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StopAntisemitism is an American non-profit watchdog organization focused on combating antisemitism.

History

Liora Rez, Executive Director, StopAntisemitism, testifies at the United States House Committee on Small Business in 2024

Social media influencer Liora Rez founded StopAntisemitism as StopAntisemitism.org in October 2018 to monitor and expose online antisemitism. Rez was born in the Soviet Union, where her family experienced antisemitism.[1]

As of September 2019, the organization's social media posts were viewed more than 750,000 times per month.[2] According to Rez, the organization is 100% privately-funded.[3]

Activities

StopAntisemitism receives real-time tips about antisemitic incidents via its website and social media accounts. The organization then vets the submission for accuracy, ensure it has not been edited, and to confirm the location of the incident. According to Rez, the organization does not post all the submissions it receives and can take several hours to vet a submission. Next, StopAntisemitism researches the individual and their employers, both internally and using crowdsourcing. The organization then takes an "offensive" approach, seeking to create consequences and "expose antisemites" and a name-and-shame approach.[2][3]

The organization states "By publicly exposing antisemites, StopAntisemitism has created an environment where those who propagate hatred against the Jewish people are met with real-world consequences including but not limited to job loss and school expulsions."[4]

According to Rez, "We're not trying to stifle their first American speech. If you want to spew hatred and act in a hateful way, you have that right. However, we have that equal right to showcase it to millions of people on social media and make your employers aware and make your community aware and make your and make society aware". In the aftermath of the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, StopAntisemitism reported receiving more than 500 reports of antisemitism per day, a 1,500% increase in submissions from before the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.[3]

Each week, the organization's website highlights an "Antisemite of the Week."[2] According to Rez, the "Antisemite of the Week" notifications went to 50,000 people per week in 2022.[1]

In April 2019, StopAntisemitism's tweet decrying Yale's invitation of French author Houria Bouteldja was viewed over 100,000 times and led to backlash against Bouteldja for comments interpreted as homophobic and antisemitic.[5]

In October 2019, StopAntisemitism sent a petition with 2,000 signatures to the US Department of Education calling on the agency to keep the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) out of college campuses. The petition said CAIR pushes "Islamist propaganda, anti-Semitism, and anti-American bias" onto college campuses.[6]

In November 2023, StopAntisemitism launched StopDontShop.org that offers the ability to filter businesses based on their perceived stances on the Israel-Hamas war and antisemitism.[7]

An article by The Washington Post in April 2024, revealed more than 36 people had been fired or suspended from their jobs after StopAntisemitism revealed comments they made relating to the Israel–Hamas war.[8] For example, one individual was posted on StopAntisemitism's social media pages after making comments critical of Israel.[8] After the post, they were fired from their job.[8] In another instance, StopAntisemitism revealed a professor made comments about Israel, who was later fired from their job.[8]

StopAntisemitism has reported instances of alleged antisemitism from people such as Ferris State University professor Thomas Brennan,[9] activist Marc Lamont Hill,[10] and journalist Christiane Amanpour.[11]

Antisemite of the Year

Starting in 2019, the organization began a yearly competition to select a figure to be named "Antisemite of the Year". Thousands of people voted in a poll, which resulted in Ilhan Omar beating out Louis Farrakhan and Richard B. Spencer as the inaugural winner of the contest.[12][13][14]

In 2020, StopAntisemitism named CUNY School of Law student and Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani "Antisemite of the Year";[15] StopAntisemitism.org accused Kiswani of, among other things, glorifying terrorism and promoting violence in her social media posts and public speaking, and posted a video of Kiswani pretending to threaten to set on fire an Israel Defense Forces hoodie worn by a friend.[15][16] Kiswani said the video was three years old, and criticized the organization.[15] The organization's naming of Kiswani came in response to an effort by a group of anti-Zionist CUNY students, many of them Jewish, to pass an alternate definition of antisemitism in the student senate rather than the IHRA definition.[17]

In December 2022, StopAntisemitism named Kanye West the "Antisemite of the Year".[18]

In 2023, Congressman Rashida Tlaib was named "Antisemite of the Year" by StopAntisemitism. Tlaib beat out Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and model Gigi Hadid.[19]

A lawsuit by a former university professor labeled "Antisemite of the Week" was dismissed by a court in Pennsylvania in 2023.[20][21] CTECH questioned the organization's methods of doxxing pro-Palestinian protestors and others in a 2023 article.[22]

Reports

The organization releases an annual Antisemitism on U.S. College & University Campuses Report, using a report card-style grading system to assess 25 universities across the United States on their efforts to address campus antisemitism and protect their Jewish students.[23]

Reception

Journalist Jonathan Tobin has lauded StopAntisemitism for going beyond the education work of groups like the Anti-Defamation League. As a result of her work with StopAntisemitism, Rez was selected by Algemeiner in 2019 as one of 100 people "positively influencing Jewish life".[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Kaufman, Jane (2022-01-24). "Former Clevelander's goal – StopAntisemitism". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Dresner, Stacey (September 24, 2019). "Connecticut woman launches a watchdog group that takes aim at antisemitism". Jewish Ledger. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  3. ^ a b c Pohoryles, Yaniv (2023-11-12). "'Their actions have consequences': US group outs antisemites". Ynetnews. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  4. ^ "About Us". StopAntisemitism. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  5. ^ Chomnalex, Ines (2023-04-10). "Alleged antisemitic activist speaks on campus, raising questions about free speech". Yale Daily News. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  6. ^ Ghermezian, Shiryn (October 28, 2019). "Watchdog group launches petition to keep CAIR off American college campuses". JNS.
  7. ^ Hennessey, Zachy (2023-11-23). "Business watchdog site StopDontShop illuminates stores' views on Israel-Hamas war". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d Verma, Pranshua (April 17, 2024). "They criticized Israel. This Twitter account upended their lives". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  9. ^ Bandler, Aaron (November 25, 2020). "Professor On Leave After Tweeting 'COVID-19 Is Another Jewish Revolution'". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  10. ^ Richman, Jackson (December 26, 2018). "New watchdog aims to battle bias and hatred against Jews". Jewish News Syndicate. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  11. ^ "CNN Host Amanpour's Comparison of 'Kristallnacht' to Trump Era Derided as 'Despicable'". Algemeiner Journal. November 13, 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  12. ^ Reich, Aaron (January 7, 2020). "Ilhan Omar voted 2019's antisemite of the year". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  13. ^ "American public votes Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar 'Antisemite of the Year'". Jewish News Syndicate. January 6, 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  14. ^ "A NGO names Rep. Ilhan Omar anti-Semite of the year 2019". i24 News. January 6, 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  15. ^ a b c Leland, John (2021-01-22). "What Zoom Does to Campus Conflicts Over Israel and Free Speech". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  16. ^ Ben-Nun, Sarah (December 23, 2020). "Antisemite of the year: A law student from New York". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  17. ^ Rosenfeld, Arno (April 15, 2021). "'It was a disaster': Inside a fierce battle over antisemitism at CUNY". The Forward. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  18. ^ "Kanye West named antisemite of the year". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
  19. ^ "Rashida Tlaib crowned 'Antisemite of the Year' 2023 by StopAntisemitism". The Washington Post. April 17, 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  20. ^ Volokh, Eugene (21 November 2023). "Characterizing Professor's Tweets as Anti-Semitic Isn't Actionable Libel or Invasion of Privacy". Reason. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  21. ^ Greiner, Jack (12 December 2023). "Professor sues over being labeled 'Antisemite of the Week.'". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  22. ^ Auslender, Viki (23 November 2023). "Doxing: A legitimate tool in the fight against anti-Semitism?". CTECH. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  23. ^ "StopAntisemitism report reveals dire state of campus antisemitism". Jewish News Syndicate. 2023-12-06. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StopAntisemitism