Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on October 12, 2023

The community that says you matter. Sophia Paloma Photography Sophia Paloma Photography

Welcome to Kehillah! Maybe youre searching for a synagogue in Richmond, VA? Maybe youre looking for Jewish learning for your child? Perhaps you just want like-minded people to spend the holidays with. No matter who you are, where youre from, or where you are going, we believe that you matter.

Our mission is to inspire people socially, spiritually, and intellectually.

Our vision is to be the bold, creative approach to Jewish life, serving all of RVA. Were about meeting you and those you love where you are. No judgment, whatsoever.

If its your first time on our site, we know all of the information can be overwhelming, so weve created this page, with some of our very best resources, to get you started.

You have questions and we have answers. Here are a few. Youre also welcome to email rabbi@rabbipatrick.com if you need more information.

Kehillah, the Hebrew word for community, is the only independent-progressive Jewish community in RVA. We host open space Jewish events, as well as Shabbat, adult education and more. Were open to everyone regardless of background or religious practice, and there are no membership dues you have to pay to participate.

- Shabbat dinner and acoustic guitar service twice a month in either Midlothian or Scotts Addition

- Public Space Holidays like Carytown Hanukkah and Purim at Cannon & Draw Brewery

- Social Action programs including grocery funds and subsidized mental health services

- Adult educational programs online and in-person

- Free online childrens learning and family ritual kits delivered to your home

- Lifecycle services such as weddings and bnai mitzvah

We are an independent, progressive Jewish community. Most people would describe us as Reform or Reconstructionist in style. We are open to everyone regardless of their affiliation or religious practice. We are not in any way involved with Messianic Judaism or similar organizations.

We charge tickets for events like Shabbat and holidays, and fees for services (bar mitzvahs, weddings, etc.) You pay for the things that matter to you, and skip the things that you are not interested in. There are a lot of opportunities to sponsor others, or give to causes we participate in as well.

Absolutely! The majority of Kehillah are in relationships and families with mixed religious and cultural backgrounds. We honor and affirm the diversity of all who participate in our community.

We're incredibly friendly and you'll meet all kinds of great people at Kehillah. No matter your age, background, religious affiliation, you will find very warm people at Kehillah.

The best way to get to know us is to come to an event! Heres how that works:

Heres the big secret: Rabbi Patrick LOVES to meet people for coffee. Not a coffee person? Wine, beer, or ice cream works too. Plus, if its your first time getting together, he always pays. Reach out to him for a one-on-one.

I love the meaningful interaction throughout all our events. That, and the mantra that we all matter demonstrated by very specific acts of social justice, make me feel part of something much bigger than myself!

Kehillah is amazing! As someone growing up in a non-Jewish family, its great to have a community to celebrate holidays with.

It is the only family I know that is totally accepting of those whose ideas and views may differ from their own in fact, our community grows stronger with what each member brings to the table. Rabbi Patrick and his wife Stefanie make everyone feel welcome. They have welcomed everyone into their home and treated them as family. Our community takes to heart the meaning behind You Matter!

Ive been a bnai mitzvah tutor for Kehillah for almost two years. In that time its been my pleasure to work with five wonderful students. I often tell them theres no wrong way to be Jewish. I am grateful to be part of a community that embodies this idea so well.

I love being a part of a community so welcoming to newcomers. It really made me feel wanted when I came back after a bit away, and people missed me even though I havent been to Shabbat for very long.

Kehillah has been an invaluable sense of community during Covid. The Shabbat morning Torah studies leave me thinking and reflecting throughout the week. I always learn something and often something I can apply to my own life and practice. The connection with Rabbi Patrick and other members of Kehillah has been invaluable.

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Richmond Virginias Jewish Community - Kehillah

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Posted By admin on October 10, 2023

Diaspora of the Greek people

Greece

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The Greek diaspora, also known as Omogenia (Greek: , romanized:Omogneia),[1][2] are the communities of Greeks living outside of Greece and Cyprus (excluding Northern Cyprus). Such places historically include Albania, North Macedonia, parts of the Balkans, southern Russia, Ukraine, Asia Minor, Sudan, the region of Pontus, Eastern Anatolia, Georgia, the South Caucasus, Egypt, southern Italy, and Cargse in Corsica. The term also refers to communities established by Greek migration outside of these traditional areas; such as in Australia, Chile, Canada and the United States.

The Greek diaspora is one of the oldest diasporas in the world, with an attested presence from Homeric times to the present.[3] Examples of its influence range from the role played by Greek expatriates in the emergence of the Renaissance, through liberation and nationalist movements involved in the fall of the Ottoman Empire, to commercial developments such as the commissioning of the world's first supertankers by shipping magnates Aristotle Onassis and Stavros Niarchos.[4]

In Archaic Greece, the trading and colonizing activities of Greeks from the Balkans and Asia Minor propagated Greek culture, religion and language around the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins. Greek city-states were established in Southern Italy (the so-called "Magna Graecia"), northern Libya, eastern Spain, the south of France, and the Black Sea coast, and the Greeks founded over 400 colonies in these areas.[5] Alexander the Great's conquest of the Achaemenid Empire marked the beginning of the Hellenistic period, which was characterized by a new wave of Greek colonization in Asia and Africa; the Greek ruling classes established their presence in Egypt, West Asia, and Northwest India.[6]

Many Greeks migrated to the new Hellenistic cities founded in Alexander's wake, as geographically dispersed as Uzbekistan[7] and Kuwait.[8] Seleucia, Antioch and Alexandria were among the largest cities in the world during Hellenistic and Roman times.[9] Greeks spread across the Roman Empire, and in the eastern territories the Greek language (rather than Latin) became the lingua franca. The Roman Empire was Christianized in the fourth century AD, and during the late Byzantine period the Greek Orthodox form of Christianity became a hallmark of Greek identity.[10]

In the seventh century, Emperor Heraclius adopted Medieval Greek as the official language of the Byzantine Empire. Greeks continued to live around the Levant, Mediterranean and Black Sea, maintaining their identity among local populations as traders, officials, and settlers. Soon afterwards, the Arab-Islamic Caliphate seized the Levant, Egypt, North Africa and Sicily from the Byzantine Greeks during the ByzantineArab Wars. The Greek populations generally remained in these areas of the Caliphate and helped translate ancient Greek works into Arabic, thus contributing to early Islamic philosophy and science (which, in turn, contributed to Byzantine science).

After the ByzantineOttoman Wars, which resulted in the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the Ottoman conquest of Greek lands, many Greeks fled Constantinople (now Istanbul) and found refuge in Italy. They brought ancient Greek writings that had been lost in the West, contributing to the Renaissance. Most of these Greeks settled in Venice, Florence, and Rome.

Between the fall of the Empire of Trebizond to the Ottomans in 1461 and the second Russo-Turkish War in 182829, thousands of Pontic Greeks migrated (or fled) from the Pontic Alps and eastern Anatolia to Georgia and other southern regions of the Russian Empire, and (later) the Russian province of Kars in the South Caucasus. Many Pontic Greeks fled their homelands in Pontus and northeastern Anatolia and settled in these areas to avoid Ottoman reprisals after supporting the Russian invasions of eastern Anatolia in the Russo-Turkish Wars from the late 18th to the early 20th century. Others resettled in search of new opportunities in trade, mining, farming, the church, the military, and the bureaucracy of the Russian Empire.[11]

Greeks spread through many provinces of the Ottoman Empire and took major roles in its economic life, particularly the Phanariots (wealthy Greek merchants who claimed noble Byzantine descent during the second half of the 16th century). The Phanariots helped administer the Ottoman Empire's Balkan domains in the 18th century; some settled in present-day Romania, influencing its political and cultural life. Other Greeks settled outside the southern Balkans, moving north in service to the Orthodox Church or as a result of population transfers and massacres by Ottoman authorities after Greek rebellions against Ottoman rule or suspected Greek collaboration with Russia in the Russo-Turkish wars fought between 1774 and 1878. Greek Macedonia was most affected by the population upheavals, where the large, indigenous Ottoman Muslim population (often including those of Greek-convert descent) could form local militias to harass and exact revenge on the Greek-speaking Christian Orthodox population; this often forced the inhabitants of rural districts, particularly in the more vulnerable lowland areas, to abandon their homes.[citation needed]

A larger-scale movement of Greek-speaking peoples in the Ottoman period was Pontic Greeks from northeastern Anatolia to Georgia and parts of southern Russia, particularly the province of Kars Oblast in the southern Caucasus after the short-lived Russian occupation of Erzerum and the surrounding region during the 182829 Russo-Turkish War. An estimated one-fifth of Pontic Greeks left their homeland in the mountains of northeastern Anatolia in 1829 as refugees, following the Tsarist army as it withdrew back into Russian territory (since many had collaborated withor fought inthe Russian army against the Muslim Ottomans to regain territory for Christian Orthodoxy). The Pontic Greek refugees who settled in Georgia and the southern Caucasus assimilated with preexisting Caucasus Greek communities. Those who settled in Ukraine and southern Russia became a sizable proportion of cities such as Mariupol, but generally assimilated with Christian Orthodox Russians and continued to serve in the Tsarist army.

In 1788, Ali Pasha of Ioannina destroyed Moscopole. This predominantly ethnic Aromanian settlement historically had an important Greek influence.[12] This is why some members of the Aromanian diaspora that settled in places such as Vienna in Austria have been considered as Greeks and part of a Greek diaspora as well.[13]

During and after the Greek War of Independence, Greeks of the diaspora established the fledgling state, raised funds and awareness abroad and served as senior officers in Russian armies which fought the Ottomans to help liberate Greeks under Ottoman subjugation in Macedonia, Epirus, and Thrace. Greek merchant families had contacts in other countries; during the disturbances, many set up home bases around the Mediterranean (notably Marseilles in France, Livorno, Calabria and Bari in Italy and Alexandria in Egypt), Russia (Odessa and St. Petersburg), and Britain (London and Liverpool) from where they traded (typically textiles and grain). Businesses frequently included the extended family, and they brought schools teaching Greek and the Greek Orthodox Church.[14] As markets changed, some families became shippers (financed through the local Greek community, with the aid of the Ralli or Vagliano Brothers). The diaspora expanded across the Levant, North Africa, India[15] and the US.[16] Many leaders of the Greek struggle for liberation from Ottoman Macedonia and other parts of the southern Balkans with large Greek populations still under Ottoman rule had links to the Greek trading and business families who funded the Greek liberation struggle against the Ottomans and the creation of a Greater Greece.

The terrible devastation of the island of Chios in the 1822 massacre caused a great dispersion of the islanders, leading to the creation of a specific Chian diaspora.

After the Treaty of Constantinople, the political situation stabilised; some displaced families returned to the newly independent country to become key figures in cultural, educational and political life, especially in Athens. Financial assistance from overseas was channeled through these family ties, providing for institutions such as the National Library and sending relief after natural disasters.

During the 20th century, many Greeks left the traditional homelands for economic and political reasons; this resulted in large migrations from Greece and Cyprus to the United States, Australia, Canada, Brazil, The United Kingdom, New Zealand, Argentina, The United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Germany, Norway, Belgium, Georgia, Italy, Armenia, Russia, Philippines, Chile, Mexico and South Africa, especially after World War II (193945), the Greek Civil War (194649) and the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus in 1974.[17]

After World War I, most Pontian and Anatolian Greeks living in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) were victims of Muslim Turkish intolerance for Christians in the Ottoman Empire. More than 3.5 million Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians were killed in the regimes of the Young Turks and Mustafa Kemal, from 1914 to 1923.[18] Greeks in Asia Minor fled to modern Greece, and the Russian Empire (later the USSR) was also a major destination.

After the Greek Civil War, many communist Greeks and their families fled to neighboring Yugoslavia, the USSR and the Soviet-dominated states of Eastern Europe (especially Czechoslovakia). Hungary founded a village (Beloiannisz) for Greek refugees, and many Greeks were resettled in the former Sudeten German region of northern Czechoslovakia around Krnov (Jgerndorf). Sweden also admitted large numbers of Greeks, and over 17,000 Greek-Swedish descendants live in the country. Although many immigrants later returned to Greece, these countries still have a number of first- and second-generation Greeks who maintain their traditions.[17]

With the fall of Communism in eastern Europe and the USSR, Greeks of the diaspora immigrated to modern Greece's main urban centers of Athens, Thessaloniki, and Cyprus; many came from Georgia.[17]

Pontic Greeks are Greek-speaking communities originating in the Black Sea region, particularly from the Trebizond region, the Pontic Alps, eastern Anatolia, Georgia, and the former Russian south-Caucasus Kars Oblast. After 191923, most of these Pontic Greek and Caucasus Greek communities resettled in Greek Macedonia or joined other Greek communities in southern Russia and Ukraine.

Anyone who is ethnically Greek and born outside Greece may become a Greek citizen through naturalization if they can prove that a parent or grandparent was a Greek national. The Greek ancestor's birth and marriage certificates and the applicant's birth certificate are required, along with birth certificates for all intervening generations between the applicant and the person with Greek citizenship.

Greek citizenship is acquired by birth by all persons born in Greece who do not acquire a foreign citizenship and all persons born to at least one parent who is a registered Greek citizen. People born out of wedlock to a father who is a Greek citizen and a mother who is a non-Greek automatically gain Greek citizenship if the father recognizes them as his child before they turn 18.[19][20][21]

Centers of the Greek diaspora are New York City,[22] Boston,[23] Chicago,[24] Los Angeles, Munich, London, Melbourne, Wellington,[25] Sydney, Auckland, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Rio de Janeiro, So Paulo, Culiacn Rosales, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires.[17]

The SAE World Council of Hellenes Abroad has compiled several studies on the Greek diaspora. The total number of Greeks living outside Greece and Cyprus is uncertain. Available census figures indicate about three million Greeks outside Greece and Cyprus, but the SAE estimates about seven million worldwide. The Greek diaspora defends Greek interests, particularly in the US.[26] Assimilation and loss of the Greek language influence the definition of the Greek diaspora. To learn more about how factors such as intermarriage and assimilation influence self-identification among young Greeks in the diaspora, and to help clarify the estimates of Greeks in the diaspora, the Next Generation Initiative began an academically supervised research study in 2008.[citation needed]

The United States has the largest ethnically-Greek population outside Greece. According to the US Department of State, the Greek-American community numbers about three million and the vast majority are third- or fourth-generation immigrants.[27] According to the World Council of Churches, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has a membership of 600,000 in the US and Canada who are still Greek Orthodox;[28] however, many Greeks in both countries have adopted other religions or become secular. The 2010 census recorded about 130,000 Greek Americans, although members of the community dispute its accuracy.[citation needed]

Most Greek Canadians live in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The 2016 census reported that 271,405 Canadians were Greek by ancestry and 16,715 people were born in Greece.[29]

Greek immigration to Chile began during the 16th century from the island of Crete. Cretan Greeks settled in the Antofagasta Region in the mid-16th century and spread to other locations, such as the Greek colony in Santiago and the cities of San Diego, Valparaso, Talcahuano, Puerto Mont, and Punta Arenas.[citation needed]

Australia has one of the world's largest Greek communities. Greek immigration to Australia began during the 19th century, increasing significantly in the 1950s and 1960s. According to the 2016 census, there were 397,431 Greeks and Greek Cypriots (by ancestry) living in Australia and 93,740 Greeks born in Greece or Cyprus. According to Greeks around the Globe, Greek Australians number about 700,000.[30] The majority of Greeks in Australia (over 90 percent) are Greek Orthodox and many attend church weekly. According to the SBS, Greeks in Australia have a higher level of church attendance than Greeks in Greece. There are minorities of Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses and Pentecostals. Currently, there are 152 Greek Orthodox churches in Australia, most under jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. In addition, there are 8 monasteries as well as schools, theological colleges and aged care centres.

About 50,000 Greeks immigrated to Brazil from Greece and Cyprus, with 20,000 in the city of Sao Paulo. Brazil has a sizable community of Antiochean Greeks (known as Melkites), Orthodox, Catholics, and Jews. According to the Catholic Church,[31] the Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Paraso em So Paulo (Melkite Greek), the Eparchia Dominae Nostrae Paradisis S. Pauli Graecorum Melkitarum had a 2016 membership of 46,600. The World Council of Churches estimates that the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch has a membership of 90,000 in Latin America, the majority of whom live in Brazil.[32]

About 250 Non-Jewish Greeks immigrated to Ottoman Palestine and Mandatory Palestine for the service of the Greek-Orthodox church in the country between 1850 and 1920, mostly residing in Jerusalem and Nazareth City. About 1,500-2,500 Ethnic Greeks Today, few were able to obtain Greek Citizenship largely due to the refusal of recognition from Greece.[33]

Greeks started to immigrate to Mexico in the late 1800s from mainland and especially the Greek islands and Cyprus. While there was an individual immigration to Mexico, the Mexican government looked to start olive production in the Pacific Coast so thousands were taken to the state of Sinaloa where the Greeks found fortunes in the tomato production instead. Today there are tens of thousands of Greek-Mexicans living primarily in Culiacn, Veracruz, and Mexico City as well as surrounding areas and other cities.

Notable people of the Greek diaspora (including those of Greek ancestry):

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Posted By admin on October 10, 2023

NEW YORK (AP) The Jewish diaspora awoke to horror Saturday in what was supposed to be among the most festive times on the Jewish holiday calendar.

The attacks by the militant group Hamas came after the end of Sukkot, a weeklong celebration to commemorate the harvest season and the time Jews lived in the desert after being freed from slavery in Egypt.

It also came as Jews in the United States were gearing up to celebrate the holiday of Simchat Torah, which marks the beginning of a new annual cycle of the reading of the scrolls and is celebrated in Israel a day earlier.

At synagogues around the globe, the attacks brought a somber tone.

Rabbi Felicia L. Sol opened the morning at Bnai Jeshurun in New York City by telling congregants of the devastating toll from an Hamas attack that came from the air, from the sea and from the land.

At a time that was supposed to be filled with joy, so many were instead entering the holiday knowing that we cant possibly celebrate in the same way that we would if obviously this hadnt happened, she said.

The day, she said, would go on with less melody as congregants joined her in praying that things will be resolved, that those who are wounded will heal and for all the pain that already exists that well find our way through.

The incursion during Simchat Torah in Israel revived painful memories of the 1973 Mideast war practically 50 years to the day, in which Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism and a time of atonement and forgiveness.

I think thats often been the case in these wars, that Israel often gets attacked on a holiday or Sabbath. said Jack Rosen, president of the American Jewish Congress. And, so I dont think thats an accident.

The attack drew condemnation from Jewish communities and organizations spanning from Miami to Vancouver. The Jewish population in the United States was estimated at 7.5 million in 2021 by the Pew Research Center, with significant communities in the New York and Los Angeles areas.

The holiday of Sukkot begins five days after Yom Kippur and is named after the huts, or sukkah, that represent the shelters that freed Jews used in their 40 years in the wilderness. Sometimes the temporary shelters are adorned with fruits, lights and other festively colored decorations.

During the Simchat Torah holiday, people gather to dance with the scrolls marking the end of an annual reading cycle and the beginning of the next.

Maxim Jacobs, 48, said the mood was mournful during Saturday morning services at his synagogue in New Jersey, with worshippers worried about family in Israel.

But he expected a festive evening celebration for Simchat Torah. He said the rabbi told congregants other than traveling to Israel to help defend the country, being joyous is how people can carry on.

We need to get closer together, have joy, tell the terrorists they wont get us down, Jacobs said. We will go on as Jews.

At Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, New York, worshippers opened their service Saturday both welcoming the arrival of the holiday and mourning the attack.

We are holding joy and sorrow at the same time as we often do in Judaism, Associate Cantor Danielle Rodnizki said.

___

Taxin reported from Santa Ana, California.

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Posted By admin on October 10, 2023

Sanjaya Baru writes: Beyond Khalistan issue, BJPs politicisation of diaspora is against national interest  The Indian Express

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Sanjaya Baru writes: Beyond Khalistan issue, BJPs politicisation of diaspora is against national interest - The Indian Express

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Posted By admin on October 8, 2023

St. Louis' Jewish immigrants experienced hardship, division and triumph in the 20th century  KSDK.com

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As a Canadian and a Jew I am ashamed of the honour bestowed to Hunka by Parliament  Toronto Star

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As a Canadian and a Jew I am ashamed of the honour bestowed to Hunka by Parliament - Toronto Star

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Posted By admin on October 8, 2023

The term "diasporas"has no set definition, and its meaning has changed significantly over time, which makes it very difficult to measure. IOM defines diasporas as migrants or descendants of migrants, whose identity and sense of belonging have been shaped by their migration experience and background. (IOM Glossary on Migration, 2019) While the term was originally used to describe the forced displacement of certain peoples, "diasporas"is now generally used to describe those who identify with a "homeland", but live outside of it. Definitions of "diasporas"also include not only first-generation emigrants, but also foreign-born children of these individuals, as long as they maintain some link to their parents home country. These links whether cultural, linguistic, historical, religious or affective are what distinguish diaspora groups from other communities.

Normally, diasporas are characterized by most, if not all, of the following features:

The terms "brain drain", "brain gain", "brain bank"and "brain circulation"are often mentioned in the context of understanding and studying diasporas. IOM defines "brain drain"as the emigration of trained and talented individuals from the country of origin to another country resulting in a depletion of skills/resources in the former. "Brain gain", also called "reverse brain drain"refers to the benefits gained from the immigration of skilled individuals into a country. It has long been understood that when highly skilled or educated individuals emigrate en masse, it can pose problems for their country of origin.

However, in most circumstances the continued involvement of diaspora groups in their countries of origin can provide a solution to brain drain. Since the late 1990s, the positive effects of emigration have given rise to new terms such as "brain circulation"and "brain bank". "Brain circulation"refers to those emigrants who transfer new skills and knowledge invaluable for development to their home country. Even when skilled emigrants do not return to their countries of origin, they often provide the skilled professionals that remained behind with access to the valuable knowledge learned abroad, referred to as "brain bank."(Kapur, 2001).

Members of diasporas may engage in development in their home countries directly or indirectly. Tinajero (2013) identifies five different levels of diasporas involvement in development, ranked here from lowest participation to highest:

Agunias and Newland (2013) provide a helpful overview of countries which have different types of governmental and quasi-governmental diasporas institutions, as well as those which maintain consular networks (see pages 72-90). IOM classifies diasporas institutions based on their position within the government hierarchy, as this often reflects their level of influence within and outside of the government:

The changes in definitions of the term diasporas are also linked to the so-called diasporas turn in policy discourse and practice. Though diasporas-related policies and institutions have existed since the 1800s, an increasing number of governments and international organizations have implemented policies intended to incorporate diaspora populations in a variety of domains since the 1990s (Gamlen, 2014). This stems from a growing recognition that diaspora communities are important development actors, and can improve social, economic and cultural linkages between their home and host countries.

Diasporas-outreach policies include not just traditional consular services for nationals abroad, but also programmes within domestic ministries focusing on, for example, health, welfare, labour, education, economy, culture, or religion. Several countries, including the Philippines, Bangladesh, Canada and Israel, have entire ministries dedicated exclusively to diasporas relations.

While diasporas outreach programmes are often aimed at using remittance money for development, governments increasingly facilitate links in other ways. Many states have made it easier to preserve or access citizenship for diaspora members, or have developed new forms of membership. (Agunias and Newland, 2012)

For example, individuals that can provide evidence of links to their countries of origin can apply for ethnic origin cards in India, Turkey, Croatia and others states. Some states, such as Mexico, have also redesigned structures relating to electoral representation in order to be more inclusive of nationals abroad. In origin states where citizens living abroad are not allowed to vote, political associations may be developed as alternative forms of representations.

Data on diaspora populations are difficult to collect, as emigrants are not automatically members of diasporas, and second- and third-generation descendants of migrants may also be considered or consider themselves to be part of a diasporas group. Generally, there is far more information available on diasporas than there are data. Information is qualitatively different from data, with information suggesting a non-systematic approach. Currently there are no attempts to measure global diaspora populations per se, but the data sources below can act as a proxy for diasporas that maintain links to a certain country of origin. Few data are available on diaspora groups that are linked by a common religion or ethnicity.

Data on emigrant stocks are one such proxy. Many countries report stock data to organizations such as UN DESA, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Statistical Body of the European Union (EUROSTAT). Some countries with high emigration rates include questions on emigration in their national censuses, which often include questions on emigrant destinations, demographic characteristics, education level, and motivation for migration, among others. However, emigrant stock data give an incomplete picture of diaspora populations, for the reasons listed in the above paragraph, and as global migration figures do not always differentiate between short- and long-term migrants.

Data on issues relating to diasporas can also inform our knowledge of diasporas. "Brain drain"and related concepts can be measured through data on the education level of emigrants. For example, the OECD measures the education level among migrants in OECD countries and non-OECD destination countries. Similarly, data on migrant remittances capture just one of many ways in which diasporas influence their home and host countries. Current data on diaspora institutions - defined as "formal state offices devoted to matters concerning emigrants and their descendants abroad" - are available in Alan Gamlens publication.

Additionally, operational data can inform our understanding of diaspora groups. For example, IOMs Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA) programme is a capacity-building programme that promotes the transfer of skills, knowledge, and other resources of African emigrants to their home countries. IOMs implementation of Return of Qualified Nationals (RQN) and Temporary Return of Qualified Nationals (TRQN) programmes has led to more than 4,000 assignments of diaspora worldwide deploying their skills in sectors such as education, health and technology. IOM has also conducted more than 120 surveys assessing diaspora communities, mostly in OECD member states and European nations. Examples include studies on diaspora groups from Zambia, Angola, Morocco and Moldova. Data from similar programmes, such as the UNDPs Transfer of Knowledge through Expatriate Nationals (TOKTEN) programme, have been used to assess the effectiveness of diasporas outreach and training programmes in certain countries, such as Sudan and Syria.

More information is available on diaspora-related topics than there are data. The strengths and weaknesses of proxy data sources are available on the stocks and remittances pages. Studies on diaspora populations conducted by origin countries are often limited by the human and financial costs of conducting large-scale surveys in far-flung locations. Several States, such as Nigeria and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, have databases on diaspora populations that are based on voluntary online registrations, while others collect data based on emigration records. This forces governments of sending countries to rely on data collected by destination countries on, for example, a residents birth country or ancestry. While some destination countries, such as Germany, have conducted studies looking at many aspects of themembers of diasporasliving within their borders, data on diasporas are far from comprehensive.

Currently, research on diasporas-related institutions consists mostly of single-country case studies, with limited comparative analysis and even less quantitative research. This means that the determinants that lead to the development of diasporas outreach policies, as well as any potential best practices in diasporas-related policies, can be further explored.

The Oxford Diasporas Programme, which ended in 2015, was one of the few comparative analyses of diasporas outreach programmes, and also included several other projects measuring the social, economic, political, and cultural impact of diasporas across the world.

As discussed above, data on emigrant stocks can serve as a rough proxy for diaspora populations. However, data on emigrants are difficult to collect, as evidenced by the fact that the total number of immigrants recorded worldwide is higher than the number of emigrants reported. Unlike immigrant stocks, it is difficult to capture the number of emigrants through national census-taking. As many countries do not collect data on potential emigrants as they pass through border controls, it is likely that data on emigrant stocks are lower bounds. (UNSTATS, 2017)

An additional issue is that research on diasporas-related issues focuses overwhelmingly on South-North migration. The lack of attention given to South-South migration means that conceptions of diasporas engagement and brain drain focus on highly skilled and -educated professionals from the global South that have migrated to the Northern hemisphere. This is especially problematic considering that international migrants in the global South outnumber those in the North. The benefits of diasporas engagement are often viewed as a one-way flow of assets from developed countries in the North to the less-developed South, which clearly does not fit the reality of South-South migration. Though many assume that diasporas engagement compensates for brain drain, there is not enough evidence to establish if this holds true for the global South.

2013

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Posted By admin on October 8, 2023

The shortest mainly Political Science definition in the literature about the exceedingly complicated and contested "diaspora" phenomenon, on which there might be a relatively wide consensus, is:Groups of persons of the same ethno-national origin who themselves, or their ancestors, voluntarily or under coercion migrated from one place to another, or to several other places, settled in these other places, and maintain their identity and various kinds of contacts with their place of origin.

However, because of the historic and current tremendous complexity of the phenomenon there is a need for a far more detailed profile that fits most ethno-national diasporas whose members have a common country of origin. The following is such a profile:Historical and modern ethno-national diasporas are cultural-social-political entities, created as a result of either voluntary or forced migration from a homeland, whose members are and regard themselves as of the same ethno-national origin and who permanently reside as minorities in one or several host-countries. Based on individual or group decisions to settle permanently in host-countries, but to maintain a common identity, most core members of diasporas identify as such, show solidarity with their group in their hostland and their entire nation, organize and are active in the cultural, social, economic, and political spheres. The various strategies that organized diasporas can follow include integration, acculturation, communalism, corporatism, autonomism, and isolation. Most established ethno-national diasporas select and implement a combined communalist and autonomist strategy. Members of such entities maintain regular or occasional contacts with their homelands and with individuals and groups of the same ethno-national origin residing in other hostlands. Among their various activities, core members of such diasporas establish local and trans-state networks that deal with the complex relations between diasporas, their host countries, homelands, and international actors. The establishment of diasporic local and trans-state organizations may cause dual loyalty vis--vis hostland and homeland. To avoid the consequences of such a situation, most diasporas accept the basic rules of the game in both their homelands and hostlands. Communal cohesion and solidarity, problems in their hostlands, the wish to support their homelands and their kin in other hostlands, and personal and organizational needs, all prompt diasporas to become engaged in a very wide range of cultural, social, political, and economic ideas and activities.(Sheffer 2003) At the beginning of this millennium, many millions of Greeks, Armenians, Gypsies, Jews, Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Kurds, Irish, Polish, Ukrainians, Hungarians, Germans, and Scandinavians, who have been joined by Koreans, Palestinians, Russians, Pakistanis, Moroccans, Vietnamese, Slovaks, Mexicans, Colombians, and numerous other diasporic entities, fit this profile.

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Diaspora | The Princeton Encyclopedia of Self-Determination

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Posted By admin on October 8, 2023

Diversity, Diaspora and Asian Film Identity Up for Discussion by Busan Festival Jury: We Have Rich Feelings, but Express Them With Difficulty  Variety

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Posted By admin on October 8, 2023

Whos Who Floridas Extremist Landscape

Overlapping White Supremacist/Antisemitic Network

In the state of Florida, an overlapping network of white supremacists has emergedwith the antisemitic Goyim Defense League (GDL) at its center. This network, which often collaborates in planning and executing propaganda distribution campaigns, banner drops, and in-person demonstrations, also includes White Lives Matter (WLM), the New Jersey European Heritage Association (NJEHA), NSDAP (named after the Nazi Party of Germany), Sunshine State Nationalists (SSN), NatSoc Florida (NSF) and the National Socialist Movement (NSM). More information on these groups is provided below.

Many of the individuals in this network, which includes dozens of people, attend events organized by multiple groups. This tactic gives the appearance of larger numbers, and the actions can affect entire communities. This was the case in January 2022, when more than a dozen individuals associated with this white supremacist network participated in a neo-Nazi demonstration in Orlando during which several of the attendees spat on, pepper-sprayed and punched a Jewish man who stopped to confront the group. In February 2022, the Orange County Sheriffs Department arrested and charged three people for their alleged roles in the hate crime assault; NSM leader Burt Colucci and Joshua Terrell, a racist skinhead from Bedford Indiana, are charged with hate crime assault, while Florida-based white supremacist Jason J. Brown has been charged with grand theft.

Goyim Defense League (GDL): GDL, a loose network of antisemitic provocateurs, have established a significant presence in Florida, including Dominic Di Giorgio, who helped launch the networks video streaming platform and the GDLs online store. Led by Jon Minadeo II of Petaluma, California, GDLs overarching goal is to cast aspersion on Jews and spread antisemitic myths and conspiracy theories. In the state of Florida, GDL overlaps with a network of white supremacists and antisemites that routinely distribute propaganda and hold small street actions.

In May 2021, the GDL led an antisemitic Name the Nose tour in central and south Florida, which consisted of 15 straight days of antisemitic stunts including demonstrations outside Jewish institutions, banner drops and propaganda distributions. They also drove around in a van covered in antisemitic and white supremacist symbols, slurs and phrases while shouting profanity-laced slurs from the windows.

The GDL van used during GDLs May 2021 tour in Florida

In October 2021, Di Gorgiousing his personal vandrove approximately six Florida-based GDL devotees to Texas to participate in a similar tour in southeastern Texas. During the tour, while driving members of the group during their antisemitic and racist activities, Di Gorgio was arrested for possession of a license plate flipper which allows a vehicles owner to flip between two license plates.

Jason J. Brown, a Florida-based neo-Nazi who has been active with GDL since at least November 2020, assisted with the organization of GDLs May tour in Florida and attended the Texas tour, along with Di Gorgio. Originally from New Jersey, Brown is also associated with the NJEHA and the NSM. He has attended some of the White Lives Matter events in south and central Florida. In addition to charges related to the previously mentioned January 2022 hate crime assault in Orlando, Brown is also facing unrelated felony domestic battery by strangulation charges in Brevard County.

National Socialist Movement (NSM): NSM is a neo-Nazi group with membership scattered around the country. Openly worshipful of Hitler, the group is one of the most explicitly neo-Nazi organizations in the United States. Its platform calls for an all-white greater America that would deny citizenship and virtually all legal protection to non-whites, Jews and the LGBTQ+ population. NSM reserves the brunt of its vitriol for Jews and immigrants, espousing crudely racist and antisemitic ideology.

NSM is currently led by longtime member Burt Colucci, of Kissimmee, Florida. In addition to charges stemming from the January 2022 hate crime assault in Orlando, Colucci faces several additional charges for allegedly threatening violence. In December of 2021, Colucci was indictedon two counts of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and one count of felony disorderly conduct. Those charges stem from an incident in April of 2021 duringwhich Colucci allegedly pointed a handgun at a group of Black people during an argument and sprayed chemical agents into their vehicle in Chandler, Arizona.

While the NSM is much smaller than it was a decade ago, group members have attended multiple rallies in Florida, often in partnership with the NJEHA, WLM, the GDL or other white supremacist organizations. NSM members have travelled from as far as Washington state to attend these events.

Prominent Florida-based NSM member David Howard Wydner has claimed in online NSM chats that he is spending every waking hour to increase the size of our protests in Florida where I live. Wydner also posted that his goal is to become the most hated man in Florida.

Wydner came to the attention of COE after he engaged in a racist and homophobic rant at a Best Buy in Port Richey, Florida that was caught on video and shared on YouTube on December 12, 2021. In the video, Wydner is seen screaming and cursing at Best Buy staff, shouting white power and the antisemitic catchphrasethe goyim know,and showing off his swastika tattoo. In December 2021, he participated in a White Lives Matter event in Deland, Florida, wearing an NSM-branded shirt and hat. The following day, he participated in a banner drop with members of theGDL in Port Saint John, Florida, on the Ranch Road overpass above I-95, which included a banner that read: "expel the Jews 2022. Wydners active affiliation with NSM, WLM, and GDL illustrates Floridas overlapping network of white supremacists, neo-Nazis and antisemites that are working together to share and spread their hateful views.

New Jersey European Heritage Association (NJEHA): The NJEHA is a New Jersey-based white supremacist group that is active in multiple states including Florida. Founded in 2018, NJEHA believes it is protecting white European people and culture from extinction; their ideology is represented via the groups propaganda distribution, banner drops, flash demonstrations and other public actions. Their propaganda promotes racism and includes antisemitic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-Israel themes.

NSDAP: The NSDAP is a small, Florida-based neo-Nazi group named after the Nazi Party of the Third Reich. Led by Colby Ace Alexander Frank of Florida, the group is most active on the end-to-end encrypted chat service, Telegram, but also operates their own website.

NSDAP demonstrators at Disney World in Orlando in May 2022

NSDAP distributes their own white supremacist propaganda promoting their website, as well as GDL flyers and leaflets. NSDAP members frequently attend White Lives Matter Florida events and rallies, and in February of 2022, they held their own demonstration outside of the Daytona 500 NASCAR event in Daytona Beach, an event that draws more than 100,000 people from across the U.S.

Sunshine State Nationalists (SSN): SSN are a new Florida-based neo-Nazi organization established in early 2022 by Pale Heretic, an associate of GDL and NSM. The group, which refers to itself as Rons Holocaust Task Force, a reference to Governor DeSantis, engages in activism to free the state from Jewish rule from Miami, Dayton, Palm Beach County and Boca Raton.

SSN is highly integrated into Floridas white supremacist network, often operating in conjunction with other groups. In February of 2022, Pale Heretic joined GDL affiliates in a banner drop on an overpass in Orlando which proceeded a rally outside of the venue for the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where SSN and GDL displayed messages reading Jews are the virus, dont say n*gger, and antisemitism is a human right. The events were livestreamed on GDLs antisemitic streaming platform. In April of 2022, Christopher Fara, an Orange County-based neo-Nazi, former skinhead and leader of White Lives Matter Florida, held a demonstration outside of Disney World with approximately three other individuals, distributing GDL and SSN-branded propaganda.

NatSoc Florida (NSF): NSF is an emerging Duval County-based neo-Nazi organization established by white supremacist Joshua Dan Nunes of Jacksonville, who was identified by the Center on Extremism in June of 2022. Since July 2022, the group has dramatically expanded its range of activities, holding demonstrations and distributing antisemitic GDL propaganda along with their own.

White Lives Matter (WLM): WLM is a network of white supremacists who engage in pro-white activism on a designated day each month. WLM promotes a white supremacist worldview, advocating for raising white racial consciousness and the eventual formation of white ethnostates in North America, Europe and Australia. Founded in 2021, the growing network maintains an active presence in more than two dozen states, including Florida. WLMs Florida network is led by Christopher Fara.

In Florida, the local WLM network routinely rallies alongside members of the antisemitic GDL and neo-Nazi groups such as the NSM, NJEHA and NSDAP.

WLM Florida has condemned these outside groups on occasion. During a November 2021 WLM rally in Orlando, members of NSM and GDL shouted racist and antisemitic slurs at passing vehicles. Subsequently, WLM Florida issued a statement, writing on Telegram that several people showed up today that did not promote pro white [sic] unity. Instead, they used our event as a platform to troll and yell obscenities. We do NOT condone this behavior and will be banning anyone who does this in the future. Despite this statement, WLM Florida maintains close ties to, and continues to rally alongside, members of GDL and NSM.

GDL actor Zack Parrott during a WLM Florida rally in January 2022

Key Incidents

Additional White Supremacist Groups operating in Florida

In addition to the overlapping white supremacist network, other white supremacist groups also operate in the state of Florida. These groups are not aligned with the groups in the aforementioned white supremacist network and operate independently, each holding their own events and spreading their brand of white supremacist propaganda.

America First/Groyper Movement: Florida has become a hotbed for America First and Groyper activity in recent years, a loose network of alt right figures who are vocal supporters of white supremacist and America First podcast hostNick Fuentes. Fuentes followers, the so-called Groyper army, present their ideology as more nuanced by aligning with Christianity and traditional American values. Like the other white supremacists, Groypers believe that they are working to defend against demographic and cultural changes that are destroying the true Americaa white, Christian nation.

Groypers identify themselves as American nationalists who are part of the America First movement. To the Groypers, America First means that the U.S. should close its border, bar immigrants, oppose globalism and promote traditional values like Christianity, while opposing liberal values such as feminism and LGBTQ+ rights. Groypers claim not to be racist or antisemitic and see their bigoted views as normal and necessary to preserve white, European-American identity and culture; however, members repeatedly express racist and antisemitic views both online and on the ground.

Many Groypers have recently relocated to Florida. On March 8, 2022, Nicholas J. Fuentes announced his plan to move from Chicago to Florida in the coming months and announced the construction of an America First studio in the state. Other Groypers, including Lauren Witzke, Anthime Gionet (Baked Alaska) and Jared Noble (Woozuh) along with Tyler Russell, the leader of Canada First, the Canadian branch of Fuentes America First movement, also recently moved to the state.

Groyper propaganda alleging Florida is America First Territory.

Since 2020, movement leader Fuentes and America First have organized the America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC) to serve as a white supremacist counterweight to the annual CPAC event held in Orlando in February. AFPAC III, held in 2022, featured nine speakers, including white supremacists, media personalities and political figures, most notably, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. Various special guests were also in attendance, white supremacists Jared Taylor and Peter Brimelow among them.

Fuentes also organized a Big Tech Press Conference in Florida in April 2021, which was attended by a variety of right-wing speakers who have aligned themselves with Fuentes including Michele Malkin, Lauren Witzke and Laura Loomer. Enrique Tarrio and other Proud Boys were also present, but Fuentes did not attend the conference after claiming that he had been placed on the federal No Fly List for his role in the January 6 insurrection.

America Firsts success in attracting sizeable attendance including right wing-influencers and elected officials to events in Florida, like AFPAC and the Big Tech Conference, show the rallying potential of Fuentes and the America First movement. The state will likely continue to serve as a staging ground for the white supremacist movement.

In August 2022, Alejandro Richard Velasquez Gomez was arrested after he allegedly threatened on social media to carry out a mass shooting at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit event in Tampa. The FBI alleges that Gomez posted on his Instagram: July 22 [the first day of the event] is the day of retribution that day I will have revenge against all humanity which all of you will pay for my suffering [sic]. Gomez has been charged with making threatening interstate communications, along with possession of child pornography. In 2021, Gomez, who is also a self-described incel, or involuntary celibate, met and took a picture with Nick Fuentes at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Gomez (right) and Nick Fuentes (left) at CPAC in July 2021

Key Incidents

Endangered Souls: Originally a white supremacist motorcycle riding club, the Endangered Souls are a tiny Florida-based social club also referred to as Crew 519, an alpha numeric representation of E and S. Led by Shawn Mann of Bradenton, the Endangered Souls are dedicated to the advancement and preservation of the white race and have been known to distribute propaganda and hold small private gatherings.

Florida Nationalists: The Florida Nationalists are a neo-Nazi group active throughout the state, but especially in south Florida, where they distribute propaganda and stage small demonstrations. Though established in early 2022, the Florida Nationalists have already spread messaging to large audiences using quick response (QR) codes on stickers and flyers. These scannable codes, displayed alongside cryptic messaging like scan me if white and the only way to keep Florida red is to keep Florida white, quickly navigate passersby to the groups accounts and other sites that share their antisemitic and white supremacist ideology.

In May of 2022, an individual associated with the group prominently displayed a banner reading end the war on whites written above the groups logo, a Totenkopf with sunglasses, at the Broward County Main Library in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Florida Nationalists in Fort Lauderdale May 2022

League of the South (LoS): LoS is a white supremacist group that advocates for southern secession and an independent, white-dominated South. Originally a neo-Confederate organization, LoS, and its founder and leader, Michael Hill of Killian, Alabama, have adopted overtly racist and antisemitic rhetoric. The group organizes white supremacist rallies, private conferences and occasional flash demonstrations.

Even in its early years, the LoS attracted some hard-core extremists to its ranks, including Michael Tubbs, a Florida-based white supremacist. In 1987, Tubbs and another person assaulted and robbed two Black soldiers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, while yelling, this is for the Klan. Authorities discovered an arsenal of weapons and explosives connected to Tubbs, much of it stolen from military installationsand some subsequently sold to white supremacist groups. By then, Tubbs had his own group, the Knights of the New Order, and was plotting to target black and Jewish-owned businesses. In 1991, Tubbs pleaded guilty to federal weapons charges, and following his release from prison, he joined the LoS and eventually became a leader in its Florida chapter. Tubbs remains a key member of the LoS as leader of the Florida chapter and as a de facto right-hand of Michael Hill.

Another Florida-based LoS member is William Finck, a Christian Identity preacher who operates a Christian Identity network called Christogenea.

Though relatively inactive compared to other extremist groups in the state, the LoS continues to network, recruit and hold events in Florida. In June 2022, the LoS held their annual national conference in Lake City, which included as speakers founder Michael Hill, and prominent white supremacists David Duke and Kevin MacDonald. The Florida chapter also hosts an annual conference in the Lake City area.

Key Incidents

Patriot Front: Patriot Front is a white supremacist group whose members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it to them alone. They define themselves as American fascists or American nationalists who are focused on preserving Americans identity as a European-American one. Starting in 2020, Patriot Front transitioned from using explicit antisemitic and white supremacist language in its propaganda to more covert bigoted language, promoting a form of patriotism that emboldens white supremacy, xenophobia, antisemitism, and fascism. Patriot Front often uses its rhetoric and propaganda to target its perceived enemies. This has included leaving flyers at a Black church, stickering LGBTQ+ community centers and vandalizing George Floyd memorials and other inclusiveness murals in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Kentucky.

Since it splintered from Vanguard America in 2017, Patriot Front has grown into one of the most prominent and consistently active white supremacist groups operating within the United States. In 2021, Patriot Front distributed nearly 4,000 pieces of propaganda more than 82 percent of all white supremacist propaganda incidents nationally distributing propaganda in every state except Hawaii and Alaska. As revealed in their communications, leaked by Unicorn Riot in January 2022, these high propaganda numbers are driven by a weekly propaganda quota which members are required to meet. Florida remained a target for many of the group's actions.

Patriot Front is led by a national team, directed by Thomas Rousseau, and networks, which oversee the state level activities including meetings, propaganda distributions, and local recruitment. Patriot Front Florida, Network 16, is led by Stephen James Trimboli, aka Lawrence FL."

Since January 2021, there have been 150 incidents of Patriot Front activity in the state of Florida. The majority of these incidents involved white supremacist propaganda in the form of graffiti, banner drops, and flyers. In October 2021, approximately a dozen Patriot Front members ran a paramilitary drill in Tallahassee, Florida, where members took part in shield-wall maneuvers, extraction drills and other training. Each regional network was allegedly expected to hold these drilling sessions in preparation for their December 2021 annual flash demonstration in Washington, D.C. On June 11, 2022, one of the key organizers of the Tallahassee training event, Wesley Evan Van Horn, was arrested along with 30 other Patriot Front members on misdemeanor criminal conspiracy charges after police stopped their U-Haul truck near a Pride in the Park event in Coeur dAlene, Idaho. According to law enforcement reports, individuals were found with a smoke bomb and riot shields. Van Horn, who lives in Alabama, is an alleged regional Network Director, covering the areas of northern Alabama, Georgia and southern Tennessee, who traveled to Florida for the training.

Key Incidents

Patriot Front members drill in Tallahassee (Source: Tallahassee Democrat)

Unforgiven: The Unforgiven are a large white supremacist prison/street gang based in in Florida. Members and associates of the group have faced mounting legal issues in 2021.

Sixteen members were arrested in July 2021 for violent crimes in aid of racketeering including murder, kidnapping, robbery and obstruction of justice. Included in those arrested was David Allen Howell of Zolfo Springs who was charged with assaulting protestors by allegedly pulling a machete at a Peace Walk for Black Lives in June 2020.

In July 2021, Unforgiven member Michael Curzio of Summerfield was sentenced to six months incarceration and $500 in restitution after pleading guilty to one misdemeanor for his participation in the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building.

United Skinhead Nation (USN): USN is a small Okeechobee-based racist skinhead crew that was formed by John Kopko in mid-2018 after leaving the Hammerskins, one of the oldest hardcore racist skinhead groups in the United States. USN has a small national presence and is structured with regional crews. USN typically holds an annual event called Swamp Fest, a private white supremacist festival featuring food, speakers and music.

USN members participating in Swamp Fest October 2020

Vinlanders Social Club (VSC): The VSC is a small hardcore racist skinhead gang that originated in the mid-west in the mid-2000s. It has a high association with violence, including multiple murders. Today, the largest chapter of the gang resides in Florida and is led by Don Hansard of Davie.

Since 2018, VSC Florida has fostered an alliance with the Unforgiven prison gang. When referencing the alliance members use the phrase Only the Folk. In August 2018, Hansard wrote on Facebook, OTF transcends crew lines. We are one Folk. In May 2021, members of both gangs traveled together to visit Stone Mountain Park in Georgia.

VSC and Unforgiven members at private gathering in November 2020

Proud Boys

TheProud Boysare a right-wing extremist group with a violent agenda. They are primarilymisogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and anti-immigration. Some members espouse white supremacist and antisemitic ideologies and/or engage with white supremacist groups. Proud Boys are known to attend public rallies and protests sporting black and yellow Fred Perry polo shirts, other black and yellow clothing, and tactical vests. Members have been known to engage in violent tactics and several members have been convicted of violent crimes.

2020was a significant year for the Proud Boys, during which the group solidified its status as one of the most visible and most active right-wing extremist group in the country. As the nation grappled with the pandemic, members of the Proud Boys became a regular sight at anti-lockdown protests, using the demonstrations not only to raise their profile, but as recruitment opportunities. In 2021, Proud Boys members accounted for the highest numbers of extremist arrestees in relation to the January 6insurrection, including at least eleven Floridians who allegedly belong to local Proud Boys chapters. Additionally,Proud Boys latched on to anti-mask and anti-vaccine activism, attending, and at times disrupting, school board meetings as well as related protests and rallies.

In 2022, the Proud Boys continue to struggle with leadership issues as influential members remain incarcerated and face legal challenges related to their participation in the January 6insurrection. In June 2022, former National Chairman of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, and four other influential Proud Boys members were also charged with seditious conspiracy related to the insurrection. These are some of the most serious charges levied against any insurrection participants and the charges carry a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years if convicted.This is, in part, why the Proud Boys have moved to a more grassroots leadership and organizational structure, with individual chapters exerting increased autonomy. Coalitions of chapters have developed in Florida, with some chapters aligned with former National Chairman Enrique Tarrio, and other chapters aligning around their distaste for Tarrio. This distancing is based on the political, rally-going, and often violent, direction Tarrio took the group and also based on allegations that broke in January 2021, claiming that Tarrio was an FBI informant. In February 2022, Tarrio told the Miami New Times that he would be taking a step back from leadership of the Proud Boy after organizing "the mess in South Florida's Proud Boys."

There are 15 chapters affiliated with the Proud Boys in the state of Florida, which has been divided into 6 zones. Most Florida chapters are actively recruiting new members through their own Telegram channels and websites.

The former Proud Boys National Chairman, Enrique Tarrio, founded the original Miami Vice City chapter of the Proud Boys, and thus Florida has served as a major hub of Proud Boys activity and influence.

2021 was a year of major changes for the Proud Boys. Tarrio was absent from the Insurrection on January 6, 2021,having been arrested two days priorfor the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner outside of a historic Black church and for the possession of a high-capacity firearm magazine. However, Tarrio was allegedly still directing insurrection related action according to federal charges in an indictment of Tarrio and five other Proud Boys members. Tarrio spent five months in prison in 2021 on charges related to the banner burning, and quickly returned to prison with the new federal charges related to his role in inciting the insurrection. 2021 saw the split of the Miami chapter and major friction and in-fighting between Florida Proud Boys members. In January 2021, allegations broke that Tarrio was an FBI informant which led to initial descension within the group and leading a few chapters, including chapters outside of Florida, to declare autonomy from the National Proud Boys organization. The Vice City (Miami) chapter, which Tarrio founded, turned against him and this chapter was denounced by the national Proud Boys organization. After this denunciation, a new South Florida chapter was formed.

In February 2022, Tarriotold the Miami New Timesthat he was stepping down as National Chairman of the Proud Boys and planned to create a new organization for political activism for right-wing causes. Since Tarrios arrest on March 8, 2022, on federal charges related to the Insurrection, his future involvement with the Proud Boys remains uncertain. For the Proud Boys as an organization, this means it is time to find a new leader or lean further into chapter autonomy and let individual chapter presidents make their own rules. Currently, it is a fight between autonomy and a national leadership still clinging to and attempting to assert control over the chapters. Confusion has punctuated the first half of 2022 for the Proud Boys organization without clear national leadership or direction and as a result, chapters have taken more of the reins. Previously "denounced" chapters have ignored their exclusion from the national organization and have continued to operate as autonomous Proud Boys chapters.

According to the New York Times, at least 6 current and former members of the Proud Boys have seats on the 2021-2022 Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee. Of the Proud Boys on the committee, two are facing federal charges related to their participation in the insurrection. Proud Boys membership on this committee represents the Proud Boys most successful foray into local politics by far, a strategy increasingly encouraged over the past two years as the National Proud Boys leadership lost influence and eventually dissolved with many of the leading Proud Boys members incarcerated and/or facing charges related to the insurrection.

Proud Boys in Miami, May 2021

Key Incidents

Anti-Government Extremism

Oath Keepers: The Oath Keepers are a large but loosely organized national collection of right-wing anti-government extremists who are part of the militia movement, which believes that the federal government has been coopted by a shadowy conspiracy that is trying to strip American citizens of their rights. The Oath Keepers accept anyone as members, but what differentiates them from other anti-government extremist groups is their explicit focus on recruiting current and former military, law enforcement and first responder personnel. According to a recent leak of Oath Keeper membership data, approximately 2,700 people signed up with the organization using Florida addresses. While this number does not necessarily indicate present Florida membership or activity in the group, as people may have passed away, moved out of state, or signed up without engaging, the groups level of recruitment in Florida is still troubling.

The Oath Keepers gained national notoriety for their participation in the January 6 insurrection. Of the Oath Keepers arrested in connection to the insurrection, at least seven are Florida residents, four of whom are facing charges of seditious conspiracy. Of note, Florida resident Kelly Meggs, who is of the individuals charged with seditious conspiracy and the state lead for the Florida Oath Keepers, allegedly claimed to have organized an alliance between the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and Three Percenters in the lead up to January 6. Three of the indicted Oath Keepers also allegedly attended two gunfight-oriented training events in Leesburg, Florida.

Sovereign Citizen Movement: The sovereign citizen movement is a loosely organized collection of groups and individuals who believe that in the 19th century, a shadowy group of conspirators infiltrated the original, lawful government of the United States and subverted it into an illegitimate, tyrannical government that has been using secret contracts to enslave all Americans. Sovereign citizens claim that people can divorce themselves from this illegitimate government, which thereafter has no jurisdiction or authority over them. While their beliefs seem like nonsense to outsiders, sovereign citizens can pose a threat to public officials, law enforcement, and civilians, waging war against their perceived enemies using paper terrorism harassment and intimidation tactics and in some cases, resorting to violence.

Over the past year, a small but growing number of QAnon adherents have openly embraced sovereign citizen beliefs and tactics. One of the major drivers of this trend is Florida-based QAnon influencer Ann Vandersteel, who began working with popular sovereign citizen guru Bobby Lawrence to correct her citizenship status in July 2021, and in January 2022, she announced on Telegram that she had completed the process and had officially become an American State National. Lawrence, along with fellow sovereign citizen guru David Straight, has hosted dozens of seminars across the U.S., where they teach followers their theories and tactics. The pair held two American State National seminars in Florida this year: Lawrence taught a seminar in Destin in July 2022 that was attended by around 140 individuals, and Straight taught a seminar in Fort Myers in May 2022 that was attended by around 125 people.

Key Incidents

QAnon

QAnon is a baseless, wide-reaching big tent conspiracy theory popular among a range of right-wing extremists and some high-profile supporters of former president Trump. The movement is scattershot and sprawling, and includes anti-government elements, as well as marked undertones of antisemitism and xenophobia. QAnon is a dangerous conspiracy theory that has inspired violent acts and has eroded trust in democratic institutions.

QAnon theories are based on alleged intelligence provided by an anonymous figure known as Q, who QAnon adherents believe is part of a military intelligence operation leaking information to the public about a secret war being waged by former president Donald Trump against the Deep State, a cabal of shadowy, Satan-worshipping pedophiles who control world governments and engage in child sex trafficking. QAnon adherents believe that members of the cabal will be brought to justice during the Storm, a day of reckoning in which the cabal and its collaborators will be arrested en masse and sent to Guantanamo Bay, where they will face military tribunals and possible execution. The theory has spread widely over the past two years, gaining a significant foothold in the mainstream conservative movement. Q re-emerged in June 2022 after 18 months of silence, sparking a renewed sense of hope among adherents that Qs outlandish predictions will soon come true.

Across the United States, QAnon supporters have run for a handful of elected positions at the local, state, and federal levels. ADL has identified 12 candidates running for Congress in Florida this year who have expressed some level of support for QAnon. Carla Spalding, who is running for Floridas 25th Congressional District, was the only QAnon-linked candidate to win the Aug. 2022 primary and advance to the November general election. Independent candidate Christine Scott, who is running for Floridas 23rd Congressional District, also qualified for the general election ballot. Four QAnon-linked candidates ran for Congress in Florida in 2020, according to Media Matters. Florida is also home to several popular QAnon figures, including former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and notoriously antisemitic QAnon influencer Robert GhostEzra Smart.

Key Incidents

Black Nationalist Extremism

Black Hebrew Israelites: The Black Hebrew Israelite (BHI) movement is a fringe religious movement that rejects widely accepted definitions of Judaism and asserts that people of color are the true children of Israel. The movement includes both extremist and non-extremist factions. Members of extremist BHI sects promote virulent antisemitism, including asserting that Jews are liars and false worshipers of God, Jews have no right to Israel as a homeland, Jews purposely enslaved Black individuals to steal their identity, and that Jews are imposters or fake Jews. Judaism is frequently referred to as the Synagogue of Satan byantisemitic BHIfollowers.

While the headquarters for most of the larger extremist BHI sects are located outside the state, several groups have chapters in Florida. Israel United in Christ (IUIC), the Israelite School of Universal Practical Knowledge (ISUPK), and the Sicarii Hebrew Israelites all have chapters in Florida. Cities with active chapters include Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, and Tallahassee. ISUPK members from across the country gathered in Cocoa Beach, FL in April 2022 for the groups 53rd Annual Passover gathering.

Thee Light of Zion (LOZ), a smaller extremist BHI sect, is headquartered in Florida in Fort Lauderdale, Broward County. The group also has chapters in Lee County, Miami-Dade County, and the Treasure Coast region. Its members sometimes partner with other BHI groups, including the Sicarii.

BHI chapters common activities include street teaching and other public speaking events. They frequently post livestreams of their street and classroom teachings on social media, where they can reach many followers. IUICs Florida chapters, for example, have 10K30K subscribers each, while LOZs main YouTube channel has approximately 20K subscribers.

Nation of Islam: The Nation of Islam (NOI), the largest Black nationalist organization in the U.S., maintains a consistent record of antisemitism and bigotry since its founding in the 1930s. Nonetheless, some mainstream figures and groups, including elected officials and celebrities, have publicly supported the NOI, focusing on the groups community-based efforts while overtly ignoring or minimizing the groups well-established hate-filled record.

During his 40-year tenure as the NOIs leader, Louis Farrakhan has built a legacy of divisiveness as one of the most prominent figures promoting antisemitism in America, frequently referring to Jews as the Synagogue of Satan and fake Jews. Farrakhan has also espoused anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-white bigotry, as well as a range of conspiratorial beliefs. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, NOI leaders have publicly blamed the Jews for the pandemic and peddled vaccine conspiracy theories, instructing their followers not to trust the vaccine mafia.

NOI operates numerous local chaptersdesignated as numbered Muhammad Mosques for chapters with larger memberships or Study Groups for smaller locationsacross Florida, including in Fort Lauderdale (Muhammad Mosque No. 82), Jacksonville (Muhammad Mosque No. 66), Miami (Muhammad Mosque No. 29), Orlando (Study Group), Pensacola (Muhammad Mosque No. 98), St. Petersburg (Muhammad Mosque No. 95), Tampa (Muhammad Mosque No. 47), and Winter Haven (Study Group).

The NOIs Tampa and Jacksonville locations both achieved mosque status in 2021, indicating a recent increase in their membership. The Miami mosque serves as one of the NOIs Regional Headquarters.

New Black Panther Party for Self Defense: TheNew Black Panther Party for Self Defense(NBPP) is the largest organized Black militant group in the country.NBPP ideology blends aspects of Black Nationalism, Pan-Africanism, antisemitism, and anti-white bigotry. The NBPP also has ties to the NOI. The NBPPs divisive positions have been condemned by members of the original Black Panthers.

The group is active in various cities throughout the state, including in Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Tampa. Activities include holding armed demonstrations, leading trainings, and organizing community events. Local leaders and group members sometimes travel outside of Florida to participate in NBPP events in other states. The NBPPs activities also include working with other Black nationalist groups.

The NBPP has regularly drawn attention for its calls for violence against law enforcement, white people, and others, including in Florida. After the shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman in Sanford, FL in 2012, for example, local NBPP representatives offered a $10,000 bounty for the capture of Zimmerman dead or alive.

Other groups: The Uhuru Movement, also known as the International Peoples Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM), is a Florida-based international socialist Black separatist organization. Founded in the 1970s, the Uhuru Movement is affiliated with the African Peoples Socialist Party (APSP), whose co-founder and chairman is Omali Yeshitela. The Uhuru Movement has ties to antisemitic Black nationalist organizations, including the Nation of Islam (NOI), New Black Panther Party for Self Defense (NBPP) and the Black Hammer Organization.

In July 2022, federal agents conducted a raid at the Uhuru Movements headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida, in connection to an investigation into Russian national Aleksandr Viktorovich Ionov, who is accused of conspiring to use multiple Black nationalist groups in the U.S. to spread pro-Russia propaganda and interfere in U.S. elections. The Atlanta, GA-based Black Hammer Organizationwhose leader, Augustus Cornelius Romain, Jr. (AKA Gazi Kodzo), formerly served as a leader in the Uhuru Movementwas also connected to the alleged pro-Russian conspiracy. Neither Uhuru Movement nor Black Hammer Organization leaders have been charged in the federal case against Ionov.

Recent criminal activity: The most notable recent instance of violence perpetrated by a Black nationalist extremist in Florida came in June 2021, when Othal O-Zone Wallace allegedly shot Daytona Beach police officer Jason Raynor, who died from his injuries two months later. An investigation after Wallaces arrest uncovered multiple connections to Black nationalist groups. Wallace had participated in events organized by the Not Fucking Around Coalition (NFAC), a Georgia-based Black nationalist paramilitary group. In early 2021, Wallace appears to have broken ties with NFAC and founded Black Nation, a group that combined the militant style of the NFAC with BHI ideology. Wallace had also participated in events with and received support from members of the NBPP, who continue to lead fundraising efforts for Wallaces legal defense in 2022.

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Hate in the Sunshine State: Extremism & Antisemitism in Florida ... - ADL

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