A disturbing display of hate reared its head in Georgia this weekend when a group of neo-Nazis demonstrated outside a Jewish place of worship, WSB-TV reports.
On Saturday, around a dozen members of the so-called Goyim Defense League protested outside the Chabad of Cobb County synagogue, located in East Cobb, north of Atlanta.
Police officers went to the scene but allowed the protest to continue as members of the congregation asked the neo-Nazis to leave. The hate group waived swastika flags and touted anti-Semitic propaganda, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Congregation member Stewart Levy posted about the demonstration on Facebook.
“Antisemitism at my synagogue,” Levy wrote on a Facebook page. “The most frightening thing I have seen in my 65 years. It’s very hard to believe that this is happening in Cobb County. The police are allowing it because it is ‘free speech.’”
He added in an interview with WSB-TV, “I am shocked absolutely shocked to see this here. When I see the amount of ignorance out there and some of the truths that they are promoting, it is just frightening the level of inaccurate knowledge that there is.”
The group also protested in Macon on Friday night, with one group member getting arrested for disorderly conduct and public disturbance after he shouted obscenities using a bullhorn.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the group travels around the United States and spreads hateful views.
Eytan Davidson, the southeast regional director of the ADL, said antisemitism is growing in the region.
This is part of a disturbing trend that we have seen on the rise for over five years now,” Davidson told WSB-TV. “From 2021 to 2022, we saw more than 60 percent increase in antisemitic incidents in the state of Georgia. Nationally, we are seeing antisemitic incidents at an all-time record high in 2022.”
Davidson added, “The reason everybody should care about this is because this is not something that is just affecting the Jewish community. This is something that is affecting all communities right now. When you look at the data hate is on the rise against every single group in this country.
So, what this group is doing is expressly antisemitic. It never stops with antisemitism, unfortunately, and we are seeing that reflected in the data with hate incidents and hate crimes at all-time highs, unfortunately.”
The synagogue released the following statement in the wake of the protest:
We are extremely appreciative and thankful for the outpouring of support and concern from all segments of the community. We have been in communication with Cobb County officials, who have identified these individuals as part of a small group that travel around the country in order to spread their hateful message.
East Cobb has been a wonderful home to a flourishing Jewish community for many years. These individuals do not represent the sentiments of the citizens of East Cobb.
We are working closely with Cobb County officials and the Police Department to ensure the security and safety of our campus. There is no threat whatsoever at this time.
Ultimately, we must remember that the most potent response to darkness is to increase in light. Let’s use this unfortunate incident to increase in acts of goodness and kindness, Jewish pride, and greater Jewish engagement.
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