A small group of neo-Nazis who posed with flags outside Georgia synagogues on Saturday were countered by displays of goodwill and tolerance from the very Jewish communities they set out to antagonize.
Chabad.org reports as congregants were arriving for Saturday afternoon services at Chabad-Lubavitch of Cobb County, in Marietta. Ga., 12 members of an antisemitic hate group brandished antisemitic posters and swastika flags at them.
“They were standing in front as I was walking up to the shul,” Rabbi Ephraim Silverman told Chabad.org.
“Obviously, I was not very happy to see them, but I am aware that their tactic is to provoke and get a response. Instead, I nodded to the police who were there and thanked them for their support. I went inside, where we had a beautiful Minchah prayer service and a larger-than-usual crowd for Havdalah at the close of Shabbat.”
The outlet went on to report that as word spread of the vile displays, peaceful but indignant counter-protests were held and calls for positive but firm responses in the face of growing antisemitism. The rabbi further explained:
Ironically, this hateful group has shown us how many friends and how much support we have in the Jewish and non-Jewish community here in East Cobb. The outpouring of support from clergy and individuals of all walks of life has been unbelievable.
People need to know that 99% of the population totally abhors any expression of hate. East Cobb has been a wonderful home to a flourishing Jewish community for many years. These individuals do not represent the sentiments of the citizens of East Cobb.
The protest in front of the Chabad of Cobb County was the second incident from the same group over the weekend after they had demonstrated outside a synagogue in Macon, about a 90-minute car ride away.
They followed earlier commitments by the Biden administration to tackle the issue antisemitism across the country.
The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) blasted Biden’s new antisemitism strategy on Thursday, as it emerged that it was crafted with help from the antisemitic Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). https://t.co/1PNrTcirrt
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 26, 2023
CNN reports Georgia’s Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock both condemned the antisemitic hate. “I share in the outrage over this shameful act and stand with Georgians everywhere in condemning it,’ said Kemp. “We remain vigilant in the face of these disgusting acts of bigotry.”
“Yesterday we saw antisemitism on display in Macon, and now in metro Atlanta,” wrote Warnock. “This has got to stop. Praying for our Jewish community in Georgia and beyond. We must all raise our voices loudly against this vile hate.”
Sacha Roytman Dratwa, CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement said, “Antisemitism frequently lurks in the shadows, yet this past weekend in Georgia we observed its blatant and hateful manifestation at neo-Nazi demonstrations outside synagogues in Macon and East Cobb.
“It is critical that we uncover and refute the lies and conspiracy theories that motivate people to publicly display such menacing bigotry and hatred. We must confront this malevolence in our communities, and we are here to offer assistance in discovering and promoting effective ways to combat it.”
Antisemitic incidents in the U.S. reached an all-time high last year, with a total of 3,697 – the highest since the group began recording, according to the ADL.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators were filmed Thursday as they attacked Jews in Manhattan. https://t.co/0JEvY8zdFK
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 21, 2021
The incidents, including assault, neo-nazis and vandalism alongside harassment, increased by more than a third in just one year.
As Breitbart News reported, Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) head Morton Klein last month blasted the Biden administration’s new government strategy for combating antisemitism, deeming it both “phony” and “dangerous,” as well as a “frightening disgrace that enables antisemitism.”
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