Easter Sunday and Holy Week often see a spike in people sharing provocative opinions and antisemitic conspiracy theories, and this year is no different. Historically, rhetoric accusing Jews of crucifying Jesus, known as deicide, is often employed on Christian holidays, especially during Easter. More recently, arguments claiming that “Jesus was a Palestinian Jew” have emerged to justify Palestinians’ claim to the land. This claim was also evoked during Christmas last year, most notably by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)

 

This year, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) marked Easter Sunday on X by criticizing Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “indiscriminate bombing” and accused America of being complicit in the war. Many Christian users quickly denounced Merkley for using the sacred holiday to further his political goals and accused him of blood libel against Israel. 

Three pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted Easter Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York on Saturday by holding a banner of “Silence = Death” and chanting “Free Palestine” at the altar. Users online condemned the demonstration and called for interfaith solidarity since anti-Israel demonstrators are targeting both Jews and Christians.

Almost two-thirds of Jewish high school families are eliminating universities from college application decisions based on high levels of antisemitism identified on campuses, according to Hillel International’s study released Wednesday. In addition, 96% of parents are concerned about on campus antisemitism increasing since October 7, and 84% reported talking to their child about how to cope with antisemitism on campus. 

 

A Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) resolution calling for Harvard Management Company to divest from Israel passed at Harvard Law School last Friday, causing widespread backlash at the university and online. Two Harvard Law student government members resigned after the vote. University spokesperson Jason Newton clarified that Harvard leadership stands against boycotting Israel. Users online criticized the law students for invoking the double standard of unfairly targeting Israel while ignoring other countries’ wrongdoings.  

 

At Rutgers University, anti-Israel students targeted Jewish student Rivka Schafer for her support of Israel by printing her face on flyers posted across campus. Schafer expressed concern that her safety is now at risk, even in her dorm, and demanded action from Rutgers administration to protect her and other Jewish students on campus. 

Holocaust denier and former UFC fighter Jake Shields posted photos on X of alleged doors from a gas chamber at Auschwitz on Wednesday, reigniting a common extremist conspiracy theory that denies the existence of gas chambers. This conspiracy theory is based on an assertion that wooden doors are not airtight and therefore could not be used to effectively seal the gas chambers, which Nazis used to exterminate millions of Jews. Shields’ followers added to the conspiracy theory by saying the doors didn’t “have a lock” and were flimsy and easily breakable. To defend his claims, Shields falsely linked his information to the Auschwitz Museum, but the information actually came from a Holocaust awareness Instagram account and not an official account. His original post has over 4 million views, and many people engaged in Holocaust distortion in the replies.  

His post originally received a Community Note on X, which corrected his misinformation, stating the doors pictured are not from the gas chambers. Among widespread condemnation, several users suggested the doors are actually from crematoriums, while others claimed that gas chamber doors were insulated with felt to create an airtight seal. Users also asserted that Shields was hinting at Holocaust victims not “fighting back”, promoting another debunked conspiracy theory.

 

Pew Research Center released its second wave of results of a February survey that explores Americans’ attitudes towards the Israel-Hamas war. The first wave, published in March, found that the majority of Americans say Israel’s reasons for fighting Hamas are valid, while fewer said the same about Hamas. This survey also explored Americans’ emotions towards the war and segmented the answers by age cohorts. 

 

The second wave explored questions about the rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia. Among the information shared:

 

Conversation about antisemitic vandalism and graffiti incidents more than doubled over the last week, according to FCAS’ Command Center. A story about a Wynnewood, Pa., synagogue was the main driver of this increase—Temple Beth Hillel/Beth El’s pro-Israel banner was spray-painted with a swastika on Saturday. This synagogue was where political commentator Jake Tapper celebrated his bar mitzvah, and he posted on X to show his support for the Wynnewood community. Two days before, Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Philadelphia was also targeted with antisemitic vandalism.

 

Other instances of antisemitic vandalism occurred this week in places such as Drexel University Hillel in Philadelphia, University of Michigan Hillel in Ann Arbor, Mich., and a Holocaust survivor’s home in Belgium. Users online condemned these incidents and showed solidarity with the impacted communities.

 

 

The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) partnered with The Black and Jewish Leaders of Tomorrow, United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Hillel International, and others to host a series of “Unity Dinners” for Black and Jewish college students, the latest of which was held in Greater Atlanta last week. Students came together to discuss how to build bridges between Black and Jewish communities, and many left the event feeling they had more in common with each other than they initially thought. 

Additionally, FCAS Founder Robert K. Kraft donated $1 million to support UNCF, which supports education at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The donation will bolster initiatives to unite Black and Jewish communities.

 

 

 

 

info@fcas.org | fcas.org