Over Rosh Hashanah five Cincinnati neighborhoods were littered with fliers that contained neo-Nazi and white supremacist propaganda. The fliers were found across Downtown, Walnut Hills, East Walnut Hills, Loveland, and Anderson Township.
“We can only speculate whether or not this has anything to do with Rosh Hashanah,” said Rabbi Ari Jun, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council. “Given the frequency these flyering incidents occur, it’s possible the timing is coincidental.”
This kind of flyering is not unusual, Jun said, though the number of people who encountered the fliers was larger than normal this time, as was the number of neighborhoods covered.
“These days we see things like this happen pretty frequently; in the past 10 days, I can think of three different times it has happened, each done by a separate hate group,” said Jun.
The fliers contained neo-Nazi images along with links to conspiracy websites like the antisemitic website Jew-Watch.
Antisemitism has been on the rise in the U.S. over the past few years, according to the ADL 2022 saw a 36% increase in antisemitic incidents. That has sparked national action, like the release earlier this year of a plan to combat antisemitism from the Whitehouse. To State Rep Dani Isaacsohn, fighting antisemitism starts with building a broad coalition of allies.
“I am deeply committed to fighting back against hate and racial, religious, or other ethnic animus by building a more inclusive and welcome state,” said Isaacsohn. “That starts with denouncing any and all acts of hate, like this one, and simultaneously working to build as broad a coalition as possible of people and leaders committed to pluralism.”
With events like this showing no sign of slowing down anytime soon, there are steps folks can take when they encounter antisemitic materials like fliers. According to Jun, you should:
- Contact law enforcement
- Document the materials
- Contact the JCRC, so they can track the incidents
- Dispose of the materials
Keep in mind that when you contact law enforcement, there isn’t much they can do to punish the behavior, Jun said. But making sure they understand when communities are threatened is still important. Another step people can take is requesting some of the “Ally Against Antisemitism” magnets, stickers, or yard signs from the JCRC. The JCRC provides the materials and the shipping or delivery at no cost.
To Jun, displaying these items shows people who are attempting to spread hateful messages that this sort of behavior isn’t welcome in our community.
“It’s important for our community to stand up together and say that this is not welcome,” said Jun.
