May 15, 2023
A University of Minnesota “Nakba Day” event was canceled (reportedly following threats) then rescheduled at the local Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) office. Attorney Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, faces several lawsuits and is accused of, among other things, making antisemitic remarks. Windows were smashed at an Italian-ice shop in Atlanta, which was graffitied with a swastika. A neo-Nazi was sentenced in California to two years in prison for illegally possessing ammunition, and in the United Kingdom, a Hitler supporter was jailed for podcasts deemed to provoke racial hatred. Four German neo-Nazis were charged as members of a terrorist group, and two Austrians are accused of playing Hitler speeches on a train speaker system. Antisemitic incidents were down 25.5% in Vienna in 2022.
May 16, 2023
At Northwestern University outside of Chicago, Students for Justice in Palestine organized a “Nakba Day” event that drew 50 students. A Jewish teacher in Wisconsin was arrested after threatening students following discovering swastikas in a student’s notebook drawings. In Minnesota, a neo-Nazi has pleaded guilty to purchasing weapons with the intent of using them in a massacre of police officers.
May 17, 2023
A California high school scheduled a “Nakba Day” event featuring the grandson of the late South African leader Nelson Mandela. Noa Tishby shared a video of actress Debra Messing (of “Will & Grace”) discussing her Jewish heritage and, for the first time, detailing an antisemitic experience. The door of a Washington synagogue was defaced with two swastikas. Twitter CEO Elon Musk again argued that the mass shooter of a Texas outlet mall was not a white supremacist; the man has neo-Nazi tattoos.
May 18, 2023
In the Pittsburgh synagogue mass-shooting trial, jury selection is almost complete, with a pool of 69; a jury of 12 plus six alternates is required, and each side can eliminate 20 prospective jurors. Testimony is expected to begin after Memorial Day. In Montreal, a “Nakba Day” protest was held outside the Israeli consulate. A Missouri mayor apologized after making an antisemitic comment. A British neo-Nazi leader threatened Jewish leaders who visited a migrant camp. The teenager who pleaded guilty after stealing and burning Israeli flags at a school in Canada returned to court, where he is now charged with violating probation by continuing to post on social media. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Germany’s leaders of having “Nazi genes.” A new study of five countries suggests that 51% of players of online games encountered extremist statements.
May 19, 2023
A manufacturer’s union, along with the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, held a “Nakba Day” event in Australia. A Swedish “black metal” band fired its bassist after he made a Nazi salute on stage while “very drunk.” A Massachusetts high school reported a swastika in a bathroom.
