Surging Anti-Semitism, Hate Crimes Targeting Jewish Communities Tackled by SWC & Law Enforcement

October 28, 2022

Friday, October 28: At a press conference at the Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance Los Angeles: Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore (at podium) with (L-R), FBI Special Agent in Charge, Brian Gilhooly; SWC Founder and CEO Rabbi Marvin Hier; Pastor Kenneth Ulmer; SWC Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action, Rabbi Abraham Cooper.

Surging anti-Semitism on social media and hate crimes targeting Jewish communities across the US, who is behind these attacks and what steps need to be taken to stop this was addressed by law enforcement and leadership of the Simon Wiesenthal Center during a press conference last Friday at the Museum of Tolerance. Fueled by Kanye West’s ongoing anti-Semitism and following incidents by a white supremacist hate group who furled a banner over a freeway in Los Angeles saying “Kanye Is Right About the Jews” while doing Nazi salutes and then distributing anti-Semitic flyers in Los Angeles, SWC Founder and CEO Rabbi Marvin Hier and SWC Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action, Rabbi Abraham Cooper were joined by Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore, FBI Special Agent in Charge, Brian Gilhooly and Bishop Kenneth Ulmer, a leading Black Christian Pastor. The Center made it clear that it would be working with the Los Angeles Police Department and the FBI, along with Bishop Ulmer, to denounce the spate of anti-Semitic incidents while calling to renew and deepen allyship and coalitions. It would also be pressing law enforcement to do more while thanking them for their efforts to deal with the unprecedented surge of hate crimes. During the press conference, Rabbi Cooper shared with law enforcement agencies and members of the media, the latest report, from the Center’s Research Department, on white supremacist group, Goyim Defense League, responsible for these anti-Semitic incidents.

Download report here

>> Watch the press conference here...

For further information, please email Michele Alkin, Director of Global Communications at malkin@wiesenthal.com or Shawn Rodgers at srodgers@wiesenthal.com, join the Center on Facebook, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed. The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization numbering over 400.000 members. It holds consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS, and the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO).