German Holocaust Survivor Event Zoombombed With Hitler Images

A Holocaust Remembrance Day event featuring a Holocaust survivor was Zoombombed on April 20 with images of Adolf Hitler and other anti-Semitic material.

Israel’s Ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoff tweeted that the Israeli embassy in Berlin hosted the event with Zvi Herschel discussing how he survived the Holocaust. Issacharoff wrote that “anti-Israel activists disrupted his talk posting pictures of Hitler and shouting anti-Semitic slogans.” After a lengthy delay, the event proceeded as planned.

After a short break the event was reconvened without the activists and conducted in an appropriate and respectful way. To dishonour the memory of the #Holocaust and the dignity of the survivor is beyond shame and disgrace and shows the blatant antisemitic nature of the activists. pic.twitter.com/t79gXPYkIO

— Jeremy Issacharoff (@JIssacharoff) April 21, 2020

Zoombombing is the unwanted audio and/or video intrusion by one or more individuals, often containing offensive content, that causes a disruption during a session.

Issacharoff told Haaretz, “As I listened to the siren in Israel on the radio this morning, I felt profoundly saddened that after so many years — 75 years after the Holocaust — someone here could desecrate the memory of the Shoah and disrupt a survivor’s testimony.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement to Ynet News, “Even on Holocaust Remembrance Day in Germany, these shocking incidents of anti-Semitism still occur. It is our duty, as representatives of the Israeli political world, to fight anti-Semitism wherever it raises its head.”

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas condemned the Zoombombing in a tweet, writing: “What an incredible lack of respect toward survivors and toward the memory of the deceased.”

Germany’s Foreign Minister @HeikoMaas called the incident “An indescribable shame!”, tweeting: “What an incredible lack of respect toward survivors and toward the memory of the deceased” https://t.co/MftSXuZwnO

— Michael Dickson (@michaeldickson) April 21, 2020

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted, “This is unacceptable #antisemitic behavior online and offline.”

Despicable #zoombombing of #Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony hosted by @IsraelinGermany. Anti-Israel activists posted pictures of Hitler and shouted #antisemitic slogans. This is unacceptable #antisemitic behavior online and offline. https://t.co/lQRga83tzK

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) April 21, 2020

Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action Agenda at the Simon Wiesenthal Center Rabbi Abraham Cooper said in a statement to the Journal, “Gutless Jew-hating lowlifes who leverage technology and hide their identities behind it. Such anti-Semites cannot stomach the thought that Jews congregate virtually, this time to remember our murdered 6 million Shoah martyrs.”

He added that he was Zoombombed in March during Rav Asher Weiss’ lecture about Torah. Cooper called the Zoombombing “shocking and disgusting. There are some security steps Zoom has now installed but it’s not foolproof. By the way, the next night the Rabbi had over 500 people watching and listening. They hate, we heal.”

A spokesperson for Zoom said in a statement to The Hill, “Zoom strongly condemns such behavior and recently updated several features to help our users more easily protect their meetings. We encourage users to report any incidents of this kind either to Zoom so we can take appropriate action or directly to law enforcement authorities.”

There have been several instances of Zoombombing worldwide since March as more people use the platform — including for Shabbat services and online classes — because they must shelter-in-place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) held a webinar with Zoom Chief Product Officer Oded Gal on April 14 during which they discussed how Zoom hosts can prevent Zoombombing.

ADL Center on Extremism Vice President Oren Segal said during the webinar, “This platform is being disrupted for hateful purposes. This is why we’re taking it so seriously.”