Today is Friday, February 24, 2023, the de facto anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Despite what a small fraction of repugnicans are endorsing, this is definitely not the time to withdraw our support of the war effort in Ukraine. Putin must be defeated without any doubt.

As a follow-up to yesterday’s reporting of the week’s antisemitic protest in Tin Pan Alley over the preview of the Broadway show Parade starring Ben Platt, the original star of Dear Evan Hanson (which Elliot and I saw at the beginning of its long run), I read today online in The Times of Israel another disturbing article about a “day of hate” planned for tomorrow, Saturday, February 25, in this country by white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups. As a result of this planned day of protest, law enforcement and Jewish groups in the country are urging vigilance ahead of this planned event. The article is entitled “US Jews on alert as white supremacists plan antisemitic ‘day of hate’ Saturday,” by Luke Tress.

“The white supremacists have called for followers to distribute antisemitic messaging with banners, stickers, fliers, and graffiti.” So far, there are no known threats of violence and a Jewish security group said it did not expect widespread participation.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said it had not identified any specific threats in the city, but would be stepping up security at houses of worship out of an abundance of caution. The NYPD urged New Yorkers to “remain vigilant” and report any suspicious activity.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said it had been monitoring the situation and various extremist groups have endorsed and shared plans for this deplorable day of hate.

What these groups might do, since we have no particular blueprint here, are likely to carry out antisemitic flier distributions, small protests, and acts of vandalism, said Oren Segal, the vice president of the ADL’s Center on Extremism.

Segal stated that the groups are relatively small but garner significant attention because of their “abhorrent activities.”

In anticipation of the expected events tomorrow, the ADL and the Secure Community Network (SCN), a Jewish security group, issued bulletins to local communities to provide them a heads-up.

SCN said it had been tracking the extremist calls since early January, when a minor neo-Nazi group called for a “day of MASS ANTI-SEMITIC ACTION” on the Telegram messaging app.

The groups urged followers to “shock the masses with banner drops, stickers, fliers, and graffiti.”

These extremist groups, many experts say, have seemingly become emboldened in recent years, staging rallies and regularly broadcasting antisemitic content around the country by distributing fliers, dropping banners over highways, and by other means. One wonders why these groups have become so emboldened in recent times. There is basically one answer, and I’ve alluded to it many times already. The answer rhymes with “frump” if you’re reading this blog for the very first time.

“The planned day of hate comes as U.S. Jews are already on edge over threats from white supremacists and others.”

Recent incidents of antisemitism included the shooting of two Jewish people last week in Los Angeles after leaving synagogue services. Both, thankfully, survived. The shootings were preceded by the distribution of antisemitic material in the area.

Other incidents entailed the small rally held in New York just this week and the harassment of Jews in Florida. A video posted online just now shows members of a hate group calling itself the Goyim Defense League (GDL) – in clear mockery, I think, of the Anti-Defamation League – hurling slurs and harassing Jewish drivers at the entrance to the Chabad of South Orlando, Florida. This disgusting group has been described by the ADL as “a loose network of individuals connected by their virulent antisemitism.” Here the group filmed itself – with no shame of being seen without masks or anything on their faces – cursing Jewish people driving away from the Chabad center. One smirking, bearded fellow with a megaphone says with impunity to a man in a white car, “Leave our country; go back to Israel.” He then said “Heil Hitler” several times. At one point, the members of this group called a woman “a Jewish horse.” They also called the people in the car “filthy” and “pieces of shit” who should be “burned in an oven.” This is the kind of hatred that runs rampant in DeSant-ASS’s state. Where are the authorities in these cases?

Let us hope that this anticipated event truly fizzles into nothing worth reporting. We do not need to see more hate groups put on display and to have innocent people subjected to random acts of violence. We have enough of that on a daily basis, sad to say.

Related to this story is my incidental watching of a 2016 film called Imperium that stars Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, who infiltrates a white supremacist sect to ferret out a terrorist plot. In this supposed thriller, Radcliffe as Nate Foster is recruited by FBI agent Angela Zamparo (Toni Collette) to infiltrate a white nationalist group that is led by an ultra right-wing radio host by the name of Dallas Wolf (played by Tracy Letts). What is quite disturbing about the film is that it shows a montage of neo-Nazi rallies and cross burnings; shaved heads; and many tattoos on white nationalist members. This was all done, as you know, before the advent of Dumpf. What doesn’t work for me, and it’s also a critical point, is the slender build of the main character – played by Radcliffe – who is no physical match for the young, burly, tattooed skinheads whom he has to befriend in order to get to the leader of the group. I haven’t finished the film yet.

Let’s hope tomorrow is a peaceful, safe day in light of what has been reported here today.

Stay safe and be well.