Antisemitic banners with “Save Ireland From The Jews” were hung over Cincinnati overpasses on St. Patrick’s Day. Many Cincinnati residents took photos as they drove past, spurring widespread condemnation from social media users. Local Jewish organizations and the American Jewish Committee shared their shock on social media after working with law enforcement to remove the signs. In addition to outrage, social media users expressed confusion over the motivation behind placing the banner and its perceived random nature.  

 

Irish leaders met with the Biden administration Sunday to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and used their platform to pressure the U.S. to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar explained how the people of Ireland sympathize with Palestinians due to similar histories of “displacement and dispossession.” Several Irish politicians refused to attend, instead staying home in protest of Biden’s role in “facilitating what’s happening in Gaza.” On social media, some people praised the boycotting politicians and ridiculed Irish officials for their U.S. visit, while others pointed out the politicians did not discuss the recent rise in antisemitism.

Anti-Israel demonstrations also occurred Sunday both in the U.S. and Ireland. Protesters in Dublin and Cork held black shamrocks to protest their government’s White House visit. In New York City and Chicago, protestors held banners reading “No Irish Pride In Genocide” and “Occupation Is A Crime From Ireland To Palestine.” Anti-Israel users online redoubled their efforts by posting in support of these demonstrations on the holiday.

Former President Donald Trump received significant backlash after stating in an interview on Monday that Jewish Americans who support Democrats “hate their religion” and Israel and “should be ashamed of themselves” for it. Trump was responding to a question about Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who had been critical of Netanyahu, calling for elections in Israel during an address last Thursday. 

Many people online interpreted Trump’s remarks as reminiscent of the “dual loyalty” trope, where Jews are accused of being more loyal to Israel than their home country. Jewish leaders and users criticized Trump for attempting to cause a rift within the Jewish community. Others emphasized the need to call out antisemitic comments when they manifest.

A viral post depicting scratch marks on the inside of an Auschwitz gas chamber, shared by the large X account Creepy.org, resulted in hundreds of Holocaust denial comments on Sunday. The scratch marks in the picture led many users to believe that Holocaust victims who were murdered in gas chambers scratched the wall during their last moments. The Auschwitz Memorial Museum quickly replied to clarify that disrespectful visitors, not Holocaust victims, made the scratch marks. Additionally, a Community Note was later added saying that the gas chamber was a reconstruction of the original gas chamber, which the Nazis exploded to destroy evidence of the Holocaust. 

The corrections led to users denying Holocaust atrocities, downplaying the role of gas chambers in the millions of deaths, and claiming that the Jewish community is spreading false narratives to gain sympathy. Many users online were shocked at the amount of Holocaust denial and virulent antisemitism under the post.

 

Author of the Harry Potter series J.K. Rowling faced controversy last week after responding to an X user who accused her of having similar beliefs to the Nazis about transgender people. The user claimed that the Nazis burned books about transgender healthcare, to which Rowling replied by saying the user was fabricating Holocaust history. Her tweet resulted in countless responses that accused her of denying the Holocaust. Many users shared information from various reputable sources, such as Holocaust museums, about Nazis targeting transgender people, including burning books from The Institute of Sexology, where early books on transgender healthcare were published. 

 

The European Union removed one of Rowling’s X posts denying that transgender people were targeted by Nazis on Thursday due to the EU’s Holocaust denial laws. Many users applauded this decision in the wake of increased Holocaust denial on social media, while others claimed the removal of Rowling’s post was unlawful censorship. 

 

#IStandWithJonathanGlazer trended on social media on Wednesday as users showed support for “The Zone of Interest” director over remarks he made during his Oscar acceptance speech last week. The trend began with Andrew Feinstein, writer and son of a Holocaust survivor, applauding Glazer’s courage in condemning the conflict in Gaza on a national stage. His X post has almost one million views, and thousands of other users joined him in posting the hashtag. 

Jonathan Glazer continues to receive backlash over his controversial speech from last week, where many interpreted his speech as refuting his Judaism and describing Israel as an “occupation.” Over one thousand Jewish creatives in Hollywood signed a letter denouncing his speech, with stars like Debra Messing and Noa Tishby condemning Glazer. Many users online applauded the creatives for standing up against Glazer’s words, while others ridiculed them and even targeted specific signees with online harassment.

 

 

71% of Jewish high school students experienced antisemitic hate or discrimination, according to a new report from BBYO released last week. BBYO surveyed Jewish high school students from January 23 to February 5 who are members of the organization. Among the information shared:

 

 

 

 

info@fcas.org | fcas.org