October 11, 2019
THE WEEK'S BIG 3
On Yom Kippur, a suspected right-wing extremist gunman killed two people and injured several others after attempting to gain entry into a synagogue in Halle, Germany. Anti-Semitic hate crimes in New York City increased by 50 percent in 2019, according to the NYPD. And as we approach the one-year mark of the white supremacist shooting attack targeting three Jewish congregations in Pittsburgh, ADL and Jewish community leaders across the country are focused on ensuring houses of worship in the United States are safe and secure.
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) Suspected Right-Wing Extremist Opens Fire Outside German Synagogue on Yom Kippur; Kills Two
“Like the Christchurch killer, the Halle assailant recorded himself, in a 35-minute video of shooting, mayhem and hateful language. In accented English, he identified himself as Anon, denied the Holocaust, denounced feminists and immigrants, then declared: ‘The root of all these problems is the Jew.’” The New York Times: Read More
+ Germany Shooting Underscores Concerns About Links Between Extremists in Europe and the U.S.
+ ADL Resource: Shooting in Halle, Germany – What We Know
+ ADL Resource: Hate Beyond Borders – The Internationalization of White Supremacy
2) NYC Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes Increased 50% in 2019
“Recent instances have included three swastikas at Pelham Middle School in New York’s Westchester County on Oct. 2 and two youths who threw milk crates into the windows of the Rivnitz shul in Brooklyn on Sept. 30 during Rosh Hashanah services.’” Jewish Journal: Full Story
+ Holocaust Memorial in Westchester County Vandalized on Eve of Yom Kippur -- WCBS-TV, CBS New York
+ TWEET from Evan Bernstein: “We need to let people know, especially young people, that bias of any kind is not tolerated…”
+ TWEET from Jonathan Greenblatt: “We need a plan from the Mayor/elected leaders to curb the surging #antiSemitism that we see…”
3) How Pittsburgh Changed the Way American Jews Think About Security
“The ADL and the Jewish Federations of North America, SCN’s parent group, have convened a joint security task force co-chaired by two former Homeland Security secretaries, Jeh Johnson and Michael Chertoff. The task force will release its finding at about the time of the Pittsburgh anniversary…” JTA: Learn More
+ ADL Press Release: Two Former DHS Secretaries Join ADL and JFNA to Protect Vulnerable Religious Communities from Violent Threats
+ ADL Resource: Security Recommendations for the High Holidays
KEY ADL SOCIAL STATEMENTS
- 34 years ago, Palestinian terrorists who hijacked an Italian cruise ship, the Achille Lauro, shot in the head wheelchair-bound, Leon Klinghoffer, an elderly US Jew, and threw him overboard…
- This is both heartbreaking and inspiring. A detailed account of persevering through #antiSemitism & persecution in Iraq…
- #HispanicHeritageMonth is still in full swing!
IN THE COMMUNITY
- Hate reports in Maryland declined last year after a three-year surge (The Baltimore Sun)
- Swastikas found on Mercer Island during Jewish holiday (Mercer Island Report, WA)
- Hate-filled column tarnished group’s name (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Allison Goodman-Padilla letter to the editor)
ADL IN THE NEWS
- Swastika, ‘Trump’ Found Spray-Painted on Yale Law School Steps Days Before Yom Kippur (Newsweek)
- Extremists find new home in online app Telegram (The Hill)
- Leaders Urge More Action on White Supremacy (The New York Jewish Week)