The ADL Midwest released a new report during a press conference on March 18 documenting the extent of anti-Jewish incidents and anti-Israel protests in the city of Chicago.
Four activist groups named by the organization as the most responsible for the activity are the United States Palestinian Community Network, Students for Justice in Palestine, American Muslims for Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.
David Goldenberg, the Evelyn R. Greene regional director of ADL Midwest, said the groups “use Israel’s war with Hamas as an excuse to spread hate and antisemitism. They are well-funded and highly organized.”
Goldenberg said the activists’ efforts have “created an environment where Jews in Chicago feel and are less safe than we were just a few months ago.”
The report features ample illustrations, showing protesters marching with a banner that reads “Palestinian Resistance is Justified When Our People Are Occupied.” One collection of photos shows demonstrators wearing Hamas symbols and carrying the Islamist terror group’s green sword-crossed flag.
“These activists don’t care if you’re a peace-loving Jew, just that you’re a Jew. That doesn’t make them pro-Palestinian; it makes them anti-Jewish,” said Dan Goldwin, executive director of public affairs for the Jewish United Fund. “We refuse to allow antisemites disguising themselves as peace activists to be embraced rather than being treated as the hate groups that they are.”