Ben Stern, Holocaust survivor who challenged neo-Nazis, 102

Stern, who survived the Warsaw Ghetto, nine Nazi concentration camps, and two death marches, helped rally opposition to a planned neo-Nazi demonstration in Skokie, Illinois, in the 1970s. He also spoke to hundreds of audiences about Antisemitism and prejudice. Stern, a Polish-born Jew, lost his parents, his sister, and six of his seven brothers in the Holocaust. He evaded the gas chambers at Auschwitz, Treblinka, and other Nazi camps and was marched for weeks before his liberation in 1945.

In the US, Stern established a chain of laundromats across Chicago and settled with his family in the suburb of Skokie, home to a large Jewish community and an estimated 6,000 Holocaust survivors.

In 1977, the National Socialist Party of America, a small group of neo-Nazis led by Frank Collin, announced plans for a rally in Skokie. In a legal battle that ultimately landed in the U.S. Supreme Court, Stern joined other activists to try to stop them.

The neo-Nazis were represented in court by the American Civil Liberties Union, whose principal lawyer faced death threats for arguing that even speech as abhorrent as that of neo-Nazis must be defended if the First Amendment protection of free speech is to last. The neo-Nazis won their legal proceedings because their speech was rules to be protected under the First Amendment. But they canceled their rally in Skokie, partially because they were faced with a massive counter-demonstration organized by Jewish groups and activists including Stern, who had written letters to the editor, appeared on television, gathered petitions, and rallied people to the cause.

Stern later spoke to hundreds of audiences about his experience in the Holocaust. He also protested anti-Muslim bigotry in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Trump administration policy of separating immigrant children from their parents at the U.S. border.

Stern once talked with Ira Glasser, who, after becoming executive director of the ACLU in 1978, had strongly defended its representation of the neo-Nazis in their petition to gather in Skokie. Scheduled to speak together on a panel in California, Stern and Glasser met at the airport and Stern extended to him a hand and said, “We’re not going to agree, but we’re going to be friends.” “There was no meeting of the minds,” Glasser later commented. “His agony was too imprinted on his soul by what happened to him. And I remember thinking that if I were in his [place], I would probably be taking the same position.” Stern’s defiance, Glasser said, had been “heroic.”

Stern and his daughter wrote his 2022 memoir, Near Normal Man: Survival with Courage, Kindness and Hope (Redwood Publishing). She also produced a documentary based on the book, which is available on YouTube. 

*****

Read the March 12, 2024 Washington Post article.

Read the February 5, 2023 Berkeleyside article.

Hate Crimes Against Jewish and Muslim Americans Continue to Surge

Reports of hate crimes and bias incidents targeting Jews, Muslims and Arabs continue to surge across the U. S. New data from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) indicate a marked rise in reported incidents of both antisemitism and anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias.

The ADL said it recorded 2,031 antisemitic incidents in the two months after the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, including reports of physical assault, vandalism, and “anti-Israel rallies that included classically antisemitic, anti-Zionist and/or terror-supportive rhetoric.” The organization said it received reports of 465 antisemitic incidents during the same two-month period in 2022. The new data constitutes an over 330% increase in reported incidents of antisemitism from the 2022 time period. “This is historic but can be directly linked back to the Israel-Hamas war as a majority of the incidents referenced the conflict in one form or another,” said Jake Hyman, a spokesperson for the ADL.

CAIR said it has tracked a similarly serious rise in requests for help and reports of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias. After recording an “unprecedented” spike in bias incidents during the first month of the war, the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy group said 2,171 requests for help and reports of bias have been made to its  U. S. national headquarters and chapters since October 7. Those reports include incidents of hate crimes and hate speech, as well as workplace discrimination and incidents described as “violations of an individual’s right to free speech and expression." 

Attorney General Merrick Garland instructed law enforcement officials across the country to “remain vigilant in the face of risks of terrorism and hate-fueled violence” at the recent National Violent Crime Reduction Summit in Indianapolis. Garland discussed how the U. S. Department of Justice is “closely monitoring” the impact of the Israel-Hamas war, and how the conflict in the Middle East is inspiring extremists both at home and abroad. He also noted the spike in hate-fueled violence “comes at a time when law enforcement agencies and communities across the country have already been facing significant challenges regarding violent crime.”

The increase in reported hate and bias motivated incidents has produced a climate of fear for many Jewish, Muslim, and Arab people living in America. Jews across the country told CNN they are changing the way they celebrate Hanukkah this year. Some have broken with yearslong traditions and removed the menorah from their windows. Others have grown more defiant and have chosen to boldly declare their Jewish identity despite the rise in antisemitism.

*****

Read the December 11, 2023 CNN article.

Signs Again Vandalized at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation

 

The noxious hate crime of antisemitism has surfaced yet again in Baltimore. Two signs at the front of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation on Park Heights Avenue in Pikesville were destroyed by being slashed multiple times on December 24th. The signs were replacements for the original ones that were vandalized on December 10th. The Baltimore Hebrew Congregation has displayed the two signs – "We Stand with the People of Israel" and "Bring the Hostages Home" at the corner of Park Heights and Slade avenues for just over two months.

"I am simultaneously deeply disturbed and not surprised at all," Rabbi Andrew Busch said. "Deeply disturbed that someone would impinge on our right to speak our mind. Deeply disturbed that anyone would object to a statement of bringing hostages home. Deeply disturbed that the property of a synagogue would be vandalized." 

Congregation leaders said another nearby religious institution reported an Israeli flag was slashed Thursday. "Suburban Orthodox congregation right behind us had an Israeli flag that was also slashed with a knife or some kind of sharp object," Busch said. He also commented that they are not letting hate stop them from expressing their beliefs. 

The congregation plans to launch a campaign to encourage people to report antisemitism. "We have new signs. They're going to be going up in schools and synagogues and across the community, telling (people) to go to our websites to report when acts occur to stand against hate," Busch said.

A camera was installed at the site after the first vandalism case, and Congregation leaders hope it captured the person or people who are responsible.

BHC filed a police report about the incident. Busch noted that the police responded quickly, as they did when the signs were vandalized the first time. According to Howard Libit, executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, Baltimore County Police have said that they are going to increase patrols around the area and review camera footage, especially from neighbors in the community who may have captured something about this crime. “It is gratifying to know how seriously Baltimore County Police are taking this,” Libit said.

BHC plans on replacing the signs again.

If you know anything about what happened, call Baltimore County Police at 410-307-2020.

*****

Read the December 29, 2023 WBALTV story.

Above photo of sign taken from cited WBALTV article.

Read the December 29, 2023 Baltimore Jewish Times article.

Baltimore City police said they are investigating.

 Free Forum on Antisemitism in Maryland

Join us for a discussion of antisemitism and other challenges facing the Jewish community. To register, click HERE.

Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships

HOME      ABOUT MCCR      SERVICES      PUBLICATIONS      EVENTS      PRESS      CONTACT US

Antisemitism in Virginia

 NEW REPORT DOCUMENTS SHARP INCREASE OF ANTISEMITISM IN VIRGINIA

A new Virginia state report reveals the scope of antisemitism in Virginia and outlines steps to address the problem. In response, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced plans to create the Commission to Combat Antisemitism. The 15-member commission will be headed by Jeffrey A. Rosen, who was an acting U.S. attorney general in the Trump administration. 

The panel’s report says there is an alarming national trend of increasing hate toward the Jewish community, including in Virginia. Their report found that, while Virginia's antisemitic assaults have been minimal since 2018, there since has been a spike in harassment and vandalism. In 2021, Virginia  had 411 reported antisemitic incidents, which was a 71% increase from the 292 reported incidents in 2020. 

The report also said many cases involve white supremacist propaganda, such as flyers and graffiti. Those cases mainly occur around large population centers like Richmond, Northern Virginia, and Hampton Roads. However, over 100 localities across the state have seen the distribution of antisemitic flyers since January 2022. 

Keneseth Beth Israel Rabbi Dovid S. Asher said these incidents have become an increasingly common fact of life for the Jewish community, which has forced them to increase security. He said, around his synagogue in Richmond, people have been heckled and verbally abused. He said one person urinated on their building, which has also been vandalized. 

The report makes 21 recommendations that aim to reverse these trends. The suggestions include:

• Adding a formal definition of antisemitism into state law. 
• Banning government agencies from contracting with companies that take antisemitic positions.
• Increasing police training.
• Improving data collection on hate crimes.
• Creating a new reporting system for incidents that occur in K-12 schools and higher education institutions. 
• Expanding K-12 standards of learning on the Holocaust.
• Requiring recognition of religious holidays. 

Additionally, the commission said the state should also support youth initiatives to mitigate radicalization and “prohibit indoctrination in public education.” 

Democratic lawmakers in Virginia have also called for legislation to fight hate crimes, including former state attorney general Mark Herring. Some praised Youngkin for calling for this report.

Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax), who was the first Jewish person and first woman to serve as House Speaker in the Virginia General Assembly, commented that Governor Youngkin needs to do more to condemn antisemitism within his own party, such as his appearing with right-wing figures accused of making antisemitic statements. "We need to hold our Governor accountable for some of the divisive rhetoric that we have seen,” Filler-Corn said. “The Governor’s silence on Donald Trump’s dinner with an avowed antisemite is extremely troubling."

The commission’s report specifically references former President Donald Trump’s recent meeting white supremacist Nick Fuentes and Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. “This particular instance was put in the report specifically to point out that antisemitism and expressions of it have become mainstream,” Sandler said, adding that a failure to condemn these acts is a form of condoning them. 

The spokesperson for Youngkin said: "The governor condemns all forms of hate speech, white supremacism, and antisemitism. He created a commission to combat antisemitism in his first day in office and would not break bread with white supremacists."

That said, Youngkin has faced criticism for associating with right-wingers who have been accused of making antisemitic statements, such as former Maine governor Paul LePage, who once said that most of Democrats’ money comes from Jewish people. During 2021’s campaign, Youngkin appeared on the radio show of Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump administration official with ties to antisemitic groups in his native Hungary.

*******

Sources: 

https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/new-report-reveals-severity-of-antisemitism-in-virginia/.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/05/youngkin-virginia-antisemitism-trump-commission/.