TJP Staff
Colleyville police tweeted Sunday morning that they were “aware of antisemitic and white separatist materials distributed in clear sandwich bags to driveways around the city overnight.”
Similar baggies were also found in Garland neighborhoods.
The incidents appear to be part of a coordinated effort by a hate group that has shown up across the country, according to the ADL. Flyers have also shown up in Austin; San Antonio; Sarasota, Florida; Vancouver, Washington; and Danville, California, this month.
“It is incredibly disappointing but it’s not surprising. This group led an organized effort this weekend across the country and so we were aware of it earlier last week and were able to give a heads-up to some law enforcement so that they knew that it was headed our way,” said Cheryl Drazin, the vice president of the Anti-Defamation League Central Division.
In response to the incident, Congregation Beth Israel issued the following statement:
“Following a harrowing ordeal at our congregation on Jan. 15, where four congregants were held hostage, several of our members today received antisemitic flyers in their respective driveways.
“We understand that the Colleyville Police Department and the FBI are investigating, and their involvement brings comfort. We are hopeful that the individual(s) responsible will be identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Circulating hate speech cannot be taken lightly.
“Unfortunately, antisemitism is a reality in the United States and around the world. Each of us has a responsibility to root out hate, and work toward building a community where all belong and all can thrive.”
The ADL encourages the Jewish community to refrain from posting on social media about the incident because every public post raises funds for the antisemitic organization.
The American Jewish Committee is urging President Joe Biden to convene a task force to combat Jew-hatred.
“For several months, Jewish communities across the country have been subject to the distribution of antisemitic conspiracy theories. It is especially disturbing that these fliers are now being discovered in Colleyville, barely a month after hostages were taken at Congregation Beth Israel. AJC urges President Biden to convene a task force to develop a national action plan to fight Jew-hatred,” said Joel Schwitzer, regional director of AJC Dallas.
To take action, visit the AJC’s Antisemitism Action Alert page at
http://bit.ly/AntisemitismActionAlert.
