Mispalelim at the Chabad of Cobb County shul in East Cobb, just north of Atlanta, were were met with a terrifying sight on Shabbos: a group of about a dozen Neo-Nazis from the so-called Goyim Defense League protesting outside their shul.

Videos posted on social media captured the tense scene as Jews confronted the Neo-Nazis and urged them to leave. Despite the outcry, the police allowed the protest to continue. The racist group displayed signs proclaiming that Jews were responsible for abortion, biased media, the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, and elected officials. At the bottom of their signs, the group included a web address leading to their YouTube page, which featured videos such as ‘Saturday White Live.’

Some members of the shul positioned themselves on the opposite side of the road and shouted at the Neo-Nazis, urging them to return home. The police maintained a separation between the two groups.

Jon Minadeo II, the leader of the anti-Semitic group, defended his followers’ actions as exercising their First Amendment rights during an interview with Channel 2 Action News. The group had staged a similar protest in Macon, Georgia, the previous night, resulting in Minadeo’s arrest for disorderly conduct and public disturbance. He had allegedly continued to shout obscenities through a bullhorn after being asked to stop. Minadeo was released on a $910 bond the following day.

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Minadeo travels across the country to promote his sickening views. The ADL describes the group as a “small network of virulently antisemitic provocateurs” with some of its most active members based in Georgia. The ADL’s website explains that the Goyim Defense League’s primary objective is to propagate antisemitic myths and conspiracy theories, including false claims of Jewish control over major institutions and the spread of harmful stereotypes.

Eytan Davidson, the southeast regional director of the ADL, spoke to Channel 2 Action News about the rise of antisemitism in the region. He expressed concern over the disturbing trend, saying, “From 2021 to 2022, we saw a more than 60 percent increase in antisemitic incidents in the state of Georgia. Nationally, we are witnessing antisemitic incidents reach an all-time high in 2022.”

In a separate incident earlier this month, a newly formed Neo-Nazi group named Order of the Black Sun staged a swastika-waving protest outside Disneyland, causing shock and dismay among visiting families. ADL researcher Ben Popp stated that the group, also known as ‘OBS,’ is a white supremacist network that emerged recently and the demonstration outside the children’s theme park was their first public appearance. Popp noted that the hate group is familiar to the ADL, comprised of individuals who have been involved in other white supremacist organizations in Florida over the past few years.

Popp further explained to the Orlando Sentinel that hate groups in Florida often collaborate to create the illusion of a larger movement, aiming to intimidate communities. The ADL’s website clarifies that the name ‘Black Sun’ refers to a Nazi symbol known as the ‘sonnenrad’ or the ‘sunwheel.’ The logo, resembling a wheel with jagged spokes, was adopted by the Nazis in their attempt to fabricate an idealized ‘Aryan/Norse’ heritage.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)