The Mainstream Media isn’t Mainstream: Or…Why Doesn’t the Mainstream Media Report on Jew-hatred?

Eleven (and counting) Jew-hatred events occurred this month alone, most in the past week: Thailand, Madrid, Andorra, two related to the Olympics: Czech Republic & Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Canada, Manchester, England, Charleston, SC, Washington DC, and two in NYC. Aside from occasional postings on Instagram, Facebook, or Threads, there would be no mention of these events outside the Jewish media.

Thailand – On Feb 16, three Israeli citizens in their 20s were attacked by French tourists who overheard them speaking Hebrew. The attack occurred at a bar on the island of Koh Samui in southern Thailand. Two victims were hospitalized after the attack with severe injuries including broken ribs, back trauma and  damaged teeth. Some security members joined the attackers – so much for security.

No arrests have been made. No suspects have been detained.

Madrid, Spain: On Feb 15, visitors at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía were “disturbed” by three elderly women, including a Holocaust survivor, wearing Jewish stars and Israeli flag pins – so they caused a commotion calling the elderly women “baby killers.” The Jewish women were asked to leave – and “the disturbed” continued their museum visit – with no accountability whatsoever.

During the exchange, a security guard told the women they had to leave because “some visitors were disturbed that they are Jewish.” He instructed them to hide their Jewish symbols, claiming such items could not be displayed inside the museum. The guide for the Jewish women, who is Catholic, stated that Spanish law allowed individuals to wear religious symbols and carry national flags in public institutions.

But, in the end, the Jewish women were the ones who were expelled from the museum.

Andorra, Spain: On Monday, Feb 16, at the Catalan festival Carnesoltes, an annual festival in Andorra, Spain, a mock king is typically tried and burned. This year was different. This year organizers used an effigy dressed in blue; an Israeli flag was painted on its face. The effigy was tried in mock court, shot, hung, and then burned. The festival took place in the city of Encamp. The city’s mayor as well as local politicians took part in the ceremony.

The Jewish community of Andorra is tiny. They have had a rabbi, a Chabad emissary, for only two years. People from the Jewish community have complained about the effigy burning, but nothing has been done and most likely nothing will be done. Local Jews stay under the radar.

Andorra officially prohibits non-Catholic houses of worship. Jews pray in what they call a “community center” as opposed to a synagogue.

It’s a wonder that there is a Jewish community in Andorra.

Czech Republic: On Feb 7, the Israeli Olympic bobsled team’s training apartment was vandalized and robbed. Passports, thousands of dollars in equipment, suitcases, personal items, and shoes were stolen days before the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games. Even though specialized equipment was lost, the team worked with local authorities and the Olympic Committee to replace necessary gear to remain eligible for the competition, and the team continued training despite the incident.

This was the first time the Israeli bobsled team qualified for the Olympic games. AJ Edelman, the team bobsled driver, said, “I have to say, the @israelbobsled team is just such a fine example of how we push forward in difficult circumstances.”

The vandals have not been caught. No arrests have been made.

Cortina d’Ampezzo Italy: On Feb 16, during the Olympic bobsled race, Switzerland’s public broadcaster, Stefan Renna, criticized AJ Edelman, the bobsled driver, for his stance on Israel and the war in Gaza. The comments lasted two minutes – the entirety of the team’s run. The clip was taken down after the remarks were strongly criticized. However, when the comments were removed, neither Renna nor RTS offered apologies for the remarks.

The Israeli Olympic Committee is now demanding an apology. The Committee sent a formal letter of complaint demanding an apology from Renna and Swiss Public Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS). The letter from Israeli Olympic Committee CEO, Gili Lustig, states: “The remarks made during the broadcast were one-sided, political and inflammatory, and had no place on an Olympic platform. Such statements harm not only the athlete concerned and the Israeli delegation but also undermine the fundamental values of the Olympic Movement, foremost among them respect, equality, and unity among nations and athletes.”

A perfect example of ignorance given a microphone.

 Canada: In mid-February, anti-Zionist groups began targeting at least 17 Jewish children’s summer camps attempting to strip accreditation because of their support for “a genocidal settler-colonial state.” For evidence, they pointed to camps “celebrating Israeli Independence Day,” which anti-Zionists refer to as “a celebration of the nakba, naksa and ongoing genocide.”

The campaign against the Jewish camps instructed supporters to contact provincial camp accreditors to demand that the Jewish camps lose their accreditation. Organizers claimed that more than 800 letters had been sent.

The Ontario Camp Association (OCA) stated that the accusers “draw directly on stereotyped libels and tropes related to Israel, Zionism and Jewish people, including ‘genocide’ and ‘colonizers,’ symbolic categories that are so often spread with specifically malicious intent.”

In a public statement, the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver said, “Let us be clear: Targeting Jewish camps, and by extension, Jewish children and staff, is not advocacy. It is intimidation.”

Among other goals, these activists were trying to demonize Israeli Independence Day with intimidation tactics, and by association, demonize the Israeli nation. Bullying and fear are common ploys used by the Palestinianists: Reject Israel, reject Zionism…or else.

Harlem, NYC: On Feb 15, Tsion Café, the city’s only Ethiopian-Israeli restaurant, ended its dine-in service. The owner, Beejhy Barhany, was born in Ethiopia and raised in Israel.

Anti-Israel activism and sustained hostility relating to the Gaza war had caused dangerous problems for the business. According to Barhany, the restaurant faced harassment and public hostility connected to its Israeli identity. Passersby often shouted at customers and staff, warning others not to enter because the restaurant is Israeli-owned. Barhany characterized the repeated harassment and political targeting as “exhausting and destabilizing for a small, independent business.” These malicious behaviors forced a revision regarding how the business could continue operating in a safe and secure manner.

The restaurant has been open for more than a decade and Barhany has become a well-known community activist and leader. The café has been a cultural hub with music nights and educational events. Her food continues to nourish others in additional ways, too. Her first cookbook was published last year: Gursha: Timeless Recipes for Modern Kitchens from Ethiopia, Israel, Harlem, and Beyond.

She will continue the business through preplanned activities and curated programming. It will benefit Barhany if she curates her guest lists, as well.

Washington Heights, NYC: On Feb 12, a Yeshiva University student was accosted and beaten at the 181st St. Subway Station. The four attackers wore masks and continually kicked and punched the 20-year-old victim. The local police claim it was an “unbiased attempted robbery off campus.” Sure thing – and I have a big, beautiful bridge to sell them.

Yeshiva Student Union President Aiden Harow called for the attack to be “universally condemned and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.” The Anti-Defamation League’s NY & NJ office stated they are “aware of this reported incident and are connecting with law enforcement, community partners and Yeshiva University to learn more.”

Rabbi David Bashevkin, Clinical Professor at YU said, “Yeshiva University is a visibly Jewish College Campus — there needs to be a plan for ensuring their safety.” In other words: everyone knows it was an antisemitic act, but if the school complains, the police will always turn their backs on YU students.

Charleston, South Carolina: A bomb threat was called into the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue in downtown Charleston, SC, on Feb 17. Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim is the second-oldest synagogue building in the United States and the oldest in continuous use. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1980 and has received awards for historic preservation and historic restoration.

The synagogue stated it would not be intimidated or silenced. The source of the threat is under investigation.

The caller has not been caught. No arrests have been made.

Washington DC, International Federation of Social Workers: Ireland, seconded by Greece and Spain, proposed a motion to expel or suspend the Israeli Union of Social Workers (IUSW). The group accused the Israeli union of failing to uphold professional ethics by not opposing the participation of social workers in military actions by citing IFSW violations of peace and nonviolence. Because of this motion, the IFSW held a special election on Feb 18. The motion failed with 34 countries voting against expulsion and 16 in favor.

Previous to the election, the NASW newsletter stated: “NASW unequivocally opposes the motion to expel the IUSW. We are deeply surprised and disappointed that our European colleagues, who have not experienced circumstances comparable to those faced by their Israeli counterparts, are now seeking to judge and exclude them. We hope that, should they ever face similar challenges, they are met with the compassion, understanding, and empathy that they are currently denying to their Israeli colleagues.”

Bravo for the NASW chutzpah! Bravo for their compassion and understanding.

Manchester, England: In an interview with Greater Manchester police on Feb 13, Amar Hussein said, “I’m proud be terrorist here. You know? And Koran is say ‘be terrorist,’ you know? That’s God! We are proud of this.” Hussein, a Kuwaiti national, living in Bolton, England, admitted to being a member of ISIS and stated he had hoped to murder as many Jews as possible. Hussein and ringleader Tunisian-born, Walid Saadaoui, had planned to open fire on a march against antisemitism in 2024.

The trial ended on Feb 18. They received 26 years and 37 years respectively. Many lives were assuredly saved. Sometimes the system works.

The examples above characterize more than Jew-hatred. These examples indicate a ceaseless pressure campaign against the Jewish people to batter us into submission – to drop our support for Israel. It is also a campaign to instill fear into Jews. At rallies now, a new battle cry is: “We want them afraid. We want them very afraid.” And… even more so – it is a bullying campaign – just do it my way or else – to pressure Jews into renouncing their Judaism (I’m only a secular Jew, I’m only a cultural Jew, I’m Jewish but…, etc.). It is an attack on Jewish pride and Jewish peoplehood. Why doesn’t the mainstream media cover these Jew-hatred events?

We, the Jewish people, must take our hospitality business to safe and welcoming places. We should compile lists of places to avoid and places that are safe and welcoming, similar to the Jewish Vacation Guide published in 1916. We should have a guide for, purchase from, and invest in Jewish-owned businesses. We need to investigate the schools our children attend. We might not be many people, but we have resources that can be spread in Jew-friendly locations.

Jews need to fight back. Show Jewish pride. Resist the verbal attacks and know how to reply if necessary. Our young people must lean in, study more, and be unapologetically Jewish. If we aren’t and the young aren’t, our community will suffer. And we must find ways to get journalistic coverage.

The Jewish community has not given heed to the slow creep of radical Islamism where most anti-Israel, anti-Zionist, Jew-hatred rhetoric and bullying originate. This slow creep has forced its way into unaccountable layers of everyday life, especially in education K-12 and at the university levels. And our young people are vulnerable. Why doesn’t the mainstream media pay attention to radical Islamism?

The Jewish people have been battered for thousands of years – attacked, enslaved, repeatedly robbed of not only possessions – but bodies and souls. We know that Jew-hatred and anti-Zionism have a purpose – steal our land – our nation – and steal our peoplehood.

Awareness is an important step. Our heritage is our strength. Seeking allyship is another. Brothers and sisters in arms always help, and if they’re fighting Jew-hatred and anti-Zionism, they understand the radical movement that is trying to devour us.

Israel is strong and so are the Jewish people. We are resilient and we are smart. We are fighting back and I believe we can cut off the head of the radical Islamist hydra.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)