There has been a nationwide increase in antisemitic rhetoric spewed during the public comment portions of city council and school board meetings over the past month. Many of the hateful commenters do not reside in the districts where the meetings are located, but are often encouraged by hate groups, such as the Goyim Defense League (GDL), to spread antisemitic hate under fake names or anonymously on Zoom.

 

FCAS has confirmed 24 antisemitic public comment incidents in the U.S. last month, with the majority occurring in California and Maine. To combat these incidents, some municipalities have removed the online public comment portions of meetings, instead offering people the chance to email comments ahead of time or attend the meetings in person. To further counter antisemitic rhetoric, several Cleveland City Council members wore a Blue Square pin during a recent meeting to show their support in the fight against antisemitism in the face of hate.

 

FCAS will continue to monitor any future developments.

 

Neo-Nazis gathered at a Waffen-SS Galicia Division memorial in Ontario, Canada following the events at the Canadian House of Commons last week where former Nazi soldier Yaroslav Hunka was honored by members of Parliament, which led to the resignation of House Speaker Anthony Rota. Hunka served in the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, and many of the neo-Nazis called Hunka a “hero” while posting photos of the gathering online. Several Jewish groups condemned the group and are calling for the memorial to be taken down.

 

Several Canadian officials and organizations have apologized for past honors given to other former Nazis. Governor General Mary Simon, who is the representative for the King of Canada, apologized this week for appointing former Nazi soldier Peter Savaryn to the Order of Canada, a significant national honor. In addition, the University of Alberta returned a $30,000 donation from Hunka’s family. 

These recent events have raised awareness of several monuments honoring former Nazi soldiers, including two U.S. memorials that honor the Waffen-SS Galicia Division in Philadelphia and Detroit, with local Jewish groups protesting them in the days following Hunka’s standing ovation at the House of Commons.

The anniversary of the 1941 massacre at Babyn Yar, a ravine located outside Kyiv, Ukraine, was commemorated on September 29-30. It was one of the deadliest single events during the Holocaust, killing over 33,000 people, mainly Jews, Romani people, Soviet prisoners of war, and psychiatric patients. Nazis continued to carry out murders at the site until 1943, when Soviet control was restored.

Many social media users posted in memory of the massacre victims, with international leaders and government organizations recognizing the anniversary and emphasizing the importance of remembering mass atrocities.

 

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) passed away this week at 90. Feinstein was the longest-serving senator in California and was one of the first Jewish women to serve in the Senate, joining fellow California Jewish woman Barbara Boxer in 1992. Feinstein had previously been San Francisco’s first female mayor, taking office after the assassination of Mayor George Mascone and LGBTQ+ advocate Harvey Milk.

Many people memorialized Feinstein on social media by highlighting her work in  social justice . She was outspoken about her experiences with antisemitism and sexism as a public servant, and was a fierce advocate for civil rights. Some users employed Feinstein’s death to further antisemitic rhetoric. Others came to her defense, pointing out that Feinstein is still facing antisemitism even after her death.

 

FCAS is actively monitoring an increase in antisemitic incidents in U.S. high schools in the past month. 

 

At Carmel High School in New York, a swastika was carved into the leg of a table on October 3. The high school had a previous incident the month before, where the name “Adolph Hitler” was found along with a swastika on the school’s tennis courts. In addition, swastikas were spray-painted at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, N.M. on September 27.

At Delta High School in Clarksburg, Calif. and Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md., students made antisemitic gestures. X user @TizzyEnt drove conversation about the Delta High School incident, where many users commented how disappointing it is that young people are taking part in such hateful acts.

 

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released a report detailing an increase in hate incidents in Illinois last year. The number of antisemitic incidents increased by 128% from 2021, with 121 total incidents, the seventh highest in the nation. Anti-Jewish vandalism increased by 171% and harassment by 111%, a striking increase from the year before. These steep increases are on par with the rest of the country, where antisemitic and white supremacist activity has significantly increased recently.

 

 

 

 

 

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