Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Despite fears, ‘Day of Hate’ passes without incident

Synagogues ramped up security and warned congregants after social media chatter suggested Jews might be targeted

Jewish communities across the country breathed a sigh of relief as what was billed as a planned “Day of Hate” passed by uneventfully. 

In recent days, conversations on white supremacist channels on social media apps like Telegram had included suggestions that members distribute antisemitic flyers and stickers and erect hateful graffiti on Saturday, Feb. 25. Channel organizers said participants should obey local laws and stick to handing out flyers and stickers. 

But even non-violent incidents did not appear to have materialized by Saturday afternoon. 

The first idea of a “Day of Hate” first gained steam on Telegram just a day after neo-Nazis accosted people in line for a Broadway revival of the musical Parade, which focuses on the lynching of a Jewish man in Georgia, on Tuesday night. On Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams denounced white supremacy and expressed his support for the Jewish community at a performance of the show. 

That same day, the Anti-Defamation League issued a warning, saying they had been monitoring white supremacist online spaces, and had picked up on chatter calling on members to unfurl antisemitic banners and distribute other materials. Several police departments, including the NYPD, announced before Saturday that they would ramp up patrols in sensitive areas, like those near houses of worship, out of an abundance of caution. 

An ADL spokesperson did not provide a comment on Saturday. 

Other Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, said they had been in contact with local law enforcement and asked community members to report unusual activity. 

Many synagogues and Jewish organizations shared messages  aimed at combating white supremacist ideology and emphaszing  communal strength and peace. A Manhattan synagogue, Temple Emanu-El, held an outside Day of Resolve Shabbat service. Agudath Israel of Illinois advised vigilance but said that while no specific threat was made, “We must seek the proper balance between conducting our lives as usual while taking the proper precautions at the same time.”

But many synagogues also told congregants they would take extra security precautions, and at least one canceled services.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.