April 02, 2021
THE WEEK’S BIG 3
More than half of American Jews continue to experience or witness antisemitic incidents in the form of comments, slurs or threats, according to a new ADL poll. A man suspected of brutally assaulting an Asian American woman in New York City in broad daylight was arrested after surveillance video of the attack drew widespread condemnation. Conservative politicians, including former Trump cabinet member Richard Grenell and freshman congressman Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), drew fire on Tuesday for comparing a potential vaccine passport system to the Holocaust.
Read on for more on these headlines, news you can use to fight hate and the latest info about ADL from around the country.
1) American Jews Report Increasing Incidents of Antisemitism, Mostly Online
“In the past year, many of the anti-Semitic incidents took place online, with 36% saying they had experienced some form of online harassment, mostly on Facebook. Most Jews said they had been called offensive names, but 13% said they were physically threatened online. The poll showed the vast majority of Americans want online platforms to better address harassment and make it easier to report hateful content.” Religion News Service: FULL STORY
+ READ: 2021 Survey on Jewish Americans’ Experiences with Antisemitism
2) Suspect Arrested, Charged with Hate Crime Assault in NYC attack on Asian American Woman
“The attack occurred before noon Monday outside a luxury apartment building in Midtown Manhattan. The suspect hurled anti-Asian sentiments and assaulted the 65-year-old woman, New York Police Department said.” USA Today: READ MORE
+ ADL Resource: Challenging Anti-Asian Bias and Acting as an Ally
+TAKE ACTION: Speak up against Anti-Asian hate
3) Jewish Leaders Speak Out Against Comparing Vaccine Passports to Holocaust
“Rep. Cawthorn told Fox News that ‘proposals like these smack of 1940s Nazi Germany.’ And the Libertarian Party of Kentucky compared the passports to Nazi Germany’s practice of mandating Jews to wear yellow Stars of David: ‘Are the vaccine passports going to be yellow, shaped like a star, and sewn on our clothes?’ they asked on Twitter.” Forward: LEARN MORE
+ ADL Resource: Let’s Avoid Holocaust Analogies in the Public Square
KEY ADL SOCIAL STATEMENTS
- ADL strongly condemns the signing of #SB202 which uses Jim Crow-era tactics to suppress voting, the foundation of our democracy…
- Heartwrenching. This young person was not at fault. The person responsible for George Floyd's death is Derek Chauvin. We continue to demand #JusticeForGeorge…
- A disturbing incident on the first night of Passover, shared with ADL by the Swedish Jewish community. Dolls were hung near the synagogue in Norrkoping with a message about Passover being a Jewish celebration of killing thousands of Egyptian children…
IN THE COMMUNITY
- Coalition urges laws to protect Florida’s transgender, diverse population (Florida Politics – Lonny Wilk op-ed)
- Boulder’s Jewish leaders react to the King Sooper shooting (Intermountain Jewish News)
- 'Sovereign citizens' allegedly filed $3 million fake award against judges to harass them (Texarkana Gazette)
ADL IN THE NEWS
- ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt on ending hate: You have to ‘change hearts and minds’ (CNBC)
- What’s Wrong With Our Hate Crime Laws? (The New York Times Podcast “The Argument” – Steven Freeman interviewed)
- The military has long had an extremism problem. What will it do now to finally solve it? (CNN)