As an annual public service ahead of the Jewish holidays that occur during the Hebrew month of Tishrei, and the departure of many Israelis abroad, the National Security Council Counter-Terrorism Bureau presents its updated travel warnings.

General travel warning

Hezbollah and Iran have accused Israel of attacking their personnel, which increases the threat of attacks on Israelis – especially senior officials and former senior officials who are now in private business – abroad. The NSCCTB recommends as follows to Israelis abroad.

* Be especially alert and sensitive to unusual phenomena;

* Absolutely avoid visiting or staying in Arab, Islamic and other countries about which travel warnings have been issued;

* Reject tempting and unexpected offers and refuse to accept unexpected gifts and free offers from suspect or unknown sources;

* Reject invitations to unexpected meetings, especially in remote areas, and take care to attend meetings accompanied by reliable persons.

* Avoid entering the hotel rooms or private residences of suspect or unfamiliar persons;

* During prolonged stays abroad, take care to vary routines, i.e. change hotels, restaurants, itineraries, etc. from time to time.

For additional details, please contact the NSCCTB at 02-5486042/3/4/03.

http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/Spokesman/2010/08/spokemasa250810.htm

The government credits Hussain with rooting out radical Muslims at a mosque in Newburgh, a small town north of New York. The defense has sought to portray him as a "fraudster" who lured down-and-out dupes into a phony scheme by offering them a pile of cash.

Hussain's credibility will be tested as the government's star witness at the trial, which is set to begin with opening statements this week in federal court in Manhattan.

James Cromitie, Onta Williams, David Williams and Laguerre Payen have pleaded not guilty to charges that they engaged in a conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles to kill US officers and employees. They face possible life prison terms if convicted.

Authorities last year called the case a "chilling plot" involving "extremely violent men" who represented a growing, dire homegrown terrorism threat. But the government also concedes the men — targets of an elaborate, tightly scripted sting involving fake weapons, 100 officers and a spy plane — had no ties to actual terrorists.

Pressing that point with prosecutors, US District Judge Colleen McMahon said at a recent hearing she had been referring to the case privately as "the un-terrorist case"

The trial is "going to be about whether these guys were going to blow something up," Assistant U.S. Attorney David Raskin said at the hearing. "It's not going to be about al-Qaida, and it's not going to be about foreign terrorist organizations."

The case began in June 2008, when Hussain struck a conversation with Cromitie, whom he met by chance in the parking lot of the Newburgh mosque.

Hussain was posing as a wealthy representative of a Pakistani terrorist organization. He drove a BMW and other luxury vehicles provided by the FBI to maintain his cover. Cromitie was a convicted drug dealer working odd jobs.

Prosecutors allege that within minutes of meeting Hussain, Cromitie told him, "I want to do something to America."

During subsequent meetings over the next several months, Cromitie "presented himself to (Hussain) as a rabid anti-American, Jew-hating radical Muslim with a healthy penchant for violence and a deeply held desire to avenge the injustices that in his eyes had befallen Islam and Islamic people around the world," prosecutors said in court papers.

The government says Cromitie — with Hussain playing "terrorist facilitator" — eventually hatched a plot involving the other men to blow up two synagogues in the Bronx with remote-control bombs. They also wanted to use surface-to-air missiles to shoot down planes at the Air National Guard base in Newburgh.

The explosives and missile system that the men thought they had obtained actually were inert devices supplied by the FBI. An airplane, a helicopter and a camera planted inside a car were videotaping the men on May 20, 2009, when they went to the synagogues to plant the fake bombs.

The explosives "were positioned to blow up hours later by remote control, as soon as they shot missiles at military planes," prosecutors wrote in court papers.

"By the time it was over, the FBI had arrested four men dangerous enough to willingly, even enthusiastically, join forces with a man who presented himself as a terrorist desiring to blow things up for the 'cause' of Islam."

The defense claims the sting amounted to entrapment. Lawyers argued in court papers that nothing would have happened with Hussain, who "proposed, directed, supplied, funded and facilitated every aspect of the 'terrorist' plot with which the defendants are charged."

They cite recordings from April 2008 they say show Cromitie had serious doubts about going forward with the plan, prompting Hussain to suggest he would be passing up a big pay day.

"I told you, I can make $250,000, but you don't want it brother," Hussain said. "What can I tell you?"

Two days later, lawyers say, the alleged mastermind still was wavering.

"I don't know what to do with my life right now," Cromitie said. "I don't know. I'm struggling. I don't have to do anything crazy."

http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=185614

And they kept returning.

Attendance at the evening service, typically about 10 to 15 people, swelled to about 500, said Debbie Kovalsky, the synagogue's president. Motivated by the outpouring of support, including calls from clergy representing local faith communities with condolences and offers to help, the Saturday Shabbat service was opened to the public.

"We decided to plan something that included reaching out to clergy and other houses of worship to see if they'd like to be included, and they very graciously came together with our Rabbi Ari Sunshine," she said.

Six hundred to 650 congregants and members of the Olney community came together days after the swastikas, neo-Nazi markings and slurs in English and German that had defaced the temple, light posts and parking lot were painted over. Olney resident Ian J. Barron, 22, was arrested and charged in the acts of vandalism.

The Rev. Sue Shorb-Sterling of Salem United Methodist Church in Brookeville, who attended the Saturday service with some of her parishioners, said she was appalled and called immediately when she heard about the vandalism on the news.

"One of the benefits that came out of this is that the clergy of the Olney area wants to gather together and create a support system," she said. "Following the worship service, we . . . went over a list of questions. We talked about what we'd like to understand about another faith tradition other than our own and if we can envision praying together."

Attendants filled seats and filed along the sides of the synagogue and listened as Israeli Ambassador Michael B. Oren recalled how his temple being bombed when he was a teenager had left him devastated. Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) addressed the congregation and said the state of Maryland will not stand for bigotry or racism.
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"It was a beautiful service, probably the most moving service I've ever attended in my life, and I go every week," Kovalsky said. "We had no idea that that many people were going to come, but people need to heal when something like this happens. To be alone is really tough, whatever you're grieving, whether it's death or an illness. To have so many people who care about you is a really powerful thing."

The religious leaders said they are hoping to create an interfaith council in Olney. They discussed uniting for a Thanksgiving worship service and a community project.

"I'm hoping that we can do something that would be an ongoing thing," Shorb-Sterling said

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/17/AR2010081706038.html

Judge Brian G. Kim also ordered Ian Jacob Baron, formerly of the 18600 block of Rolling Acres Way in Olney, a few blocks from B'nai Shalom synagogue, to participate in substance abuse and mental health treatments.

He instructed Baron to stay away from B'nai Shalom of Olney.

A lawyer is not listed for Baron in state online court records. Baron requested legal representation from a public defender via satellite at his Aug. 5 bond hearing, but that defense attorney did not attend the bail hearing.

Baron appeared in court via satellite.

Assistant State's Attorneys Jeffrey Wenner and Sherri D. Koch requested the cash-only bond at a bond review hearing held Aug. 5, claiming Baron's homelessness and contacts outside the state made him a flight risk. District Court Judge Barry A. Hamilton had ordered Baron to be detained without bond pending a competency evaluation.

At Thursday's hearing, Kim said Baron was found to be competent, meaning Baron will stand trial.

Montgomery County Police charged Baron on Aug. 4 with malicious destruction of property over $500, two counts of malicious destruction of property under $500, one count of race/religious property damage and one count of defacing religious property.

The synagogue had been spray painted with swastikas and the number "14/88," which synagogue officials learned was a reference to a white supremacy group. The graffiti had been found the morning of July 26.

Loose change was also scattered across the property, which police said was a possible anti-Semitic act.

On the same day the synagogue was vandalized, two Olney residences in the 18500 block of Rolling Acres Way were also vandalized. The mailboxes of both houses were spray painted red, and the symbols "SS," "14/88" and several swastikas were spray painted on the trees and yards of each house.

Montgomery County Police Cpl. Dan Friz said a Jewish family lives in one of the residences.

Friz said Baron has no permanent address and is known to roam the Olney area.

Police are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime.

The Montgomery County Police Department follows the state statute in defining a hate crime as "a criminal act based on intolerance and bigotry, intended to hurt or intimidate someone because of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or homelessness."

According to statistics provided by Montgomery County Police, 13 racially-biased acts were committed so far this year, with 25 in 2009, 29 in 2008 and 41 in 2007.

Baron was charged with second-degree assault in 2007, and was placed on supervised probation before judgment, according to state online court records. The defense attorney listed on those records could not be reached for comment. Baron also received a citation for drinking alcohol in a prohibited place in April.

An interfaith Shabbat service is scheduled 9 a.m. Saturday at B'nai Shalom at 18401 Burtfield Drive, followed by a discussion addressing the vandalism at 10:45 a.m. with an appearance by Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren. Members of the community are asked to RSVP by answering a survey on the synagogue's website at http://www.bnaishalomofolney.org.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/08132010/montnew103856_32561.php

Four days later a white cloth covers the symbol but the congregation of the synagogue know all too well the meaning behind the symbol. They says they want to bring attention to this because they want people to know this type of hatred is still going on in our community.

Like pulling off a bandage covering a painful wound congregation leader David D'Auria unveils the swastika left on the sign of his synagogue.

“I was shocked, surprised and concerned,” he said.

D'Auria discovered the marking Sunday morning.

“This is a hate crime; an act of hate against Jewish people,” he said.

The synagogue has been open just over five years, and while the property has been vandalized before but this is the first time they have received what they view as a direct threat.

“There is vandalism, the breaking of signs are one thing but this is target specific type of act it not only has hatred it’s hatred against a people,” D’Auria said.

“That symbol is more than just red paint on a sign its basically a death threat,” congregation member John Johnson said.

D'Auria and members of his congregation admit this sign causes a level of fear in their community but more than anything it causes sadness “that people out of ignorance or a careless act they don't know what they are doing can do such a thing that will have such an effect.”

The synagogue has plans to paint over the swastika Friday. Police in the meantime say they have no suspects in the case.

http://www.kxly.com/news/24613518/detail.html

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is investigating the crime at Congregation Beth Shalom, located at 4746 El Camino Ave.

The vandalism was reported at about 4 p.m. Monday.

Authorities said vandals spray painted a sidewalk and back fence.

Some of the paint ended up on a vandal's shoes, resulting in several footprints.

"Somewhere out there are some kids with some bright yellow paint on the bottom of their shoes," said neighbor Mike Aero, who reported the crime. "So, hopefully we can catch them that way."

The synagogue also has security cameras, but it was not clear if the vandals were caught on tape.

http://www.kcra.com/r/24576148/detail.html

The suspect, Ian Jacob Baron, appeared for his first court proceeding in the case Thursday via a video feed from the county jail, as is standard procedure for bond hearings in Montgomery.

Baron was arrested this week on three charges in connection with as much as $20,000 in spray paint damage outside the B'nai Shalom Synagogue last month.

In court, there was general consensus that the mental health evaluation was a good idea. Samantha Sandler, a public defender who represented Baron, said the defendant agreed to have what is termed a competency evaluation.

Prosecutors didn't object to the request for the mental health screening. Prosecutors also said Baron should receive alcohol abuse treatment, if it is determined to be needed.

Baron earlier had described himself to police as a neo-Nazi who is active in that movement, according to an arrest affidavit filed in court. He has spent time in this shack, according to police sources.

In describing the oddness of the case, police have noted that Baron's parents, who adopted him, are Jewish. They live near the synagogue. They were in court Thursday, but didn't speak. They declined to be interviewed after the hearing.

Baron's parents appear to have played an active role in raising him. They recently told prosecutors they didn't want to post his bond at this point, prosecutors said in court.

By taking that position, the parents lent support to Baron being locked up for at least another week — and thus unable to go back to sleeping in a friend's vehicle, as he earlier told police he'd been doing.

Assistant State's Attorney Sherri Koch, a prosecutor, said in court that Baron is a risk to flee if released.

"The state's position is that he is homeless, that he is a flight risk," she said. "From our conversations with the parents, it's the state's position that it's probably not in his best interest or the family's best interest that he return to the home."

District Judge Judge Barry A. Hamilton ordered Baron held without bond pending the evaluation. He scheduled a bond hearing for next Thursday, at which point conditions could be changed to allow Baron's release ahead of his scheduled Sept. 14 trial date.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/montgomery/mental-health-screening-ordere.html

Ian Jacob Baron, 23, was arrested and charged Tuesday.

On July 26, he allegedly vandalized the B'Nai Shalom Synagogue at 18401 Burtfield Drive in Olney with anti-Semitic graffiti, police said. Swastikas were spray-painted across the entire building and sidewalk and German references to the Holocaust were found on lamp posts in the parking lot.

"We are relieved that the police have apprehended a suspect and charged him," read a statement on the website of B'Nai Shalom. "We have and will continue to work closely with law enforcement to see that this matter reaches a conclusion within the justice system."

The Washington Post reported police had run-in's with Baron before the incident. According to an affidavit that sets out the police’s version of the case, Baron told officers in the past, that "he identifies himself as a Neo-Nazi and that he is active in the movement."

The affidavit also states Baron became a suspect following a conversation he had with a Montgomery County police officer in an Olney McDonald's. The court documents allege the officer approached Baron in the McDonald's and stated he wanted to speak with him.

"Ofc. Bachofsky asked Baron what he knew about the incident," according to the affidavit. "Baron stated 'he did not do it, but he could see why people thought he did.’ Baron stated that he was visiting his parents the night the vandalism happened [in] the neighborhood behind B’Nai Shalom.

"Baron stated he was at B’Nai Shalom after the incident," the affidavit continued. "Baron stated he walked through the area on his way to get something to eat. Baron stated that his fingerprints would be on the cans used to spray-paint B’Nai Shalom. Baron stated he picked up some of the cans but that he threw the cans down when he realized what they were used for."

Baron also is charged with defacing the mailboxes at two homes in the 18500 block of Rolling Acres Way in Olney.

Police said he's charged with malicious destruction of property over $500, two counts of malicious destruction of property under $500, one count of race/religious property damage and one count of defacing religious property.

Baron is being held at the Montgomery County detention center on $5,000 bond.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Neo-Nazi-Charged-in-Synagogue-Vandalism-99986169.html

The man was identified as Ian Jacob Baron, of the 18600 block of Rolling Acres Way. Court documents listed Baron as 22 years old.

Baron was charged with malicious destruction of property over $500, two counts of malicious destruction of property under $500, one count of race/religious property damage and one count of defacing religious property, said Cpl. Dan Friz, a Montgomery County police spokesman.

Police apparently knew of Baron before the incident. In the past, Baron had told officers that “he identifies himself as a Neo-Nazi and that he is active in the movement,” according to an affidavit that sets out the police’s version of the case so far.

“Baron has a tattoo of a German Cross with a skull in the middle of his arm and has SS bars tattooed on his chest,” Montgomery Detective J.A. Bates wrote in the affidavit, filed this week.

Baron appears to have gotten himself into the middle of the case by speaking to an officer who spotted him three days ago at a McDonald’s in Olney. It was not immediately clear whether the officer found Baron in the restaurant by chance.

In his affidavit, Bates wrote of the McDonald’s meeting:

Officer [Aaron] Bachofsky approached Baron and stated that he wanted to speak with him. Baron stated to Ofc. Bachofsky, “is it about the synagogue.” Ofc. Bachofsky asked Baron what he knew about the incident. Baron stated he did not do it, but he ‘could see why people thought he did.’ Baron stated that he was visiting his parents the night the vandalism happened [in] the neighborhood behind B’Nai Shalom.

Baron stated he was at B’Nai Shalom after the incident. Baron stated he walked through the area on his way to get something to eat. Baron stated that his fingerprints would be on the cans used to spray-paint B’Nai Shalom. Baron stated he picked up some of the cans but that he threw the cans down when he realized what they were used for.

Baron has a prior arrest for second-degree assault and has been charged with malicious destruction of property, and is on probation, according to the affidavit. He told police he grew up in Olney, but is now homeless and sleeping in a friend’s vehicle.

Baron also is charged with defacing two mailboxes in Olney. One of the homeowners affected said she isn’t Jewish, but the majority of her neighbors are. One of those neighbors had his mailbox spray-painted, and “on his driveway there was the beginnings of a small swastika that was left unfinished,” Bates wrote.

Bates stated that the synagogue will have to be repainted, and said the damage was estimated at $15,000 to $20,000.

At the synagogue, Baron is accused of painting swastikas and slogans such as “Das Reich!” and “Death2Zionists.” He also scattered coins near the entrance of the synagogue, which police described as a possible anti-Semitic act.

Baron told Bachofsky that while at the synagogue, “some change may have spilled out of his pockets while he retrieved a knife from his pockets. Baron stated that he took the knife out when he saw some unknown suspects running from the area. Ofc. Bachofsky asked Baron if he could describe the suspects. Baron stated he could not,” according to the affidavit.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/montgomery/montgomery-man-charged-with-va.html

A convert to Islam, he was angry about the actions of American soldiers in the Middle East. He believed they had desecrated the Quran and wanted revenge. His target was a home on Mockingbird Lane in Nashville, not far from West End Synagogue.

Muhammad mistakenly thought an Orthodox rabbi lived there. He hoped to burn the house down with a Molotov cocktail, but the homemade bomb bounced off the glass.

"It didn't go through," Muhammad said, according to a psychiatric evaluation filed in a Little Rock, Ark., court Tuesday. He is awaiting trial there for murder.

The failed Nashville firebombing was the first step in a multi-state terror attack that culminated when he opened fire on two Army recruiters on June 1, 2009, killing Pvt. William Long and wounding Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula.

Until Tuesday, the former Tennessee State University student's Nashville attack and a subsequent failed attack at an Army recruiting station in Florence, Ky., were not public knowledge.

Rabbi Saul Strosberg of Congregation Sherith Israel, an Orthodox congregation in Nashville, said that Muhammad aimed at the wrong house. Strosberg said that he and his wife had moved from the home about a year before the attack.

The rabbi said he was shocked when he learned about the failed attack from the FBI last year, but was told by authorities to not talk about what was an ongoing investigation. He's thankful that the firebombing failed but aware that it could have been deadly.

"He wasn't really an expert at this Molotov cocktail business," Strosberg said. "He was not very bright but was dangerous."

The rabbi said he doesn't know why he was a target, having never met Muhammad.

"The fact that it made sense in his mind to kill a rabbi is just nuts," he said.

The failed firebombing isn't the first time local Jews have been targeted for violence. In June 1990, members of the Ku Klux Klan opened fire at West End Synagogue in an early morning drive-by shooting.

The latest attack was not far from West End, a Conservative congregation. Kliel Rose, the rabbi at West End, said that federal investigators suspected at first that he was the target.

Rose has been active in local interfaith work. This incident won't stop that, he said.

"My wife and I feel strongly about reaching out to people of other faiths," Rose said. "It won't deter us. But it leaves a bad taste in our mouths."

The 25-year-old Muhammad faces state charges in Arkansas of capital murder, attempted capital murder, aggravated assault and terroristic threatening. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. The psychiatric evaluation was performed to determine if he is fit to stand trial. Muhammad has told the court he wants to plead guilty, but he can't under state law because he faces the death penalty.

Fateful trip to Yemen

A Memphis native, he was known as Carlos Bledsoe before converting to Islam in 2004 while living in Nashville. He told the psychiatrist his violent actions were motivated by religion and his experience in Yemen. He moved there in 2007 to teach English and became involved with terrorists. He was arrested for trying to go to Somalia to fight as a jihadist and was jailed and then deported to the United States.

After returning in 2009, he began plotting his attack. He saved money while working for his father's Memphis-based bus company. He bought a rifle from Walmart as he planned his attack.

"This was a Jihadi attack on the infidel forces. That didn't go as planned," he wrote in a letter to an Arkansas circuit court judge. "Flat out truth."

Muhammad's attacks in the name of Islam have angered local Muslims, many who say such extremists create a false image that is damaging to the perception of their faith.

Rashed Fakhruddin, a member of the Islamic Center of Nashville, rejected Muhammad's claim that Islam justified his actions. Fakhruddin can't fathom how anyone would think God wanted them to attack a rabbi's house.

"That is a misguided and criminal interpretation," he said.

Fakhruddin hopes Muhammad is punished for his actions. He said that the Muslim faith teaches that everyone has a right to live in peace.

"We stand against this kind of action," he said. "A criminal is a criminal, no matter what his faith is."

Muhammad also admitted to being a gang member with a history of violence and drug use before his conversion.

Melvin Bledsoe, Muhammad's father, said his son's life took a dark turn after he went to Yemen. The father blames the federal government for not intervening after his son's deportation. He believes that his son fell victim to Muslim extremists overseas.

"They brainwashed him," he said. "Once you get over there, it's too late."

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100729/NEWS03/7290346/-1/NEWS01/Nashville+rabbi+was+target+of+failed+firebombing

“I am hurt and pained,” said Rabbi Shlomo Bistritzky. “This was triggered by a few neighbors and does not reflect the spirit of the Oak Park community.”

Rabbi Yisroel Levine agreed. “I don’t see this as an anti-Semitic act, I don’t want to raise an alarm,” he said.

Chabad of Oak Park was established as a small shtibl 15 years ago in the rustic Conejo Valley community of some 16,000 residents in what had been a private home on a quiet residential street.

Under Chabad’s conditional use permit, attendance was limited to 70 worshippers, but as the young families grew and hosted occasional visitors, space became tight and Chabad requested that legal occupancy be raised to 145, a figure deemed safe by the fire department.

Annual High Holiday and Simchat Torah services are held in a different location.

Chabad also asked for easing of parking restrictions at its mikveh, the only one in the Conejo Valley, addition of Sunday services, and use of a covered patio.

In a familiar Southern California scenario, some neighbors objected to Chabad’s requested “modifications,” which they saw as an expansion that would increase traffic and parking problems on their tranquil street. Chabad countered that the great majority of its members walked, rather than drove, to Shabbat services.

In a hearing three months ago, the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council approved most of Chabad’s requests, but the final decision is up to the Ventura County Planning Commission, which has set a public hearing for Thursday, July 29, in the city of Ventura.

The graffiti is under investigation by the Ventura County sheriff’s department, and the Ventura Star quoted Capt. Ross Bonfiglio as saying that if a perpetrator were identified, he would be charged with misdemeanor vandalism, but not with committing a hate crime.

On Tuesday, Harry Medved, a member and spokesman for Chabad of Oak Park, released a statement on behalf of Chabad of the Conejo, whose rabbi, Moshe Bryski, oversees the Oak Pak synagogue.

“Oak Park has been hospitable to our little ‘shul’ for more than 15 years…and the majority of our neighbors are truly supportive of Chabad’s presence in the community…as the only synagogue in the neighborhood,” the statement read in part.

“We look forward to happier days when we can work together on brighter projects.”

As part of its community relations effort, Chabad has organized a hiking club among its members, who regularly clean the trash on surrounding trails, Medved said, and plans to launch a Neighborhood Outreach Alliance to discuss and settle any problems and complaints.

Rabbi Bryski, as all other Chabad representatives, repeatedly stressed the excellent relations with the majority of Oak Park residents, and blamed the graffiti on the ill will aroused by a few “disgruntled neighbors.”

“We are part of the community, we will remain part of the community, and we will get through this,” he said.

Neighbors Brad and Lenore Lewis have opposed Chabad’s growth plans, but maintained the same civil tone in speaking to the Ventura Star.

Declaring they were “stunned” by the vandalism, the Lewises said that “We only want to maintain the small neighborhood shtibl we were promised. As Jews, we are doubly distressed that anyone would think of doing something like [the graffiti].”

http://www.jewishjournal.com/community/article/hate_graffiti_at_conejo_chabad_deemed_misdemeanor_vandalism_20100728/

The 2009 ADL Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, released today, counted a total of 1,211 incidents of vandalism, harassment and physical assaults against Jewish individuals, property, and community institutions across the U.S.

Using a newly revised methodology for reporting and tracking incidents, the ADL Audit identified 29 physical assaults on Jewish individuals, 760 incidents of anti-Semitic harassment and threats, and 422 cases of anti-Semitic vandalism during the 2009 calendar year.

"America is not immune to anti-Semitism, and 2009 was no different in this regard than in any other year," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "It is a sobering reality that as Jews have become more accepted in society, there remains a consistent hatred of Jews among too many. The fact that Jews continue to be singled out for acts of hate on an average of three times per day in this country is a disturbing reality that we have to confront."

"The Audit is one snapshot of anti-Semitism in America," added Robert G. Sugarman, ADL National Chair. "While it is by no means a complete picture of the problem, it presents us with important statistical data to help us identify and to quantify the wheres, whys and hows of anti-Semitism in society."

The 2009 calendar year was marked by several violent anti-Semitic incidents and dangerous threats to Jewish institutions, as well as numerous incidents of harassment affecting Jewish communities large and small. Major incidents included the shooting attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. by an avowed Holocaust denier, a thwarted plot by four Muslim converts to bomb synagogues in Riverdale, New York, and repeated in-your-face picketing of institutions and community centers by members of an avowedly anti-Semitic, Kansas-based church.

It was also a year in which the Internet played an increasingly dominant role in the dissemination of anti-Semitic messages and content through social networking and content-sharing Web sites. (While ADL monitors and exposes online anti-Semitism, it does not include statistics on anti-Semitism in cyberspace as part of the Audit).

The 2009 ADL Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents comprises data from 46 states and the District of Columbia, including official crime statistics as well as information provided to ADL's regional offices by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders and members. The Audit encompasses criminal acts, such as vandalism, violence and threats of violence, as well as non-criminal incidents of harassment and intimidation.

New Reporting Standards

For the first time in the more than three decades ADL has tracked and reported on anti-Semitic incidents, the 2009 Audit was significantly revamped to improve reporting methods and update some evaluation criteria. At the same time, a new technology platform was developed that enabled the League's 30 regional offices to record and track incidents with even greater speed and accuracy.

As a result, the 2009 total of 1,211 incidents does not include incidents that would have been categorized as anti-Semitic under the previous Audit system. In 2008 – prior to the adoption of enhanced reporting methods – the League recorded a total of 1,352 incidents. The decline of 10 percent between the 2008 and 2009 figures is not inclusive of incidents that would have been counted under the previous methodology.

"In an effort to make the Audit as accurate as possible in measuring anti-Semitic incidents in America, we have decided to take a more conservative approach to counting certain types of incidents, including graffiti and swastikas," said Mr. Foxman. "We know that the swastika has, for some, lost its meaning as the primary symbol of Nazism and instead become a more generalized symbol of hate. So we are being more careful to include graffiti incidents that specifically target Jews or Jewish institutions as we continue the process of re-evaluating and redefining how we measure anti-Jewish incidents."

For reporting purposes, the ADL Audit divides anti-Semitic incidents into three categories: Anti-Semitic Assaults, involving violence against Jewish individuals or those thought to be Jewish; Vandalism, such as property damage, cemetery desecration or anti-Semitic graffiti; and Harassment, including threats, slurs and activity by anti-Semitic hate groups:

Assaults: A total of 29 assaults were reported in 2009. The incidents included under assaults included a "kick a Jew day" at a Florida middle school, a brick thrown at an identifiably Jewish man, an individual physically assaulted by a racist skinhead, and numerous bomb threats against Jewish institutions.

Vandalism: There were 422 cases of vandalism reported in 2009, including rocks thrown at synagogue windows, anti-Semitic graffiti and attacks on Jewish cemeteries.

Harassment: With 760 harassments reported in 2009, including anti-Jewish taunts and threats, this category accounted for more than 62 percent of all incidents reported.

Continuing a longtime trend, the states with the highest totals were those with large Jewish populations. The top four states were California, with 275 incidents, or 23 percent of the total; New York with 209 incidents, or 17 percent of the total; New Jersey with 132 incidents, or 10 percent of the total; and Florida with 90 incidents, or 7 percent of the total. (State-by-State Totals).

Behind the 2009 Audit's statistics, several important trends were identified:

Extremist Plots to Kill Jews

The Jewish community in the United States was the target of serious threats to life and security, as several extremists motivated by anti-Semitic ideology attempted to carry out murderous attacks against Jewish institutions. The most prominent incident was the June 2009 shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, in which a white supremacist and anti-Semite killed an African-American security guard before being critically wounded himself. The 88-year-old shooter, James Von Brunn, who subsequently died of his wounds, was a longtime white supremacist and anti-Semite who had published an anti-Semitic book and created an anti-Jewish Web site.

Other terror plots included:

– In May 2009 in New York, four Muslim converts were arrested for an alleged plot to attack two synagogues in the Riverdale section of the Bronx and to shoot down planes at a military base. The men allegedly began surveillance of several synagogues and a Jewish community center in April 2009. According to a federal prosecutor, the four men were "eager to bring death to Jews."

– In January 2009 in Brockton, Massachusetts, police arrested a white supremacist after he allegedly killed two people and raped a third. The arrest put a stop to what authorities say was a pre-planned racially motivated killing spree directed at Jews and non-whites that would have continued later in the evening.

Actions by the Westboro Baptist Church

Many Jewish institutions across America were targeted by (or were threatened by) protestors from the virulently anti-Semitic Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), a small Topeka, Kansas-based hate group. At these protests, church members held signs stating that "The Jews killed Jesus," that "God Hates Jews," and "God Hates Israel." WBC also sent volumes (in some cases dozens over the course of a week) of faxes and e-mails with anti-Semitic and anti-gay messages to numerous Jewish institutions and individuals. The group protested at scores of Jewish institutions, including synagogues, Jewish community centers and Israeli consulates, and its airing of age-old anti-Semitic charges like deicide provoked anxiety, anger and outrage in many communities. (More on WBC)

Anti-Semitism Goes Viral

While the League has monitored hate on the Internet for many years, 2009 was marked by a severe intensification of anti-Semitic expression in cyberspace. There was a significant increase in the amount of anti-Semitism found on online social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, and user-generated content sites, like YouTube.

Anti-Semitism flourished on a variety of social networking sites. Facebook, in particular, has become a widely used platform for users seeking to link their anti-Semitic views to discussions of Israel. Numerous Facebook groups were created in early 2009 in support of the Palestinians, and many of these groups also contained vile anti-Semitism. One Facebook group called "I Hate Israel," which boasted more than 1,000 members in 2009, contained dozens of anti-Semitic posts.

Anti-Semitic comments also flourished on mainstream media Web sites in connection to stories on the Middle East, or stories dealing with the arrest of Jewish businessman Bernard Madoff and the revelation of his multibillion dollar Ponzi scheme. In the case of Madoff, most of the anti-Semitic comments tended to focus on alleged Jewish greed and thievery, as well as conspiracy theories linking financial losses to Israel. (More on Viral Anti-Semitism)

Anti-Semitic Expressions at anti-Israel Protests

In 2009 anti-Israel protests were a major source of anti-Semitic agitation in the U.S. These mainly included anti-Semitic expressions at anti-Israel rallies held in response to Israel's actions in Gaza in January 2009. At these rallies Holocaust imagery and analogies proliferated and various speakers and placards accused Jews of controlling the U.S. government, among other anti-Jewish accusations and canards. (More on anti-Israel Protests)

The following are selected incidents of assaults, vandalism and harassment reported to ADL in 2009:

Assaults: Selected Incidents in 2009

February 21, 2009: Lincoln, Nebraska – Jewish girl was shot with air-soft gun. Assailants yelled, "Jew girl, we are going to do what the Germans did."

March 6, 2009: Newton, Massachusetts – Man was hit in the face with a thrown egg while someone yelled, "Kike."

April 20, 2009: Buena Park, California – Jewish student beat up after confronting classmate drawing swastikas.

June 26, 2009: Pendleton, Oregon – Jewish individual assaulted by skinhead.

August 25, 2009: Brooklyn, New York – An 11-year-old Jewish girl was assaulted and taunted with anti-Semitic comments by a gang of African-American teens in a public playground.

September 20, 2009: Brooklyn, New York – Jewish man wearing a kippah was assaulted with a brick by two unknown persons.

November 1, 2009: Boca Raton, Florida – A Holocaust survivor assaulted and subjected to anti-Semitic slurs.

November 18, 2009: Naples, Florida – Numerous incidents took place during a "Kick a Jew Day" at middle school.

Vandalism: Selected Incidents in 2009

January 1, 2009: Knoxville, Tennessee – Vandals threw rocks at two synagogues, breaking several stained-glass windows.

February 15, 2009: San Francisco, California – "F— the Jews and "F— Anne Frank" was drawn on benches at middle school.

April 6, 2009: University of Florida, Florida – A large swastika was painted on house belonging to Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternity.

April 8, 2009: Cape Coral, Florida – "Hitler was here," "White Power" and several swastikas were drawn on approximately a dozen homes and a police cruiser.

April 10, 2009: Damascus, Maryland – Thirteen swastikas and KKK graffiti were found in synagogue parking lot on second day of Passover.

April 22, 2009: Union City, New Jersey – Vandals broke into a Jewish education center, laid two pieces of wood on a desk in the shape of a cross, and set it on fire.

May 12, 2009: Chandler, Arizona – A sign announcing the construction of a Jewish religious institution was defaced with a large swastika and white supremacist graffiti.

July 17, 2009: Queens, New York – Several mausoleums were damaged and approximately 55 headstones overturned in Jewish cemetery.

Anti-Semitic Harassment: Selected Incidents in 2009

February 5, 2009: Tidewater, Virginia – Students held "Kick a Jew Day."

March 2, 2009: Monroe Township, New Jersey – Harassing phone calls were received by several people in connection with a Holocaust memorial program. Messages included, "I am a Christian and I hate the f—ing dirty Jews."

April 1, 2009: Manhattan, New York – Three Jewish professors at Columbia University's Teachers College received envelopes containing swastikas in their mailboxes.

May 11, 2009: Madison, Connecticut – A student was taunted by a classmate with taunts such as "I hate all Hebrews," "I have some German relatives who would love to kill you," and "Jews are easy targets."

June 1, 2009: Munster, Indiana – A Jewish student was passed a note on which a classmate had drawn a photo of Hitler pointing a gun at a Jew holding a dollar bill. An anti-Semitic caption was included.

June 27, 2009: Fair Lawn, New Jersey – As families were exiting synagogue, a passing car slowed down and a passenger yelled, "Six million more! Six million more!"

November 12, 2009: Wallingford, Connecticut – An actor taking part in a Hansel and Gretel scene told onlookers, "If there are any Jews here, you have to go into the ovens first."

About the ADL Audit

The Audit identifies both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate propaganda, threats and slurs. Compiled using official crime statistics, as well as information provided by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders and evaluated by ADL's professional staff, the Audit provides an annual snapshot of a nationwide problem while identifying possible trends or changes in the types of activity reported.

This information assists ADL in developing and enhancing its programs to counter and prevent the spread of anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASUS_12/5814_12.htm

Just as an air of mystery surrounded the case of the missing scrolls, which were stolen just days before the start of Passover in 2008, their return is equally baffling. However, Wilschanski said he isn’t focused on the mystery as much as he is in awe of the documents being returned.

“This is phenomenal. It’s a miracle,” Wilschanski said.

Ron Sanders, a member of the synagogue, received a phone call months ago from someone calling on a pay phone in Brooklyn, N.Y. The man told Sanders he dropped off the scrolls at an address listed on the synagogue’s website and then hung up. The address was the home of a man who did some work for Sanders. However, the man didn’t live at the south Chicago address anymore.

“I asked him if he would go to his old address to pick them up, but the people that lived there weren’t home,” Sanders said. “He left a little note months ago, and they (current residents) just called Saturday night.”
Middle-of-the-night dropoff

The new residents said the package had been dropped off in the middle of the night. They didn’t realize what the package contained until they found the phone number on the note and called Sanders’ friend.

Now, the Torah scrolls and a Hebrew book are under lock and key.

The congregation had owned the two scrolls since the 1950s, and they were considered the heart of the synagogue.

“The Torah is the tenet of our religion. It’s a sacred article of our religion and was used continuously,” Wilschanski said.

For more than two years, Wilschanski had been borrowing a Torah from Milwaukee. Meanwhile the congregation worried if the person who took the scrolls was taking care of them properly.

“We keep it in a special cover. We hold it in a special closet, and we treat it with respect,” Wilschanski said. “To get it back is a sense of relief. Now we have what we need, but also in a spiritual sense we have our Torah back in the congregation and we feel this way because we feel a responsibility for it. With that said, someone went to a great deal of trouble stealing it, but they also went to a great deal of trouble returning it.”
Valuable scrolls are handwritten

Torah scrolls, which cost tens of thousands of dollars, are handwritten and take close to a year to write. When B’nei Tzedek Chabad’s scrolls were stolen, people from the community — Jews and non-Jews — donated money to get new scrolls and the synagogue had commissioned a scribe to write the scrolls, which are now almost complete.

“We didn’t expect to get it back, but the new one is practically done, and when we get it we had planned to make a celebration out of it,” Wilschanski said. “There was such an outpouring of support when they were stolen — morally and financially. This is coming full circle now … and we are more than thrilled.”

While the congregation is thrilled to get the scrolls back, 20 new Torah books and a laptop are still missing.

http://www.kenoshanews.com/news/stolen_torah_scrolls_returned_13596394.html

The vandalism discovered Monday morning at B'nai Shalom Synagogue in Olney, located about 20 miles north of Washington, D.C., was spray-painted on the building's walls, parking lot and light posts, the Washington Post reported.

The anti-Semitic phrases included "Juden raus," German for "Jews out" and used by the Nazis; "work will set u free," which was written on the sign over the Auschwitz death camp; and "Death 2 Zionists."

A pile of coins also was left at the door, possibly an indication that Jews are money hungry, NBC Washington reported.

"We will heal, but this should not be tolerated in any community," synagogue president Debbie Kovalsky told Gazette.net, a community publication.

Montgomery County police are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime, according to reports.

The Anti-Defamation League condemned the vandalism.

"This crude and bigoted attack on a Jewish house of worship is despicable and must be recognized as an attack on the entire community," said Sophie Dornstreich, ADL assistant director for the ADL's Washington Region, in a statement released Monday. "When found, the perpetrators of these cowardly acts should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2010/07/27/2740236/maryland-synagogue-vandalized

Cairo Court of Appeal set Sept. 18 as the date of the first session in the trial of Gamal Hussein Ahmed, 49, who is facing charges of attacking a synagogue in downtown Cairo, according to the report.

Earlier in February, a small home-made explosive device went off outside the Jewish synagogue in central Cairo, but no injures were reported.

The explosive device consisted of four containers of petrol attached to a one-liter bottle of sulphuric acid, a piece of cotton, a match and a cigarette lighter, officials said.

The attacker hurled the bag containing the makeshift bomb at the synagogue and the glass bottles broke, causing the materials inside to mix and get the fire alight.

There were no tourist groups visiting the Jewish temple at the time of the attack.

Source: Xinhua

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/7079565.html