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Hundreds of antisemitic flyers were distributed to cities across the country last weekend. Local and federal authorities continue to investigate the incidents. The flyers blamed the “Covid19 agenda” on people who are Jewish. The flyers were left in front of hundreds of houses in at least five states.
Many of the flyers were placed in plastic bags that were held down with rocks, sand, or rice. The flyers were found on lawns, front porches, mailboxes, and even strewn across beaches.
The flyers listed high-ranking CDC officials who are allegedly Jewish, along with other public health figures. Executives for Pfizer — maker of the only COVID-19 vaccine approved for children — were also named as part of the “Jewish agenda” in the flyers.
Jewish groups condemn flyers
The flyers direct readers to an “anti-kosher, live-streaming Jewish supremacist naming platform.” The flyers were peppered with Star of David symbols, as well as anti-vaccine propaganda.
Strong condemnation for the flyers came swiftly from Jewish allies across the country. The Anti-Defamation League tweeted, “These fliers are an attempt to intimidate and harass Jewish communities around the United States. We appreciate the strong condemnation from local leaders and police forces.”
The flyers were found in Florida, Colorado, Texas, Maryland, and Wisconsin. Other cities and states are on high alert for the presence of the flyers.
Leaders denounce antisemitism
In San Francisco, Mayor London Breed tweeted, “These antisemitic acts and any scare tactics like them have no place in San Francisco. We have a strong and proud Jewish community in this City, and we will continue to do everything we can to support all of our diverse communities when they are threatened like this.”
Many state attorneys are also considering hate-crime charges against those who distributed the flyers. According to Katherine Fernandez Rundle, the state attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, “If there is evidence that meets the requirements of Florida law for a criminal prosecution of these, vile hate-fill (sic) pamphlets, we will take this matter to our criminal courts.”
The flyers come just weeks after a gunman in Texas took five hostages during morning prayer services at a synagogue near Dallas-Fort Worth. Four hostages, including a Rabbi, were held for over 11 hours at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas.
Hate crimes on the rise
Meanwhile, just days ago at an anti-vaccine rally, speaker Robert F Kennedy Jr. compared vaccine mandates to Anne Frank hiding in an attic during World War II. Many in the crowd that day wore antisemitic clothing and held anti-Jewish signs.
Crimes against people who are Jewish are on the rise, according to the Anti-Defamation League, which tracks antisemitic hate crimes. While the numbers vary year to year, 2020 was the third-highest year on record for antisemitic crimes since the ADL began tracking, over 40 years ago.
Jews across the country, however, refuse to allow such rhetoric to stoke the flames of hate. According to The Jewish Federation of Broward County, “Because Broward County is home to the third largest population of Holocaust Survivors in the world, we are acutely aware of what happens when hate is allowed to thrive unfettered and unchallenged. As a nation, we can do better and we will do better.”