‘All Jews must die’ – Antisemitic cyberstalker arrested by FBI

Mississippi man repeatedly called synagogues and Jewish owned-businesses, telling those who answered the phone that “Hitler should have finished the job.”

By World Israel News Staff

A federal indictment was filed against a Mississippi man who made repeated harassing phone calls, including death threats, to synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses.

Donavon Parish, 28, is charged with cyberstalking and communicating interstate threats, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Parish reportedly called up synagogues and Jewish-owned businesses in Pennsylvania between April and May 2022, telling those who answered that “all Jews must die,” “we will put you in work camps,” “gas the Jews,” “Heil Hitler,” and “Hitler should have finished the job.”

Parish’s choice to target Jewish institutions in Pennsylvania is significant, as the Jewish community in the region is still reeling from the 2018 massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, which marked the deadliest mass shooting against Jews in U.S. history.

The investigation against Parish, who allegedly leveraged voice-changing technology and web-based spoofed phone numbers which he believed would hide his true identity, was conducted by the FBI.

He called one business at least 15 times, as well as a synagogue whose campus hosts a preschool and kindergarten.

The felony charges and potential penalties against Parish are enhanced by a grand jury’s finding that he “targeted his victims based on their actual and perceived religion,” the Justice Department said.

If he is convicted, Parish could face up to 50 years in prison and a $2.5 million fine.

Parish’s hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, has a negligible Jewish population of some 130 people out of nearly 50,000 residents. The community has one Reform synagogue.

The indictment did not indicate that Parish had threatened or targeted that synagogue.

According to research by the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic hate crimes rose by a staggering 36 percent in 2022, along with threats towards Jewish institutions.