SWAMPSCOTT — Over this past weekend, Jewish communities across the country were warned of a “National Day of Hate” against Jewish groups from neo-Nazis. In Swampscott, Rabbi Michael Ragozin of the Congregation Shirat Hayam, said he was “disgusted” when he heard of the news.
“And then it was we’re not gonna let that deter us, we’re strong people, we’re a strong community,” Ragozin said. “And we have a lot of things that we’ve been putting in place to be prepared for anything. We sort of went into action mode to make sure that we could really make people feel safe.”
The Counter Extremism Project (CEP), “a nonprofit and non-partisan international policy organization formed to combat the growing threat from extremist ideologies,” announced Feb. 23 that CEP researchers found the call from neo-Nazi groups for an antisemitic “National Day of Hate” on Feb. 25.
CEP discovered the call through posts on Telegram, which is “a main online organizing point for the extreme right to recruit and organize coordinated hate events throughout the U.S.,” according to CEP researcher Joshua Fisher-Birch.
“The participants are identified as the National Socialist Movement, two regional active club chapters in Iowa and California, and a small New York-based group. Other groups around the country may also be participating. The announcement post on Telegram encouraged propaganda activities such as dropping banners, putting up stickers and fliers, and vandalism through graffiti,” CEP wrote.
According to an article from NBC Boston, police departments in New England increased their presence near places of worship over the weekend. The Swampscott Police Department was one of them.
“We kept regular patrols but increased our presence this weekend as a precaution to ensure our religious partners felt more secure,” Police Chief Ruben Quesada wrote in a statement to The Item.
Ragozin said the Congregation Shirat Hayam has a “phenomenal” relationship with the Swampscott PD.
“I could not ask for a better police department,” Ragozin said. “They are so attentive to our needs, they really go above and beyond.”
The Jewish community in Swampscott has been hit with antisemitic incidents in the past. Most recently, a swastika was found spray painted on a sidewalk on Jan. 6. The community, government officials, and law enforcement came together in a “No Place for Hate” rally against antisemitism.
At the rally, Melissa Kaplowitch, the chair of the Anti-Defamation League North Shore Advisory Committee, spoke about a report the ADL had released Jan. 12 that found “that 20 percent of Americans believe in six or more antisemitic conspiracy theories.” In 2019, she said it was 11 percent.
“As alarming as this is, we will continue to work with community partners, with law enforcement, with civil rights organizations, and elected officials to combat this,” Kaplowitch said at the rally. “We must all do our part to stand up to hate and break down these antisemitic bullies.”
To the people of Swampscott, Ragozin said they “definitely need to support each other.”
“If we’re treating each other with respect and dignity, then we’re going to be stronger as a community,” he said.
