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LEGAL ACTION: ADL Files Complaint Against Baltimore City Public Schools, Alleging Egregious Antisemitic Harassment
On behalf of Jewish parents whose children have been subjected to discrimination and harassment in the Baltimore City Public School System, ADL has filed a federal civil rights complaint alleging the school system knowingly allowed its schools to become hostile environments for Jewish students. As James Pasch, ADL Vice President, Litigation emphasized, “On this essential measure of keeping its Jewish students safe from harassment and intimidation, Baltimore City Public Schools have failed.”
Since 10/7, Jewish students in the district experienced what the complaint describes as “a pervasive hostile environment,” including a teacher directing Nazi salutes at the sole Jewish student in his classroom, threats from classmates that “6 million [Jews] was not enough,” and comments including “all Jews should die.”
The complaint details how Jewish students have been forced to isolate themselves, drop classes, eat lunch alone and hide their Jewish identities to avoid harassment. When parents requested concrete action plans and educational programming on antisemitism, schools offered inadequate responses or ignored their pleas entirely.
→ Read more about the incidents and the improvements that ADL is calling for to protect Jewish students.
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Ugly Hate from a Beauty Influencer:
ADL and its affiliate JLens condemn beauty influencer Huda Kattan’s recent video that promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories, including the false claim that Israel orchestrated the World Wars, 9/11 and other global tragedies. These dangerous and historically baseless accusations echo some of the oldest and most pernicious antisemitic tropes. We welcome TikTok’s decision to remove the video and call on Kattan, who has millions of social media followers, to issue a public apology and engage in meaningful education about antisemitism and the damage such conspiracy theories cause. Huda Beauty products are carried at multiple major retailers including Sephora, Cult
Beauty, Harrods and Walmart; those retailers have a choice to either continue to platform a brand whose founder promotes hate-fueled conspiracy theories, or to take a stand against antisemitism. Read more about this ugly hate.
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EVENT: Safe at Home: Kevin Youkilis on Baseball, Belonging and Being Jewish:
Join major league baseball All-Star Kevin Youkilis on August 20 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT for a timely conversation about Jewish identity in sports, confronting antisemitism and advocating for change. Kevin will be joined by University of Michigan student and Maccabi USA athlete Morgan Zeitz, who'll share how the Maccabiah strengthened her identity and prepared her to face antisemitism on campus and beyond. Live Q&A included. Click here to register now.
An Insightful Conversation on Antisemitism: Don’t miss the unflinching conversation about the alarming rise in antisemitism and hate that ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt had with Andy Ostoy on the popular Back Room podcast.
Click here for the podcast.
Backgrounder: Goyim Defense League:
The Goyim Defense League (GDL) is a loose network of individuals who promote vitriolic antisemitism and white supremacist themes. GDL engages in antisemitic stunts to troll and harass Jewish communities and individuals; their overarching goal is to expel Jews from the United States. Their propaganda spreads antisemitic myths and conspiracy theories in hopes of turning Americans against Jewish people. GDL adherents work alone or in local cliques and occasionally travel to participate in extended antisemitic events they refer to as “Name the Nose” tours.
Read this updated backgrounder from ADL’s extremism experts for information about the latest GDL arrests and examples of their recent antisemitic activity.
Backgrounder: International Union of Muslim Scholars:
The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) brings together Islamic scholars from countries across the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The organization is headquartered in Qatar, and has historically been funded by the Qatari government and private donors. The IUMS is a prominent and influential voice in global Islamic discourse and has a decades-long history of open antisemitism and animosity against Israel. This culminated in a fatwa, issued this year, calling for jihad against Israel by all Muslims capable of doing so.
Click here for insights from ADL international experts about IUMS’ antisemitic incitement, glorification of terrorism and Holocaust denial.
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Speak up now with ADL! Support the bipartisan STOP HATE Act.
Extremists are using social media to spread antisemitism and to incite violence. The STOP HATE Act is a crucial step in curbing this. It requires social media companies to report to the Department of Justice on how they enforce their terms to ensure that terrorist entities are not utilizing their platforms. Join ADL in supporting this law, which would help stop online hate from turning into real-world violence in our communities. Click here to tell your U.S. House Representative to STOP HATE.
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Voting ‘Yes’ on IHRA in NJ:
After a marathon meeting, the New Jersey State Assembly’s State and Local Government Committee unanimously voted in favor of a bill to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism. This is an important step in a state with both a large Jewish population and high levels of antisemitic incidents. ADL’s Ross Weisman was there to testify, waiting hours to speak in order to emphasize how utilizing the IHRA definition of antisemitism can help protect NJ’s Jewish community, giving clear guidelines for evaluating incidents.
ADL was a vocal proponent of the bill, and our data about antisemitism was introduced during the committee’s proceedings. ADL staff, board members and activists all played a role in sustaining momentum for the legislation as we reached out to lawmakers, sent letters and countered voices that criticized the bill and ADL’s data. Read more from ADL about this legislative progress.
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