AJC Dispatch

Spotlight

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Must-reads

Two Synagogues Vandalized over Passover in Huntsville, Alabama
JTA / 1-minute read
Two synagogues in Huntsville, Alabama have been vandalized with neo-Nazi graffiti and antisemitic slogans on the first days of Passover. The Chabad of Huntsville was plastered with swastikas and racial slurs on April 9. Surveillance video showed an unidentified man on the property. The first incident occurred at the Etz Chayim Synagogue, a conservative congregation in south Huntsville, which was desecrated on April 8. Among the graffiti sprayed during the night were “Gas Em All,” “White Power,” “Jew Scum,” and “Holohoax.” AJC thanked local authorities for their resolute support. “The response of local authorities couldn’t have been stronger. Words and solidarity matter. Swift law enforcement matters. Thank you @huntsvillecity for being allies against antisemitism.” To combat hate crimes, our nation must take action. Join AJC in urging Congress to pass the NO HATE Act.

Hamas Arrests Gaza Peace Activists for Zoom Chat with Israelis
The Times of Israel / 3-minute read
The Islamist terrorist organization Hamas has arrested local peace activists for treason, after they held a Zoom conference call with Israeli campaigners on April 6. The online meeting lasted for two hours and a recording was later posted on social media. A spokesperson from the Hamas-run Interior Ministry confirmed that prominent Palestinian activist Rami Aman and others had been detained on charges of “establishing normalization activities with the Israeli occupation via the internet.” The participants talked about the novel coronavirus pandemic and the dire economic and political situation in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Hamas has repeatedly chosen war instead of peace and security, prolonging Gazans' suffering under its authoritarian rule. March 30 marked two years since the start of the Great March of Return, a series of deadly border riots incited by Hamas. You can find more information by visiting AJC’s What You Need to Know About the Violent Hamas Protests.

U.S. Official: Threat from Iran to U.S. Forces in Iraq Remains “Significant”
Reuters / 2-minute read
Iranian-sponsored terrorist groups and militia still pose a "significant" threat to U.S. forces in Iraq, the State Department’s top diplomat for the Middle East said on April 9, a week after U.S. President Donald Trump warned of an attack by Iran or its proxies. David Schenker, Assistant Secretary of Near Eastern Affairs, said the situation remained precarious for U.S. personnel in the country. He made the comments as reports emerged that IRGC-Quds Force commander Esmail Ghaani had travelled to Iraq. Iranian-controlled groups have fired dozens of rockets at bases where U.S. forces are stationed. Recently, they killed two American soldiers, a British army medic, and an American contractor. Tensions between Iran and the U.S. are running high, after Iran said that nuclear-related sanctions had deprived the country of the resources needed to fight the coronavirus, a charge flatly rejected by U.S. officials. AJC CEO David Harris said: “If Iran wants help from IMF, let it first stop using its own funds on missile development, support for terrorist groups and regional mischief. Giveaways to Iran simply prop up a corrupt regime and are seen in Tehran as signs of U.S. weakness, not strength.”

Rivlin Sets August 4 as Date for Fourth Election if Coalition Talks Fail
The Jerusalem Post / 5-minute read
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin informed Knesset speaker Benny Gantz on Thursday that his mandate to form a government had ended and set August 4 as the date for a fourth general election, if no coalition is formed. Rivlin announced earlier this week that he would not pass the mandate to Benjamin Netanyahu and instead would trigger the start of a 21-day period during which the entire Knesset may select a candidate to form a government. The president said in a statement: “I hope that the Knesset Members will be able to form a majority in such a way that a government can be formed as soon as possible, and to prevent a fourth round of elections.” Negotiations for a national unity government between Blue and White and Likud were set to resume on Friday.

Good to Know

Antisemites are Thriving amidst Coronavirus Pandemic
The Times of Israel / 4-minute read
Antisemitism has plagued societies for centuries and “enterprising anti-Semites around the world have not let the coronavirus pandemic go to waste,” Manya Brachear Pashman, co-host of People of the Pod, an AJC and Times of Israel podcast about global affairs, wrote in an op-ed published on April 10. A hateful caricature of former French health minister Agnes Buzyn, who is Jewish and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, superimposed her face on the antisemitic “happy merchant” meme of a smiling Jewish man rubbing his palms together. In the U.S., white supremacist David Duke suggested that Israel and the “global Zionist elite” were behind the virus outbreak. “The vile absurdity is a stark reminder that vigilance in combating persistent anti-Semitism is as critical as washing our hands and maintaining social distance,” said Brachear Pashman.

Leader of International neo-Nazi group was 13-year-old from Estonia
Deutsche Welle / 4-minute read
A 13-year-old Estonian, known online as “Commander of the Feuerkrieg Division”, has been identified as a key figure in an international neo-Nazi group that planned to bomb a Las Vegas synagogue and a U.S. news network, until Estonian police intervened in January. He also shared bomb-making instructions, talked about an attack in London, and suggested to organize a military training camp in February to celebrate the 100th birthday of Adolf Hitler’s former political party NSDAP. The white supremacist group is part of a movement that embraces accelerationism, a fringe philosophy that promotes violence to destroy a society in order to build a new one to their liking. Brenton Tarrant, the man who recently pleaded guilty to killing 51 people in the Christchurch mosques attacks, devoted a section of his manifesto to the concept of accelerationism. To learn more about the threat posed by far-right extremism, visit AJC’s After Poway, Pittsburgh Synagogue Shootings, Here’s What Jews Need to Know About White Supremacy.

Germany Imposes Four-Year Travel Ban on Senior Palestinian Terrorist
The Jerusalem Post / 2-minute read
The German government has imposed a four-year travel ban on a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The EU and the U.S. both designated the PFLP as a foreign terrorist organization. Palestinian journalist and alleged PFLP terrorist Khaled Barakat, who is based in Canada, confirmed in a web seminar that German authorities had banned him from entering the country because “I support [the Palestinians'] right to resist Israel, call for the liberation of Palestine from river to sea” – a slogan amounting to a call for the destruction of Israel. Court documents show that German authorities deemed Barakat’s refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist as “antisemitic.”

Tidings

New season of Fauda to debut this week on Netflix (The Times of Israel / 4-minute read)
Moovit launches transit solution for essential workers (Israel 21c / 3-minute read)
Daily distraction: American Symphony Orchestra goes to the opera (The Forward/1-minute read)

The articles featured here do not necessarily reflect AJC’s positions.

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