NEW YORK — The organization that advises US Jewish communities on security matters said it recorded an 80% spike in anti-Semitic acts in the last month amid Israel’s 11-day war with Hamas.
The aftermath of an allegedly antisemitic attack at the Chaverim Congregation in Tucson, Arizona on May 18, 2021. (Chaverim Congregation)
One of the causes, according to the Secure Community Network, was disinformation spread on social media during and since the exchange of rocket fire.
“There may be foreign actors spreading information and disinformation, often tied to anti-Semitic tropes,” Michael Masters, its CEO, said May 25 in an interview.
“We’re seeing a clear rise in the calls for violence against the Jewish community and an uptick of attacks of violence.”
Masters ticked off some of the anti-Semitic incidents:
“Acts of vandalism from Oregon to Virginia, synagogue desecrations from Illinois to Arizona, reports of people having bottles thrown at them, children’s playgrounds being daubed with swastikas in New York and Tennessee.”
He said there has been a commensurate intensification of anti-Semitism on social media during the hostilities between Israel and Hamas that ended with a ceasefire on May 21.
A feature of the attacks was to link Jews and Israel to the coronavirus pandemic, in some cases by blaming Jews for the virus, in others by likening Israel to the virus.
A hashtag, #COVID1948, using Israel’s founding to identify Israel as a deadly virus, seems to have had its origins in Iran, Masters said. Many of its initial uses were in Farsi, he said.
The Network Contagion Research Institute, which tracks disinformation on social media, traced a sudden massive spike in #COVID1948 usage on May 12, the third day of the war.
It also tracked spikes in uses of phrases like “Hitler was right,” “Zionazi” and “Kill all Jews.”
Masters said other foreign actors, including states, also may have spurred incitement.
“We’ve seen misinformation and disinformation from a number of actors overseas over the last years and it will not be surprising if some of those actors are related to the current conflict,” Masters said.
Other than Iran, Masters did not want to name any specific country.
In New York, one person was burned when two fireworks were thrown from a car amid an altercation with anti-Zionist protesters in a heavily Jewish Manhattan business district, according to police.
The fight on May 20 came on what appeared to be the final day of the conflict between Hamas and Israel prior to a ceasefire that took effect overnight.
Additional videos circulating on social media appeared to show other physical altercations between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators in New York City earlier in the day.
According to the ADL, there has been an increase in anti-Semitism in the US both online and on the ground during the conflict, which has seen large pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country.
As of May 20, the ADL tallied 193 anti-Semitic incidents in the week since the conflict began, compared to 131 the previous week.
The New York City altercation occurred at about the same time as a pro-Israel demonstration in the city that also attracted pro-Palestinian counter-protesters. It took place in the Diamond District, a Midtown Manhattan street with many Jewish-owned businesses.
In two videos posted to Twitter, a group of men wearing the colors of the Palestinian flag can be seen yelling anti-Semitic expletives while holding a Palestinian flag. At the beginning of one of the videos, someone appears to be lying on the ground.
Later in the video, one of the pro-Palestinian protesters shoves a man. A crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters wearing scarves on their heads then walks down the middle of the street guided by police.
In another brief video from 47th Street, a bang can be heard along with a flash of light and smoke as people scramble. The chronology of the two videos is unclear.
The New York Police Dept. told JTA that two commercial fireworks were thrown from a car, and one person sustained a minor burn. The department’s Arson Investigation Squad and a detective squad are investigating the incident.
[dropcap]In Los Angeles, groups of pro-Palestinian protesters attacked Jews in two separate incidents last week.
Authorities are investigating one of the incidents as a possible hate crime.
In an altercation on May 18, recorded on video, a group of men waving Palestinian flags attacked diners at a sushi restaurant in the neighborhood of Beverly Grove, throwing punches, bottles and other objects. The diners included a group of Jewish men.
Another man at the scene, who was not Jewish, told the local CBS affiliate that he and his group also were attacked and that he was pepper-sprayed when he tried to defend the group.
He added that the attackers used anti-Semitic language to determine who at the restaurant was Jewish.
In an incident on May 17, recorded by a security camera, an Orthodox Jewish man was chased by a caravan of Palestine supporters. He escaped unharmed.
The Los Angeles chapter of the ADL wrote on Twitter that it was “outraged” over reports of the attack.
“Criticism of Israeli policy is not always anti-Semitic. Violent attacks while yelling anti-Semitic slurs is a hate crime,” the organization wrote.
The Israeli-American Council, issued a statement calling the attack a “hate crime” and saying it was “deeply concerned” by the report.