(JTA) — Fliers denigrating Jews were strewn around Squirrel Hill, and residents were reportedly targeted with antisemitic epithets, the latest antisemitic incident in the neighborhood that suffered the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting.
The fliers were reportedly thrown from a moving vehicle, according to Pittsburgh Police. Police said the fliers were in clear bags weighed with corn kernels so that they could be thrown effectively.
One of the fliers read, “Every single aspect of the Jewish Talmud is satanic,” according to a photo shared by Corey O’Connor, the county comptroller and a candidate for Pittsburgh mayor.
Cherry-picking the Talmud
The flier included quotes cherry-picked from the Talmud — a vast compendium of ancient rabbinic debates over Jewish law and tradition — that aim to show Jewish discrimination against non-Jews. Pulling quotes from the Talmud to depict Jews in a negative light is an age-old antisemitic mainstay.
“Despicable antisemitic acts like those taking place in Squirrel Hill today have no place in our city,” O’Connor tweeted.
The suspects were not immediately identified by police, but the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh attributed the actions to the Goyim Defense League, a white supremacist group. The federation also said the driver hurled antisemitic slurs at local Jews.
“This kind of hate has no place in our neighborhoods,” said Laura Cherner, director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council, in a statement. “Our community is strong, united and we will stand together to oppose these vile actions.”
A recent report from the Anti-Defamation League found that the Goyim Defense League was one of three white supremacist groups that were collectively responsible for 94% of all antisemitic propaganda in 2024.
“Antisemitic materials that were distributed in parts of Squirrel Hill today are reprehensible and have no place in Pittsburgh,” said Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey in a statement. “We will not stand for such hateful acts meant to intimidate our neighbors.”
Distributing fliers has been a common tactic of antisemitic groups in recent years. Shortly after the synagogue shooting in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history, Squirrel Hill was hit with antisemitic fliers.
More recently, last July, an inverted red triangle, a symbol used by Hamas that has been adopted by pro-Palestinian protesters, was painted on the neighborhood Chabad center, close to the site of the shooting.
Last week, several Jewish organizations in Las Vegas also received threatening, antisemitic letters, sparking safety concerns. The local Jewish federation responded to the letters in a post on Instagram, calling for community members to “stay vigilant with incoming mail.”
One organization that received a letter, Friendship Circle Las Vegas, is a Jewish program that connects volunteers with children and young adults with special needs.
Its executive director, Rabbi Levi Harlig, posted a photo of the letter on Instagram. It read: “To all Zionist Jews stay out of our valley. We will destroy your synagogues Hamas lives on you all burn in hell.”
“The irony of this hateful letter? It was sent to our nonprofit—an organization built on inclusion, love, and friendship,” wrote Harlig in the caption next to the photo. “But we’re not afraid. We won’t be silenced, and we won’t back down. We will double our efforts to spread light, kindness, and unity. Goodness will always be louder than hate. Am Yisrael Chai.”
