Cities across the United States with large Jewish communities are starting to prepare for the antisemitic Day of Hate that is planned for Saturday by neo-Nazi groups.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) as well as the Chicago Police Department sent out Situational Awareness Alerts on Thursday. The alerts stated that each individual going to Shabbat services at synagogues must be aware and vigilant.
"Members of the service are advised to maintain elevated situational awareness and vigilance on Feb. 25 for activism in the form of biased, in-person acts around the city and at potential key locations that might garner attention from these types of actors," the NYPD announced in their alert.
"This antisemitic proposed event has instructed like-minded individuals to form banners, place stickers, and flyers and vandalize by way of graffiti as forms of biased so-called activism," the Chicago Police said in its community alert. "The Chicago Police department urges all community members to keep situationally aware and pay attention to your surroundings while out in the neighborhood, not just on Shabbos, but during the week as well."
"We are calling on all fighters of truth and justice to take a stand and expose the international clique of parasitic vermin that infest our nation today," one of the neo-Nazi groups said in their statement in January. "Make your voices heard loud and clear, that the one true enemy of the American people is the Jew. We refuse to capitulate to the wishes of the anti-white establishment, that our race is subverted and controlled by the devil's chosen few."
They ended their statement with "Hail Victory."
The Goyim Defense League (GDL) demonstrated outside of the Chabad of South Orlando on Friday last week, holding up signs and harassing Jewish people for several hours. The next day over Shabbat, around 10 more people who are associated with neo-Nazi NatSoc Florida, joined the GDL outside the Daytona International Speedway on a bridge with antisemitic signs and banners that read "Communism is Jewish" and "Henry Ford was right about the Jews." They also harassed pedestrians walking nearby, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Reactions to the Day of Hate
"No threat from any group with intimidate the Jewish community from attending prayer services," New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov wrote on her Twitter. "Please stay safe and vigilant, but please go to Synagogue if that's your Saturday routine. We can never let them win. Am Yisrael Chai."
NO THREAT from any group will intimidate the Jewish community from attending prayer services. Please stay safe and vigilant, but please go to Synagogue if that’s your Saturday routine. We can never let them win. עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי
— Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (@InnaVernikov) February 24, 2023
Queens Shmira Public Safety sent out a community alert as well.
"The precincts will be utilizing all necessary means of manpower such as House of Worship auto, counter-terrorism units, precinct sector cars and auxiliary units who will all be rotating posts at different key locations throughout our neighborhoods," they said. "We would like to remind everyone that in the event of any incidents taking place to please be swift in calling 911 and reporting them to the police."
There’s a day of hate planned against Jews this coming Shabbat. So being an American Jew in 2023 is choosing between 1) taking my kids to pray, anxiously looking at the exits worried about their safety or 2) staying home and letting the anti-Semites define my Jewishness. pic.twitter.com/PoNnm1a6Jv
— Daniella Greenbaum Davis (@DGreenbaum) February 23, 2023
The Orthodox Union (OU) sent out press releases to many Synagogues encouraging everyone to "increase their level of vigilance and be in contact with your local law enforcement agencies and potentially request enhanced presence around the shul facility."
"We are in communication with our partners at the Secure Communities Network as well as the DHS and FBI and are not aware of threats to specific Jewish institutions," the OU wrote in the press release.
Vice President of the ADL's Center on Extremism Oren Segal spoke to Forward that his group had "learned about the Day of Hate several weeks ago while monitoring several extremist groups' social media and communications channels."
Some of the organizations taking part in the Day of Hate and responsible for planning it are the GDL, Active Clubs and National Socialist Movement.
"It's essentially a hodgepodge of white supremacist organizations, many of which engage in an on-the-ground activity like flyer distribution, banners, protests, that sort of thing," Segal said.
"There's a day of hate planned against Jews this coming Shabbat," writer and Emmy award-winning producer Daniella Greenbaum Davis wrote on her Twitter attaching a photo of the Queens Shmira alert. "So being an American Jew in 2023 is choosing between 1) taking my kids to pray, anxiously looking at the exits worried about their safety or 2) staying home and letting the antisemites define my Jewishness."