Over the weekend, several messages were found around Pleasant Ridge that denoted the antisemitic conspiracy theory that Israel was behind the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The antisemitic screeds were found along Montgomery Road and in front of the only kosher restaurant in Pleasant Ridge, Cafe Alma. More were found across the street on the sidewalk in front of Everybody’s Records and Gaslight Cafe.
“I saw it in front of the cafe and washed it off with water, but then was told they were on the entire block from [the now closed] Revolution Rotisserie to the cafe,” said Lainey Richler, the owner of Cafe Alma.
Images of antisemitic messages in Pleasant Ridge (photo: Alexa Fisher)
Antisemitism has been on the rise in the U.S. for the past several years and has only skyrocketed after the Oct. 7th terrorist attacks and the ensuing Israel-Hamas War. Hate activity has also increased in Cincinnati in the past two years.
This is not the first time antisemitic messages have been on display in Cincinnati. An antisemitic banner was hung on Highway 50. Last summer, Jewish cemeteries were vandalized. This past spring, Neo-Nazis displayed antisemitic banners over I-75 while attempting to intimidate the community, while wearing assault rifles. And recently, KKK and Neo-nazi groups flyerered several Cincinnati neighborhoods.
“This hateful bigotry has no place in our community, and it must stop. We call on all who care about the safety and security of the Jewish community to help stamp out these messages,” Chandler Waite, the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, said in a statement.
This conspiracy theory that Israel had something to do with 9/11 has been around for over 20 years, and sprang up immediately after the tragic event, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Waite said community members can report sightings like this to SAFE Cincinnati and local law enforcement so the incidents can be documented. Wait also encouraged people, if they see incidents in Cincinnati city limits, to report it through the 311Cincy app or website.
“[The graffiti] makes me feel like this once safe bubble I thought I was in has now popped,” said Richler. “Seeing this kind of rhetoric is obviously concerning as a Jewish-owned business that is very active in the broader Pleasant Ridge Community.”
