JUSTICE - No. 65

30 No. 65 JUSTICE for funding COVID-19 needs has meant less funding for combating antisemitism. 4 An inevitable problem with combating antisemitism through Holocaust remembrance and education is the passage of time since the Holocaust. The virus is killing many Holocaust survivors and leaving others housebound. 5 The loss of immediate, personal memory of the Holocaust with the passage of time has been compounded and accelerated by COVID-19 and the efforts to combat it. 6 Antisemitic zoom bombing (which refers to the unwanted, disruptive intrusion, generally by internet trolls, into a video conference call), is a new, widespread threat. The increased social isolation associated with virus prevention means an increased opportunity for online grooming of those susceptible to the development of hatred. Given that antisemitism is one of humanity’s oldest, longest lasting, and most devastating forms of hatred, it is hardly surprising that the advent of COVID-19 brought forth a whole new form of antisemitism, blaming the Jews for starting and spreading the virus. Antisemitism is a constant, but its form constantly shifts to adapt to changing environments. The Black Lives Matter movement that opposes violence against black people also impacts on antisemitism. It increases awareness of discrimination and prejudice generally and helps to augment efforts to combat them. There are, in contrast, antisemitic elements that have latched on to the Black Lives Matter movement and, opportunistically, have used the movement to promote antisemitism. 7 Specific links between antisemitism and the perversion of the Black Lives Matter movement include comparing the treatment of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers to the killing of George Floyd; 8 claiming that the widespread protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd have “been bought and paid for by wealthy Jews” 9 ; and asserting that the police responsible for brutality against black people have been trained“with Mossad IDF (Israeli Defense Force) combat tactics.” 10 Generally, the terms of service of social networks prohibit incitement to hatred. For instance, the Twitter User Agreement provides: “Hateful conduct: You may not promote violence against, threaten, or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.” 11 The Facebook Terms of Service have a lengthy statement of its policy on hate speech that begins with this principle: “We do not allow hate speech on Facebook because it creates an environment of intimidation and 4. See e.g. “Yad Vashem faces funding crisis as lack of government budget begins to bite,” i24NEWS , Oct. 5, 2020, available at https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/ culture/1601890129-yad-vashem-faces-funding-crisis- as-lack-of-government-budget-begins-to-bite 5. “Coronavirus: Auschwitz Survivor Henri Kichka Dies of Covid-19,”BBC, Apr. 26, 2020, available at https://www. bbc.com/news/world-europe-52433656 ; Timothy Bella, “Holocaust survivor dies of the coronavirus 75 years after she was liberated from concentration camp,”W ASHINGTON P OST , Apr. 17, 2020, available at https://webcache. googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache: znITZBI2d5M J :https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/04/17/ holocaust-survivor-coronavirus/+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=cl nk&gl=ca ; John Leland,“They Survived the Holocaust. NowThey're Confronting theVirus,”N.Y. T IMES , May 4, 2020, available at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/04/ nyregion/holocaust-survivors-coronavirus.html 6. Julie Gruenbaum Fax,“COVID-19 Presents Extreme Risk to Holocaust Survivor Community and World War II Veterans,”USC S HOAH F OUNDATION (July 5, 2020), available at https://sfi.usc.edu/news/2020/05/27626-covid-19- presents-extreme-risk-holocaust-survivor-community- and-world-war-ii 7. Zoe Strimpel, “Black Lives Matter hijacked by anti- Semitism,” F INANCIAL R EV ., June 24, 2020, available at https://www.afr.com/world/europe/why-black-lives- matter-protests-are-a-catalyst-for-anti-semitism- 20200623-p555ch 8. Aaron Boxerman, “'Palestinian lives matter’: Activists draw parallels between Israel, US killings,” T IMES OF I SRAEL , June 2, 2020, available at https://www.timesofisrael . com/palestinian-lives-matter-activists-draw-parallels- between-israel-us-killings/ 9. “Bizarre conspiracy theories about George Soros fueling the unrest and ‘owning Antifa’ soar online,”M AIL O NLINE , June 22, 2020, available at https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ news/article-8445097/Bizarre-conspiracy-theories-George- Soros-fueling-unrest-owning-Antifa-soar-online.html 10. “Facebook Has a Holocaust Denial Problem,”ADL (July 1, 2020), available at https://www.adl.org/blog/facebook has a holocaust denial problem 11. “Twitter User Agreement: Safety,” T WITTER , available at https://cdn.cms-twdigitalassets.com/content/dam/legal- twitter/site-assets/tos-june-18th-2020/Twitter_User_ agreement_EN.pdf