Antisemitism report presented at Kentucky capitol

Rabbi Shlomo Litvin, the Chairman of the Kentucky Jewish Council, delivered a report on antisemitism in Kentucky during 2022 at the state capitol in Frankfort on Tuesday.

The report, which was originally released in early January, details more than 30 antisemitic incidents that occurred in the previous year. Now, it has been given a platform at the capitol building.

The Kentucky Jewish Council claims the responsibility of being the primary advocate and voice of the Jewish community in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Among those in attendance for the presentation of the report were Republicans from the house of representatives, Democrats and Republicans from the State Senate, and staff members from Governor Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron's offices. 

Among the incidents of antisemitism highlighted by the report are threats and acts of violence against the Jewish community.

“The sheer range of incidents, from Left and Right, Louisville and Lexington, White Supremacists, and the Black Hebrew Israelite Hate Cult, is deeply concerning,” Litvin said. “We have seen antisemitism in the Media, on college campuses, and even in the attempted assassination of a Jewish Mayoral candidate in Louisville.”

The latter remark refers to an incident in February of last year when a Black Lives Matter (BLM) activist opened fire on a Jewish Democrat who was running for mayor of Louisville.

Part of the report details what is referred to by antisemitism. The explanation briefly covers the history of the term "antisemitism." Additionally, the basis for the understanding of antisemitism discussed by the report is derived from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) Definition of Antisemitism.

In February of 2021, Kentucky became the first US State to adopt the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism. The definition is widely accepted throughout the global Jewish community.

The report goes on to preface a list of 2022 antisemitic incidents in Kentucky by providing a brief overview of antisemitism on the global stage.

"This year has been a horrifying year for antisemitism around the world," the report states."[In 2022, there were] near-daily attacks on traditional Orthodox Jews in New York City, an attempted terror attack at a temple in Texas, multiple bomb threats against Jewish Centers, Amnesty International calling for an end to Israel, widespread antisemitism on campuses across the country, massive violent antisemitic attacks across Israel [and] unhinged attacks on the Jewish communities from rapper Kanye West and other celebrities."

As a point of fact, Amnesty International, an international NGO that purports to fight for human rights, did not call for an end to Israel. It did, however, in a 2022 report, label Israel as an "apartheid state" and claim that Israel's supposed "system of apartheid has been built and maintained over decades by successive Israeli governments across all territories they have controlled, regardless of the political party in power at the time.”

The claims of Amnesty International were rebutted by a 155-page report by Jerusalem-based NGO, NGO Monitor, in April 2022. 

Amnesty International has been criticized by figures such as Salman Rushdie, Christopher Hitchens and Volodymyr Zelensky, the latter accusing the organization of attempting to “amnesty the terrorist state (Russia) and shift the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim,” the New York Times reported last year.

What incidents did the report detail?

Among the incidents included in the Kentucky antisemitism report was an email from The Nation of Islam sent to State Legislators asking for action to be taken against the Jewish community, a bomb threat received by The Jewish Community Center in Louisville, various incidents of white supremacists distributing antisemitic flyers, reports of various forms of verbal abuse, as well as several instances of Black Hebrew Israelites inciting hatred against Jews and falsely labeling Jewish people as "fake Jews."

Speaking to the politicians in attendance, Rabbi Litvin said, "I am gratified to see broad representation from both parties, both chambers, and the Governor and Attorney General... I am glad to see [the] spirit (of government uplifting different distinct segments of society) alive in Kentucky, as we continue to face this critical issue."