A local Jewish organization says antisemitic flyers were recently distributed in a Lehigh Valley neighborhood.
The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley said in an email alert Wednesday that the flyers were distributed in a neighborhood within the Parkland School District earlier this week.
The organization said the Goyim Defense League, an antisemitic hate group, was responsible for the distribution.
According to the alert, local law enforcement and the Secure Community Network – a nonprofit safety and security organization for the Jewish community, which works with the Jewish Federation – were notified of the event and determined that there was no specific credible threat.
The Goyim Defense League is described by the Anti-Defamation League as “a loose network of individuals connected by their virulent antisemitism.”
It operates its own video site and spreads antisemitic and white supremacist themes online, through propaganda and in street actions.
The ADL said the GDL also peddles antisemitic conspiracy theories and engages in actions to harass or troll Jews.
The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley and the ADL said any type of antisemitic incident should be reported to them. The JFLV’s form can be found here, and the ADL reporting page for antisemitic, based or discrimantory incidents is here.
According to the ADL’s Hate, Extremism, Antisemitism, Terrorism Map, or H.E.A.T. Map, there were over 30 instances of antisemitic incidents, white supremacist events, or instances of white supremacist propaganda reported in the Lehigh Valley in 2022.
This includes an incident in December where several individuals made antisemitic statements and wore t-shirts with antisemitic and white supremacist phrases during Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem.
In April, the Jewish Federation also announced that it was joining the nationwide Stand Up to Jewish Hate campaign, which aims to educate Americans about the rise in antisemitism and help address growing hate and intolerance.
Congresswoman Susan Wild, who represents the Lehigh Valley, condemned the dissemination of the flyers on the House floor on Friday.
She called the flyers “horrific” and “hateful,” and that they were found by families – and in some cases by children.
“I am a proud Jewish American, but antisemitism isn’t just a threat to those of us who are Jewish, it a threat to all of us,” Wild said.
“Antisemitism, like other forms of bigotry that spread lies and stoke hatred, is an existential threat to our values as Americans.”
She also called on the community to pull together against antisemitism, stating that “It takes all of us, drawing strength and community from one another, to stand up to those who want to divide us.”
Wild’s full remarks can be viewed here.
(Original air-date: 6/23/23)
