Dear John,

These are busy days for our Center on Extremism and our regional offices...

This past weekend, in a nationwide display of bigotry and hate, individuals associated with the antisemitic Goyim Defense League distributed propaganda in multiple states, while people supporting the “White Lives Matter” movement distributed propaganda and held roadside flash demonstrations in several states.

And in Washington DC, a staff member at a public elementary school reportedly instructed third-grade students to reenact scenes from the Holocaust. Truly appalling.

A Weekend of Extremist Hate

An antisemitic GDL banner

The distribution of antisemitic flyers and banners were part of a propaganda “challenge” issued by a Goyim Defense League (GDL) leader. We documented GDL propaganda distributions in states including Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Texas and Vermont. In most cases, the propaganda contained antisemitic claims, including “every single aspect of the Covid agenda is Jewish” or “Antifa is a Jewish Militia.”

Coinciding with the GDL’s weekend efforts, the loose network that makes up the “White Lives Matter” movement held its monthly day of action. We documented demonstrations and propaganda distributions in states including Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

There is some crossover participation between these two extremist groups. For example, individuals associated with “White Lives Matter” Texas protested outside the Houston ADL office. Some of the same individuals participated in GDL’s antisemitic tour of south-central Texas in October.

As we tracked the extremist incidents, ADL regional offices reached out to offer support in their communities. For example, in Austin TX where there has been substantial antisemitic activity in recent months ranging from GDL visits to graffiti and propaganda to arson at a synagogue, we immediately began to collect evidence and coordinate with Austin Police, Shalom Austin (the local Jewish Federation) and local elected officials. We provided members of the community with reminders on how best to respond if they witness incidents of hate.

Kids Reportedly Instructed to Reenact the Holocaust

The recent incident in DC was also shocking. As the Washington Post described:

[A] staff member told third-graders in library class to reenact scenes from the Holocaust, directing them to dig their classmates’ mass graves and simulate shooting the victims, according to an email from the school’s principal. The instructor was placed on leave Friday.

She allegedly assigned specific roles to students. She cast one student as Adolf Hitler, according to an email from [the school’s principal] to the third-graders’ parents. He did not name the staff member. That student is Jewish, according to the parent of a student who was asked to participate. At the end of the exercise, the child was told to pretend to commit suicide, as Hitler did.

ADL immediately organized with community partners to assist.

We met with leaders from the school district, alongside the AJC and JCRC, and we provided resources for the district as well as families and the greater community.

Reports have indicated children from the class in question were understandably upset and traumatized. ADL education staff met with families to provide direct support and guidance. Our education team has also put together resources for the community including guidance on talking to the students and information for the parents who may also not have a full understanding of the Holocaust. We also recommended age-appropriate books for helping young people answer questions they may now have about this challenging subject.

These incidents, ranging from coast to coast, are just the latest challenges that we want to keep you and the rest of the ADL community informed about so you can be a voice in reporting and fighting antisemitism and extremism wherever you live.

Thank you,

Adam Neufeld

SVP, Programs

ADL