tlaib [shouldn’t] be permitted to hold a ‘Nakba Day’ event on US Congress property. This day ‘mourns’ the inability of Arabs to commit a genocide of Jews in 1948. Outrageous and unacceptable.”

The Republican Jewish Coalition tweeted, “These are the ascendant anti-Israel voices in the Democratic Party, and House Democrats continue to pathetically coddle them.”

McCarthy Blocks Rashida Tlaib's Antisemitic Congressional Event

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy moved on Tuesday evening to block Michigan's Democratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib from hosting an antisemitic congressional event planned for Wednesday, the speaker’s office confirmed to the Washington Free Beacon.

McCarthy told the Free Beacon that he intervened late Tuesday to reserve the Capitol Visitor Center space where Tlaib was set to host a Wednesday event to mourn Israel’s founding as a "catastrophe.'  In its place, the speaker will lead a bipartisan briefing celebrating the 75th anniversary of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

"It’s wrong for members of Congress to traffic in anti-Semitic tropes about Israel," McCarthy told the Free Beacon. "As long as I’m Speaker, we are going to support Israel’s right to self-determination and self-defense, unequivocally and in a bipartisan fashion."

The antisemitic ‘Squad’ member came under fire this week after the Free Beacon reported that she would host the event alongside an array of anti-Israel groups, including some that have defended terrorism. Tlaib’s event was meant to celebrate the "Nakba," a Palestinian term for the creation of Israel that loosely translates as "catastrophe."

It is unclear how Tlaib and her supporters will move forward with the event now that McCarthy has occupied their meeting space. Tlaib, or another member, could potentially attempt to reschedule the event for a later date.

McCarthy’s intervention comes on the heels of a letter sent Tuesday evening by a rabbinical group asking leaders in the House and Senate to condemn Tlaib’s event.

"It is unsurprising but appalling that the featured speaker at this event will be a Member of Congress who describes the only Middle Eastern country to give equality and voting rights to both Jews and Arabs as ‘apartheid,’" the Coalition for Jewish Values, a pro-Israel advocacy organization comprised of more than 2,000 rabbis, wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Free Beacon. "We hope that our request will meet with your favorable response, and that you will condemn this event in the strongest terms as soon as possible."

Tlaib was scheduled to headline the anti-Israel event with several organizations that support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, an anti-Semitic effort to wage economic war on Israel. They include Jewish Voice for Peace, a "radical anti-Israel activist group" that pushes the antisemitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and has come under fire for glorifying Palestinian terrorism. Other organizers include Emgage Action, another BDS supporter that claims Israel is an "apartheid state," and Americans for Justice in Palestine Action, an advocacy group that claims Jewish money is infecting politics.

The invitation for Wednesday's event accuses "Zionist militias" of violently expelling Palestinians from the region when Israel was created in 1948, and maintains that Israel continues to brutalize Palestinians.

"May 15th marks 75 years since the beginning of the Nakba, which means 'catastrophe,'" the invitation reads. "Seventy-five years ago, Zionist militias and the new Israeli military violently expelled approximately three-quarters of all Palestinians from their homes and homeland in what became the state of Israel."

Speakers aimed to "uplift the experiences of Palestinians who underwent the Nakba, and educate members of Congress and their staff about this history and the ongoing Nakba to which Israel continues to subject Palestinians," according to the invitation.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter. Tlaib's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Liora Rez, executive director of the pro-Israel watchdog StopAntiSemitism, praised McCarthy's action, saying he prevented Tlaib's "ongoing vilification campaigns against the world's only Jewish nation."

"Congresswoman Tlaib," Rez said, "appears to forget she was elected to represent Michigan's 12th district, not Gaza or Ramallah."

Rep. Rashida Tlaib to Host Event Marking the ‘Catastrophe’ of Israel’s Founding

Far-left “Squad” member Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) will host an event with anti-Israel groups at the Capitol Building on Wednesday that decries the founding of the Jewish State as a “catastrophe.” 

The event titled “Nakba 75 & the Palestinian People” uses the Arabic term for the events surrounding the founding of Israel – Nakba – which means “catastrophe.”

“May 15th marks 75 years since the beginning of the Nakba, which means ‘catastrophe,'” reads a description of the event, which will be held at the Capitol Visitor Center. 

“Seventy-five years ago, Zionist militias and the new Israeli military violently expelled approximately three-quarters of all Palestinians from their homes and homeland in what became the state of Israel.”

The organizers of the event also say they hope to educate members of Congress and their staff on the “ongoing Nakba to which Israel continues to subject Palestinians.” 

One of the groups behind the event, Jewish Voice for Peace, is described as a “radical anti-Israel activist group that advocates for a complete economic, cultural and academic boycott of the state of Israel” and that “celebrates figures who have been convicted of engaging in terrorism.” 

The “Nakba” event is being hosted by Rep. Rashida Tlaib at the Captiol Visitor Center.

Earlier this month, Tlaib criticized House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for characterizing Israel as being “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that we are all equal,” by invoking the term “Nakba.” 

“Speaker McCarthy wants to rewrite history but the apartheid state of Israel was born out of violence and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians,” Tlaib wrote in a May 1 tweet. ”75 years later, the Nakba continues to this day.”

Last year, Tlaib authored a resolution, backed by other members of the “Squad,” demanding that the US “commemorate the Nakba through official recognition and remembrance.”

Tlaib criticized House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for praising Israel earlier this month.

She said the word also refers to “an ongoing process of Israel’s expropriation of Palestinian land and its dispossession of the Palestinian people that continues to this day through the establishment and expansion of approximately 300 illegal settlements and outposts in the occupied Palestinian West Bank in which approximately 674,000 Israelis reside as of 2020.” 

Tlaib, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, said in a tweet at the time that “We must acknowledge that the humanity of Palestinians is being denied when folks refuse to acknowledge the war crimes and human rights violations in apartheid Israel.”

Tlaib’s office did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.

Liora Rez, the executive director of nonprofit group StopAntisemitism, told The Post on Monday that she wishes Tlaib “would spend as much time helping Michigan’s 12th District as she spends demonizing the world’s only Jewish state.”

“She continues to mischaracterize Israel’s history and policies, making her a natural ally for organizations like IMEU, one of the top propagators of false anti-Israel rhetoric on social media,” Rez said in a statement, referencing the Institute for Middle East Understanding – one of the group’s backing the event. 

“The real ‘catastrophe’ is Rep. Tlaib and her allies’ refusal to engage with Zionism in good faith. Fact checks haven’t stopped them because they hold ideology above accuracy; as long as they ignore the reality of Israel’s past, they can’t participate in honest conversations about its present and future,” Rez added.

Twitter Antisemitism 'Skyrocketed' Since Elon Musk Takeover - Jewish Groups

A series of high-profile Jewish organizations have slammed Elon Musk's Twitter for not responding proactively to antisemitic content on the platform.

Controversies have plagued Twitter since the billionaire purchased the platform, from blue check arguments to his recent admission that his time running the social media site has proven "painful." But perhaps most prominent since the takeover are claims that hate speech has increased on Twitter.

While Musk and experts have some different ideas on what hate speech is, there is increasing evidence that users are being faced with more hateful content while browsing.

Now, a series of Jewish organizations have told Newsweek how concerned they are about the rising number of cases of antisemitism on Twitter feeds.

"We are deeply concerned about this trend, which was exacerbated by Elon Musk's decision to reinstate the accounts of dangerous right-wing extremists and antisemites who had violated Twitter's terms of service," the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) told Newsweek.

Newsweek reached out to Twitter for comment and received a template emoji response.

Research from CASM Technology and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) found what they called a "major and sustained spike" in antisemitic posts on Twitter since the company's takeover by Musk in October 2022. Analysts detected 325,739 English-language antisemitic tweets in the nine months from June 2022 to February 2023, with the weekly average number of antisemitic tweets increasing by 106 percent (from 6,204 to 12,762), when comparing the three months before and after Musk's acquisition.

"Multiple reports have shown that antisemitism, homophobia, and other hate has skyrocketed since his takeover," the StopAntisemitism organization told Newsweek. "Twitter is not doing nearly enough to combat hate. We should not have to intervene to have content deleted that praises genocidal maniacs like Hitler or Hamas—if Twitter isn't catching those posts, it means they have a lot of work to do."

A report published in January 2023 by the Combat Antisemitism Movement and the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) looked at how antisemitic content has spread since the Musk takeover. "The use of traditional terms, which often denote antisemitic conspiracy, including "Soros" and "globalists," also rose sharply since Musk's acquisition and acted as an upstream predictor of real-world antisemitic incidents," read the report, which said that while these behaviors are not borne by Twitter, the way they are being allowed to spread by the team behind to social network is increasingly concerning.

More recently, a viral Tweet highlighted what many agreed was a shocking piece of content shared by an account with over 70,000 followers—and a blue tick thanks to Musk's Twitter Blue subscription model.

On April 21, Twitter user Yashar Ali shared a screenshot of a post by an account with the name "Radical Consciousness." In the tweet, they shared a picture of Hitler alongside claims that he is "history's most lied about man," before writing that: "He put his own people first. He loved his people more than any other statesmen dared to love his people."

Ali's tweet quickly gained traction with over 1.7 million views, and prompted many users to reach out to Twitter about the antisemitic content they were seeing increasingly while using the social network site.

Just a week earlier on April 17, Twitter announced a new policy change that would reduce the organic reach of tweets that violate or may violate existing hate speech standards on the platform.

They shared an example of what a tweet flagged like this might look like, with a public label that notes that the content is potentially violating policies.

In a statement, Twitter said that they believe in "Freedom of Speech, not Freedom of Reach," and would make hateful content less visible on the platform.

Twitter's current Hateful Conduct Policy makes two specific references to the holocaust. First in prohibiting content that references forms of violence or violent events with media and text, and secondly banning images that have been altered to include hateful symbols or references to mass murder that targeted a protected category.

The European Jewish Congress explained that they have been urging social media companies, including Twitter, to take better and more decisive action to combat the spread of antisemitic content. They are also part of a series of groups urging the platform to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

The IHRA definition includes various types of antisemitism, such as justifying the killing of Jews in the name of radical ideology, Holocaust denial, and denying the Jewish right to self-determination in the State of Israel. The IHRA definition has been officially adopted by the U.S. government and 37 other national governments, as well as numerous universities, law enforcement agencies and international bodies worldwide, including the UN and the EU.

Shortly after Musk's takeover in November 2022, 180 civil rights groups wrote to Twitter to implore them to update the company's anti-hate policies and adopt IHRA's working definition of antisemitism.

"By adopting the IHRA definition, Twitter would send a clear message that it takes the issue of antisemitism seriously and is committed to creating a safe and inclusive online environment for all users," the European Jewish Congress told Newsweek.

Despite their anger over an increase of antisemitic content on Twitter, Jewish groups overwhelmingly told Newsweekthat it will not drive them away from the platform.

"We believe that it is important for us to remain engaged in the online conversation, to raise awareness about the issue of antisemitism, and to hold those who promote hateful content accountable for their actions," said the European Jewish Congress. "Leaving Twitter would mean ceding a critical space for our voices to be heard, and it would be a missed opportunity to make a positive impact in the fight against antisemitism."

StopAntisemitism also expressed the importance of being part of the global conversation and a fight against hateful content, but did not rule out having to leave the platform if nothing changed. "We're staying on Twitter because that's where our stakeholders are and because it's the social platform where we can make the biggest impact. We have no current plans to leave the platform, but are not eliminating that option," it said.

Seattle Synagogue Vandalized before Holocaust Remembrance Day

A synagogue in Seattle, Washington was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti just before the start of Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day.

According to the NGO StopAntisemitism, the vandals targeted the Temple De Hirsch Sinai Reform Synagogue "moments before the start of Holocaust Remembrance Day."

"We must strengthen our laws to ensure that the horrors of the past do not become the norm today," StopAntisemitism said on Twitter.

The synagogue had previously been the target of antisemitic graffiti in 2017. Members of the congregation told local media outlet KIRO7 that there have been other incidents since then.

Yale Blasted for Hosting Controversial Antisemitic French Political Activist During Passover

Yale University is being blasted for hosting a French academic accused of horrific antisemitism during Passover – defying Jewish groups who pleaded with the college to call off the lecture.

The Ivy League college invited French-Algerian Houria Bouteldja to speak on April 6, the night of the second seder of Passover, despite calls to disinvite her over a record of alleged antisemitism and homophobia.

Bouteldja has been accused of being a serial antisemite and homophobe, after posing with a sign demanding Zionists are sent to gulags, saying she identified with a terrorist who carried out a mass shooting at a Jewish school and calling same-sex marriage “part of homonationalism.”

She also said people “must support” Palestinian “resistance” including the terrorist group Hamas.

Bouteldja was invited as part of a “Decolonizing Europe” lecture series organized by Fatima El-Tayeb, Yale’s professor of ethnicity, race and migration, and women’s, gender and sexuality studies – who described attempts to question Bouteldja on her record as “a waste of time.”

El-Tayeb declined to respond to requests for comment from The Post.

Yale ignored demands from campaign group StopAntisemitism not to host Bouteldja during one of Judaism’s holiest seasons, when it would be impossible for observant students to debate her.

Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism, slammed Bouteldja as a “vicious antisemitic and homophobic bigot” unworthy of being hosted at any institution.

“StopAntisemitism is horrified Yale provided this known racist a platform to spread her poisonous ideas,” Rez told The Post. “Furthermore, we are extremely disappointed that Yale President Peter Salovey ignored requests from students, alumni and StopAntisemitism for dialogue surrounding the Bouteldja event.”

Other critics of Bouteldja’s visit, including actor and Jewish advocate Jonah Platt, said they were dismayed by the timing of her lecture, which occurred on the second night of Passover.

“You cannot have free and open debate if you’re purposefully or ignorantly planning this discussion for a time when the other side of this supposed free and open debate is very obviously not able to attend,” Platt told The Post. “That’s a mistake.”

Platt accused Yale of being apathetic or intentionally harmful by allowing Bouteldja’s appearance during Passover.

“It feels underhanded, like there’s a sinister agenda at work,” Platt continued. “I certainly empathize with the students who feel they were not being taken care of or seen or heard by their university.”

Bouteldja, who could not be reached for comment, did not address accusations of being homophobic, antisemitic and anti-white during her April 6 appearance at Yale, The Yale Daily News reported.

When one student tried to ask for an unequivocal statement that she supported LGBT rights and condemned an antisemitic mass murderer, El-Tayeb called the question a waste of time, The Yale News said.

“Whether this event was scheduled for the second day of Passover deliberately or by oversight, the net effect was that many students who otherwise would have wished to make their voices heard were not able to do so,” Uri Cohen, executive director of the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale, told The Post, adding it disenfranchised many potential protesters.

“Hate against Jews is one of the oldest and most nefarious ills of human history, and we’re seeing it increasing dramatically world-wide right now, including here in New Haven. The world needs less hate — not more, and I hope that the campus community will do better in this vein going forward.”

Bouteldja has long been one of France’s most controversial academic and political figures.

Her book “Whites, Jews and Us,” which has a foreword by the firebrand former Harvard and Princeton professor Cornel West, claims that the existence of Israel is a plot by white Europeans to uphold white supremacy.

In 2012, she publicly aligned herself with Mohammed Merah, an Islamic jihadist who murdered a rabbi and three children in a mass shooting at a Jewish day school and killed two off-duty soldiers during a series of attacks in Toulouse, France.

She blamed “white supremacy” for the attack, which French authorities said at the time were clearly antisemitic.

“On the 21st of March 2012, I went to bed as myself, and woke up as Mohamed Merah,” Bouteldja said, claiming that the mass murder had endured an “incredible Islamophobic political and media campaign” in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.

“Just like me, he knows he would be accused of antisemitism if he supports the colonized Palestinians and of religious fundamentalism if he supports the right to wear a headscarf,” Bouteldja said. “Mohamed Merah is me, and I am him.”

She also dismissed the 9/11 attacks as “towers are struck by airliners and collapse like a house of cards,” and described the 7/7 terrorist attacks in London of 2005, when four UK-born suicide attackers killed 56 innocent commuters as “bombs explode in the subway.”

Bouteldja, who moved to France as a child from its former colony of Algeria, has accused French Jews of being part of “white supremacy” by themselves oppressing the country’s Muslim population.

A Yale spokeswoman declined to provide additional details about Bouteldja’s lecture when reached by The Post.