Missouri Adopts Antisemitism Definition as Global Incidents Reported

Missouri's governor signed HB 2061 on Thursday, making the state the latest to adopt a working definition of antisemitism into law. An organization has worked over the past year and a half to educate state leaders on antisemitism and policy solutions. This action follows reports of rising antisemitic incidents.

A demonstration in New York City last Friday marked Palestinian Prisoners' Day. Participants chanted "Smash the settler Zionist state" and carried signs reading "Globalize the Intifada," "Long Live the Resistance," "By Any Means Necessary," "Defend Al Aqsa," and "Bomb ‘Israel’ Bye." Some wore headbands associated with Hamas and displayed pictures of late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

In London, a 17-year-old was charged with arson after an attempt to firebomb a synagogue. This incident is part of a series targeting Jewish sites in Europe. In Belgium, a Jewish student was called a derogatory term and physically assaulted at a university.

A research center monitored 156 antisemitic incidents worldwide in the past week. Of these, 73.1% were categorized as far-left (114 incidents), 7.7% as Islamist-inspired (12 incidents), 6.4% as far-right (10 incidents), and 12.8% as unattributable (20 incidents).

By type, 72.4% involved anti-Israel or anti-Zionism themes (113 incidents), 17.3% classical antisemitism (27 incidents), 4.5% Holocaust denial or distortion (7 incidents), 2.6% Islamist-inspired (4 incidents), and 3.2% unattributable (5 incidents).