Teens Facing Charges in Crown Heights Attack

After an attack on a Jewish teen in Crown Heights by two black teenagers for his bicycle and cell phone some justice may be served. The 2 teens are facing a 16 count indictment including Assault in the First Degree, Robbery in the First Degree, Assault in the Second Degree and Robbery in the Second Degree. The NYPD angered the Crown Heights community when they claimed this was not a biased attack.The Brooklyn District Attorney thankfully decided to include it in the investigation of bias crimes currently in front of a grand jury. If convicted, they could face a maximum of 25 years in prison. It's about time something is happening after all these attacks in Crown Heights. No doubt that racial tension is still at the boiling point and many feared race riots might start breaking out. This latest development is a good sign that the authorities are getting tougher on crime in Crown Heights but it by itself is probably not going to stop the crime. to gain more perspective on the matter read LOR.

German Muslim Gets Only 3 1/2 Yrs: Stabbed a Rabbi

A German Muslim, Sajed Aziz was only sentenced to 3 1/2 yrs. in jail for the stabbing of Rabbi Zalman Gurevitch(left) in the streets of Frankfurt with a 3 inch knife. The reason for the light sentencing was a lack of evidence to support the original attempted manslaughter charge. Aziz claimed it was self-defense but his lawyer will not attempt to appeal the judges ruling. Although the Rabbi claimed Aziz yelled anti-semitic slurs the defense claimed this was not a biased attack.

Pope Orders Anti-Semitic Words Removed!

Pope Benedict XVI, plans to rewrite the Good Friday prayer. He will remove the negative text that refers to the "blindness" and "darkness" of the Jews and asking that they convert to Christianity. Certainly a step in the right direction towards keeping a good relationship with the Jewish community.

JDL Goes After Will Smith

The JDL is slamming Will Smith after comments he made stating "Even Hitler didn't wake up going, Let me do the most evil thing I can do today,I think he woke up in the morning and using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was 'good." The JDL has condemned his remarks as "ignorant, detestable and offensive" and urged theaters to pull Mr. Smith's new movie, I Am Legend. As you can imagine this is not the kind of PR Mr. Smith was looking for as he released his latest big hit film. He was angered by what he felt was a misinterpretation of his words:

"It is an awful and disgusting lie," Smith said in a statement Monday provided by his publicist. "It speaks to the dangerous power of an ignorant person with a pen. I am incensed and infuriated to have to respond to such ludicrous misinterpretation.""Adolf Hitler was a vile, heinous vicious killer responsible for one of the greatest acts of evil committed on this planet," read the statement.

Swastika Handbags: New Fashion Statement?

If you are looking to boycott a company for antisemitism, Zara fashion is your man. In a move that is totally outrageous, they are selling handbags featuring swastikas. I'm actually surprised there isn't more outrage in the news about this story, only blogs seem to be discussing it for the most part. One blog claims that in India where these bags are supposedly manufactured, the swastika is actually an ancient religious symbol for Hindus and Buddhists and represents sun, strength, and good luck to many groups around the world. I guess it's not so strange that swastikas where found on a line of bed linen there?This has got to stop!

Swatstikas at Columbia University

Imagine being a faculty member of the prestigious college, Columbia University. Coming in to work you find a big swastika spray-painted on your door. The faculty member was Elizabeth Midlarsky, a clinical psychologist. She says this was the third she was targeted for a hate crime perhaps because of her work on the holocaust. Police are still investigating this antisemitic crime but aren't giving any further details. We have to stand up to these cowards and demand that they be made an example of.

Jewish Schools Need More Security in the UK

As antisemitism increases in the UK and Europe, Jewish schools in the Britain have been worried about the increasing risk to their security. The government has agreed to allow these schools to apply for aid to update their security measures. With these new funds available, schools will be able to install security fencing, CCTV and swipe-card entry systems. It's nice to hear the government is taking action but sad that it's become a necessity.

Australia: More Anti-Semitic Attacks

You may recall a story I blogged about a teen beaten by a baseball bat in Melbourne, Australia several months ago. Unfortunately yet another incident has occured in the Balaclava section, a large Jewish neighborhood. This calls for some serious intervention and I hope the authorities will respond appropriately.

Nazis in India?

Well not exactly but antisemitism is everywhere even in India where a line of bedspreads entitled the NAZI collection was discovered. The brochure featured swastikas and the promoters attempt at PC was that NAZI stood for "New Arrival Zone of India". Thankfully after some protest by the Indian Jewish Federation the name was removed. India is not unfamiliar with this form of hatred.
Last year, a restaurant in Mumbai -- home to around 5,000 of the total 6,000 Jews in India -- changed its name from "Hitler's Cross" following similar complaints.

Melbourne Australia: Anti-Semitic Attacks!

Melbourne Australia has been the scene of a serious anti-semitic attack against an Jewish orthodox 17 yr old. The teenager was bashed by baseball bats by 3 men who vandalized a restaurant and punched one if it's dinners in the face.

Mel Gibson: Is He Finished?

Jonathan Lemkin, the Jewish film writer of the blockbuster hit Lethal Weapon 4 thinks that Mel Gibson is finished as an actor. He doesn't think there will be a number 5 of the series and that Mel's anti-semitic drunken rant has blacklisted him. I'm not sure how certain that is, take a look at Issiah Washington of "Grey's Anatomy" who made some very damaging remarks and was fired and got picked up almost instantly for "Bionic Woman".

Hasidim of Montreal Frightened by Recent Attacks

Every summer many people from the Hasidic community of Montreal make their way to a cottage area of Val David, 90 kilometres north of Montreal. Recently a string of crimes against these cottages has put these Hasidim on edge. The most recent crime had been having their water lines cut as well as several item missing. The police are also investigating a fire that engulfed a Rabbi's house earlier this month. Nothing was left to salvage after the fire ravaged through the structure.

The chairman of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Victor Goldbloom, said he understands police must be cautious before calling the events hate crimes. But he said, "to any objective observer, it's hard to draw any other conclusion.""One has to conclude that this just can't be a coincidence and that there is a planned, systematic attempt to harm and scare the community," he said.Four young Hasidic men visiting the site of the fire said when their families returned to the cottage this spring, they found that the pipes to every single cottage belonging to Hasidic Jews in Val David and Val Morin had been cut.The mayor of Val David, Pierre Lapointe met with the Hasidic Jewish community in Montreal to discuss the situation.