Image by Getty Images

By David Ian Klein September 4, 2020

The trial of a young man accused of vandalizing a synagogue has revealed the thought process behind a neo-Nazi group’s decision last fall to accelerate its activities.

Yousef Omar Barasneh, 22, a member of the group known as the Base, pleaded guilty last month to spray-painting anti-Semitic messages and swastikas on the walls of the Beth Israel Sinai Congregation in Racine, Wis. last September. He’s now awaiting sentencing.

The documents describe the Base as “a neo-Nazi group that aims to unify militant white supremacists around the globe and provide them with paramilitary training in preparation for a ‘race war.’”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The vandalism of Beth Israel Sinai was carried out after members of the group made a pact to ramp up their activities that week.

“A purpose of the agreement was to show the strength and cohesion of The Base, as well as to terrorize Jewish citizens so they would fear for their physical safety and refrain from freely exercising their rights to use and hold property in the same manner as non-Jewish white citizens,” the document said.

They called it “Operation Kristallnacht,” a reference to the 1938 German pogrom which ushered the start of the Holocaust.

“Imagine if across the country on local news, everyone is reporting on new Nazi presence,” Barasneh wrote in the group’s chat. “Our op will be a perfect fuck you to these kikes if we become terrorists.”

For his actions and involvement in the group Barasneh could face a maximum of ten years in prison and a fine of $250,000, he is set to be sentenced in November.

Despite his hostility to non-white groups, Barasneh is himself the son of Jordanian immigrants, Ynet reported.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount