A “National Day of Hate” against “vermin” Jews organized by white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups across America to coincide with the Jewish Sabbath was deemed a failure and instead turned into a “Shabbat of peace, not hate,” according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Demonstrations of solidarity with the Jewish people were held several cities in the U.S., including Washington D.C.
The Anti-Defamation League tweeted Saturday evening that “Increased law enforcement presence as well as heightened community awareness helped to ensure this was a Shabbat of peace, not hate.”
The effort began with an Iowa-based neo-Nazi group and spread to other groups all over the U.S., the ADL said.
The groups issued a joint statement calling on Americans to “take a stand, and expose the international clique of parasitic vermin that infest our nation.”
“Make your voices heard loud and clear, that the one true enemy of the American people is the Jew,” the statement said.
Several cities, including New York and Massachusetts, stepped up police presence outside synagogues. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Department of Homeland Security, and the Secure Community Network (SCN) also monitored the situation, according to umbrella group, the Orthodox Union.
According to ADL, while white supremacists had rallies in Florida and Georgia as well as online livestreams, and more antisemitic incidents occurred in Texas, California, Florida and Arizona, all said, it constituted “a pretty typical Saturday in America.”
“In the face of threats and rising antisemitism, the American Jewish community was not cowed,” the ADL said. “We were defiant. We lit Shabbat candles, attended services, and proudly celebrated our faith. Meanwhile, extremists panicked and shared paranoid conspiracy theories.
“We know that the threat does not magically disappear as the sun sets on this so-called ‘day of hate.’ We know that vigilance is part of being Jewish in America in 2023. And we take great comfort in knowing we do not face this darkness alone.”
Jews have in recent years been murdered in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and California by attackers with antisemitic motives.
This month alone, a New Jersey synagogue was firebombed while in Los Angeles two Jews were shot leaving a synagogue.