The Architecture of Digital Vigilantism: An Exhaustive Investigative Report on the Controversies, Legal Challenges, and Allegations of Criminality Surrounding Liora Rez and StopAntisemitism
1. Introduction: The Weaponization of Digital Accountability
In the contemporary digital landscape, the mechanisms of social accountability have undergone a radical transformation. What began as "cancel culture"—a phenomenon primarily associated with progressive movements seeking to hold powerful figures accountable for sexual misconduct or racism—has been co-opted, engineered, and industrialized by right-wing advocacy groups. At the forefront of this shift is Liora Rez (born Liora Reznichenko), a Ukrainian-born influencer turned executive director, and her organization, StopAntisemitism.
This report provides an exhaustive, forensic examination of Liora Rez’s operations. It moves beyond the surface-level descriptions of "advocacy" to investigate the structural, financial, and legal underpinnings of an organization that critics, legal scholars, and civil rights groups allege has crossed the threshold from activism into digital vigilantism, defamation, and organized harassment.
The mandate of StopAntisemitism, ostensibly to combat the rising tide of anti-Jewish hatred, has been subsumed by a broader political agenda: the enforcement of ideological conformity regarding the State of Israel. Through a sophisticated network of social media channels, "dark money" funding streams, and direct coordination with institutional power brokers, Rez has constructed an apparatus capable of inflicting severe reputational and economic damage on private individuals.
However, this aggressive posture has precipitated a cascade of legal controversies and allegations of criminality. From the dissemination of materially false accusations regarding "swastikas" that were never drawn, to the alleged doctoring of evidence in employment disputes, and the filing of dubious foreign agent accusations against children’s entertainers, the operational footprint of Liora Rez is marked by a reckless disregard for truth and due process.
2. The Architect: Liora Rez and the Genesis of StopAntisemitism
2.1 From "Jewish Chick" to Executive Director
To understand the operational ethos of StopAntisemitism, one must examine the trajectory of its founder. Liora Rez was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, during the Soviet era, a period marked by state-sponsored antisemitism. Her family immigrated to the United States when she was a child, a biographical detail she frequently invokes to legitimate her hardline stance against perceived threats to Jewish safety.
Before the formalization of StopAntisemitism in October 2018, Rez operated under the moniker "Jewish Chick" starting in 2013.
Unlike traditional civil rights organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which historically prioritized research, education, and law enforcement liaison work, Rez’s model was built for speed and punishment. The goal, as explicitly stated by Rez, is to "create consequences".
2.2 The "Grassroots" Façade vs. The Funding Reality
StopAntisemitism consistently frames itself as a "grassroots watchdog," a descriptor that implies a decentralized base of small-dollar donors and community volunteers.
The organization does not file a standard Form 990 as an independent public charity in the same manner as larger nonprofits, often rendering its finances opaque.
The Milstein Connection
The Merona Leadership Foundation is inextricably linked to Adam Milstein, a real estate investor and philanthropist known for his aggressive approach to pro-Israel advocacy. Milstein has publicly advocated for "going on the offense" against critics of Israel and has been associated with funding initiatives that target the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The financial symbiosis between Merona and StopAntisemitism is documented in tax filings:
Executive Compensation: In 2022, the Merona Leadership Foundation paid Liora Rez a salary of $125,633 for her role as Executive Director.
10 Operational Funding: The foundation provided approximately $270,000 to the organization for expenses in the same year.
3 Asset Scale: The Merona Leadership Foundation reported total assets of nearly $2.5 million and revenue exceeding $3.1 million in 2023.
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This funding structure suggests that StopAntisemitism functions less as a grassroots movement and more as a specialized tactical arm of the Milstein philanthropic network. The use of a fiscal sponsor allows the organization to mask the identity of other donors and operate with a degree of insulation from public scrutiny that independent nonprofits typically face. Critics argue this setup constitutes a "dark money" operation designed to influence American public discourse, academic freedom, and employment practices without the accountability required of transparent political action committees.
| Financial Metric (2022-2023) | Data Point | Source |
| Liora Rez Salary | $125,633 | Merona Leadership Foundation Form 990 |
| Direct Expense Allocation | ~$270,000 | Merona Leadership Foundation Form 990 |
| Merona Total Revenue (2023) | $3,187,345 | IRS Filings |
| Key Funder | Adam & Gila Milstein | Public Disclosures |
2.3 Ideological Scope and Target Selection
The ideological framework of StopAntisemitism is defined by the rigid application of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. While this definition is widely used, it is also fiercely contested because it includes examples that conflate criticism of the State of Israel (e.g., calling it a "racist endeavor") with antisemitism.
Rez utilizes this definition to cast a wide net, targeting:
Palestinian Rights Activists: Framed inherently as supporting terrorism or seeking the destruction of the Jewish people.
1 Anti-Zionist Jews: Labeled as "self-hating," "useful idiots," or "kapos" (a slur referring to Jewish collaborators in Nazi concentration camps).
1 Muslim Civil Rights Groups: Specifically CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), which Rez has petitioned to ban from college campuses.
3 Children’s Entertainers and Educators: Such as Ms. Rachel, targeted for expressing humanitarian concern for Gazan children.
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By categorizing political speech as hate speech, Rez justifies the use of "consequence culture" tactics—doxxing, employer harassment, and shaming—against individuals engaging in constitutionally protected expression.
3. The Mechanics of Reputation Destruction: Operational Methodology
The efficacy of StopAntisemitism lies in its operational workflow, which transforms passive social media monitoring into active reputational destruction. This "kill chain" involves several distinct phases: Identification, Verification (ostensibly), Amplification, and Consequences.
3.1 The "Name and Shame" Protocol
The organization solicits "tips" from the public via its website and social media channels. Rez claims that her team "vets the submission for accuracy, ensures it has not been edited, and confirms the location of the incident".
Once a target is selected, the organization publishes their name, photograph, employer, and social media profiles to its audience of hundreds of thousands. This triggers a decentralized swarm of harassment. Followers are explicitly instructed to contact the target's employer or university to demand termination or expulsion. The volume of these communications often overwhelms HR departments and university administrators, leading to "risk-mitigation" firings where institutions terminate the employee to stop the influx of negative attention, rather than based on a fair adjudication of the conduct.
3.2 "Antisemite of the Week" and "Antisemite of the Year"
To gamify this process and maintain audience engagement, StopAntisemitism features a weekly "Antisemite of the Week" and an annual "Antisemite of the Year." These titles are branded with high-contrast, mugshot-style graphics designed for maximum shareability.
The selection for "Antisemite of the Year" reveals the organization's political priorities.
2021: The winner was Anuradha Mittal, board chair of Ben & Jerry's. Her "crime" was the corporate board's decision to cease sales in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
3 This conflation of a commercial boycott of occupied territory with Jew-hatred illustrates the organization's function as a defender of Israeli state policy rather than Jewish safety.2022: The title went to Kanye West (Ye), a selection that aligned with the mainstream consensus regarding his overt antisemitic outbursts.
13 2025: The shortlist included Ms. Rachel (Rachel Accurso), a preschool teacher and YouTuber, for fundraising for children in Gaza.
3 This nomination sparked significant backlash and highlighted the organization's drift into extremism, where humanitarian empathy for Palestinians is pathologized as antisemitism.
3.3 The "StopDontShop" Initiative
In November 2023, Rez launched StopDontShop.org, a platform designed to facilitate economic warfare against businesses.
4. Anatomy of Disinformation: Fabrications and Conspiracy Theories
A central pillar of the "criminality" allegations against Liora Rez involves the dissemination of demonstrable falsehoods. While the organization markets itself as a source of truth, its track record includes significant instances of fabrication, conspiracy theorizing, and the refusal to retract false claims even when presented with incontrovertible evidence.
4.1 The Druskinis "Swastika" Fabrication
The case of Johnny Druskinis represents a watershed moment in the exposure of StopAntisemitism’s reckless disregard for the truth.
The Incident: On August 22, 2023, Druskinis, a University of Michigan hockey player, vandalized a sidewalk near the Jewish Resource Center in Ann Arbor. Security footage confirmed he spray-painted a penis and the slur "fag".
2 While the act was homophobic and vandalism, it was not antisemitic symbology.The Disinformation: On September 30, 2023, StopAntisemitism published a post on X stating: "University of Michigan hockey has given Johnny Druskinis the boot after he was caught on camera spray painting swastikas onto the Jewish Resource Center".
2 The Impact: The claim that he painted swastikas transformed the narrative from one of juvenile delinquency/homophobia to one of neo-Nazi hate crime. This distinction is legally material. Being labeled a "swastika painter" carries a unique and permanent social stigma that "graffiti artist" does not.
The Refusal to Correct: Despite the Jewish Resource Center and local police reports confirming the nature of the graffiti (penis, not swastika), StopAntisemitism did not immediately retract or correct the post. They continued to host the "Antisemite of the Week" content featuring the false claim. This incident formed the basis of a defamation lawsuit in which the court found the allegation of "swastikas" to be factually false and capable of sustaining a defamation claim.
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4.2 The "Pallywood" Dolls Conspiracy
During the bombardment of Gaza in late 2023 and 2024, StopAntisemitism actively propagated the "Pallywood" conspiracy theory—the notion that Palestinians stage their suffering using crisis actors and props.
The Allegation: In October and December 2023, the organization posted images of dead Palestinian infants, claiming they were "dolls".
3 The Verification: These claims were debunked by multiple independent fact-checkers and on-the-ground journalists who confirmed the identities and deaths of the children.
Fake Cold Deaths: The organization also claimed that reports of children freezing to death in Gaza were "fake," alleging the images were sourced from Wikipedia. Humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, confirmed that freezing temperatures and lack of shelter were indeed causing child mortality.
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This pattern of behavior moves beyond "controversy" into the realm of atrocity denial. By using her platform to convince hundreds of thousands of followers that war crimes are staged, Rez actively impedes the public's understanding of a humanitarian crisis. This dehumanization strategy—rendering dead children as "plastic dolls"—is a hallmark of extremist propaganda and raises questions about the ethical (if not criminal) culpability of the organization in inciting hatred against Palestinian victims.
4.3 The Ms. Rachel "Hamas Propaganda" Smear
The targeting of Rachel Accurso (Ms. Rachel) illustrates the organization's willingness to fabricate narratives to destroy reputations.
The Smear: StopAntisemitism accused Ms. Rachel of spreading "Hamas-aligned propaganda" simply because she posted about the suffering of children in Gaza and cited UN casualty figures.
7 The Fabrication: Rez claimed, without evidence, that Ms. Rachel might be "remunerated" (paid) to disseminate this propaganda.
The Legal Escalation: Rez signed a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice demanding an investigation into Ms. Rachel under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
7 The Reality: There was zero evidence to suggest a children's YouTuber was a paid agent of Hamas. The invocation of federal law enforcement against a private citizen for humanitarian speech represents a weaponization of the justice system based on fabricated suspicions.
5. Legal Warfare: Case Studies in Civil Liability and Alleged Criminality
The aggressive tactics of StopAntisemitism have inevitably led to the courtroom. While many targets lack the resources to sue, several high-profile cases have exposed the legal vulnerabilities of Rez’s operation. These lawsuits allege a spectrum of unlawful conduct, from defamation to tortious interference and conspiracy.
5.1 Druskinis v. StopAntisemitism (Eastern District of Michigan)
Case No. 2:23-cv-13046
This lawsuit offers the most detailed judicial examination of Rez's fact-checking failures.
Jurisdictional Battle: StopAntisemitism attempted to dismiss the case by arguing that as a Florida-based entity, it was not subject to Michigan jurisdiction. The court rejected this, ruling that by intentionally targeting a Michigan resident and communicating with Michigan institutions (the University and local media) to cause harm in Michigan, the organization established jurisdiction.
2 Defamation Findings: The court’s opinion on the Motion to Dismiss was pivotal. While dismissing some claims as "opinion" (e.g., calling conduct "antisemitic" is a protected opinion), the court upheld the defamation claim regarding the swastikas. The judge noted that the statement "spray painting swastikas" is a statement of fact that can be proven true or false. Since it was false, and since StopAntisemitism arguably knew or should have known it was false (given the available police reports), the claim survived.
2 Outcome: Druskinis voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit in May 2025. While the terms were not disclosed, such dismissals often follow settlements. The survival of the defamation claim past the motion to dismiss stage is a significant legal precedent, establishing that digital watchdogs cannot fabricate facts to support their "opinion" that someone is an antisemite.
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5.2 AbouYabis v. Emory University and StopAntisemitism (Northern District of Georgia)
Case No. 1:25-cv-02438
This active litigation, filed in May 2025, alleges a coordinated conspiracy between Rez and university insiders to terminate a Palestinian-American physician.
The Plaintiff: Dr. Abeer AbouYabis, a hematologist and Assistant Professor at Emory School of Medicine.
The Core Allegation: The complaint asserts that StopAntisemitism "orchestrated a doxing campaign" by disseminating "doctored screenshots" of her private social media posts.
6 The specific nature of the doctoring is central to the "criminality" aspect—if Rez or her associates altered the content, timestamps, or visibility settings of the posts to make them appear more egregious or public than they were, this constitutes fraud and evidence tampering.Tortious Interference: The suit claims Rez personally directed the harassment campaign that led to the breach of Dr. AbouYabis’s employment contract. It further alleges coordination with Defendants Jason Weiden and Joshua Winer (Emory doctors) who allegedly fed information to StopAntisemitism or coordinated the internal pressure campaign.
6 Milstein Involvement: The lawsuit explicitly names Tuvia Milsztein (aka Adam Milstein) as a defendant, alleging that his foundation funded the specific "Hamas Watchlist" campaign that targeted Dr. AbouYabis. This attempts to pierce the corporate veil and hold the funders liable for the tortious acts of the organization they support.
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5.3 Christensen v. Carter et al. (Southern District of Ohio)
Case No. 2:25-cv-01062
This case, backed by the ACLU, challenges the "Heckler's Veto" resulting from StopAntisemitism’s campaigns.
The Plaintiff: Guy Christensen, a student activist and influencer.
The Campaign: StopAntisemitism, along with other accounts like "endjewhatred," launched a campaign demanding Christensen’s expulsion after he posted TikTok videos criticizing Israel and withdrawing condemnation of a shooter (which he framed as political speech, not incitement).
The "Heckler's Veto": The university expelled Christensen not for his conduct on campus, but citing "safety risks" generated by the backlash to his videos. StopAntisemitism publicly took credit for "exposing his presence" and "leading the charge".
16 Federal Involvement: The complaint details how the campaign escalated to the highest levels of government, with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Senior Counsel Leo Terrell publicly threatening investigations based on the social media fervor whipped up by Rez’s network.
16 Legal Theory: The lawsuit argues that the university violated the First Amendment by expelling a student because third parties (StopAntisemitism followers) reacted hostilely to his protected speech. It positions StopAntisemitism not just as a critic, but as a mechanism of state censorship through mob proxy.
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6. Political Targeting and "The Palestine Exception"
Beyond individual cases, Liora Rez’s operations reveal a systematic bias that critics call "The Palestine Exception" to free speech. Her organization functions as an enforcer of this exception, targeting anyone—regardless of race or religion—who humanizes Palestinians or critiques Zionism.
6.1 The Campaign Against CAIR
In October 2019, StopAntisemitism attempted to leverage federal power to dismantle the civil rights of Muslim students.
The Petition: Rez sent a petition with 2,000 signatures to the Department of Education, demanding that CAIR be banned from college campuses.
3 The Rhetoric: The petition labeled CAIR a purveyor of "Islamist propaganda."
The Implication: This move sought to strip Muslim students of their right to association and representation. It aligns Rez with the "Islamophobia network," a constellation of groups dedicated to framing Muslim civil society as inherently subversive. In response, CAIR has formally designated StopAntisemitism as an "Islamophobic organization" and a hate group.
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6.2 The Weaponization of "Self-Hating Jew"
Rez dedicates a significant portion of her resources to attacking Jewish critics of Israel. By labeling them "self-hating," "kapos," or "useful idiots," she engages in a form of lateral violence designed to police the boundaries of Jewish identity.
Targeting Survivors' Descendants: When hackers filled the website of a Long Island Jewish Day School with swastikas, Rez commented on the trauma triggered for descendants of survivors.
18 Yet, she simultaneously attacks Jewish descendants of survivors who support Palestinian rights, effectively declaring that their trauma only matters if they support Israeli policy.The Ben & Jerry's Case: The naming of Anuradha Mittal (and the board, which includes Jews) as "Antisemite of the Year" for a limited boycott of settlements demonstrates that Rez views international law (which deems settlements illegal) as secondary to Zionist expansionism.
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6.3 Anti-Black Racism Allegations
Critics note a pattern of disproportionate focus on Black leaders and activists.
Targets: The organization has heavily targeted figures like Dave Chappelle, Trevor Noah, Shaun King, and Congresswoman Cori Bush.
1 The Narrative: Rez often frames Black solidarity with Palestine not as intersectional activism but as a betrayal of the Jewish people, utilizing racially charged language about "ungrateful" communities. This has led to accusations that StopAntisemitism functions as a wedge to disrupt Black-Jewish solidarity.
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7. Institutional Complicity and the Chilling Effect
The true power of Liora Rez lies not in her own authority, which is non-existent, but in the compliance of the institutions she targets. Universities, corporations, and hospitals have repeatedly capitulated to her campaigns, bypassing their own due process protections.
7.1 The Mechanism of Capitulation
The Risk Assessment: HR departments and university administrators prioritize reputation management over principle. When StopAntisemitism tags an institution, the fear of donor backlash and bad press drives immediate action.
The Bypass: In the case of Dr. AbouYabis, the university fired her while she was on medical leave for PTSD, allegedly coordinating with Rez to time the termination for maximum damage.
6 In the Christensen case, OSU bypassed a disciplinary hearing, expelling him summarily.17 The Result: This creates a "chilling effect" where employees and students self-censor. The knowledge that a single tweet, decontextualized and blasted to Rez’s 300,000 followers, can end a career creates a climate of fear. This is particularly acute in the medical field, where Rez has targeted numerous doctors and residents, effectively purging the profession of pro-Palestinian voices.
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7.2 The Role of "Dark Money" in Institutional Pressure
The involvement of the Milstein network adds a layer of financial coercion. As major donors to universities and hospitals, the Milsteins and their associated foundations wield "soft power." The AbouYabis lawsuit suggests that this power is not just soft but active, alleging that the Milstein Family Foundation funded the specific campaign that led to her firing. If true, this represents a tortious interference where a donor pays a third party (StopAntisemitism) to harass an employee of an institution the donor supports, forcing the institution to fire the employee.
8. Conclusion: The Line Between Activism and Criminality
Liora Rez and StopAntisemitism represent the apotheosis of digital vigilantism. While they adopt the language of civil rights—"accountability," "watchdog," "justice"—their methods are functionally authoritarian. The organization does not seek to debate its opponents; it seeks to destroy them.
The controversies surrounding Rez are not merely matters of differing political opinions. They involve:
Defamation: The proven dissemination of false facts (Druskinis swastikas) to incite hatred.
Fraud: The alleged doctoring of evidence (AbouYabis screenshots).
Harassment: The coordinated directing of mobs to destroy livelihoods.
Malicious Prosecution: The filing of baseless federal complaints (Ms. Rachel FARA letter) to weaponize the state.
As the legal tide turns, with federal courts denying motions to dismiss defamation claims and civil rights groups like the ACLU and CAIR mounting counter-offensives, the impunity that Liora Rez has enjoyed may be ending. The record suggests that StopAntisemitism is not merely a controversial advocacy group, but a sophisticated operation of reputational warfare, financed by dark money and fueled by disinformation, that poses a tangible threat to the principles of free expression and due process.
9. Appendix: Detailed Data & Timelines
Table 1: Chronology of Key Legal & Reputational Controversies
| Date | Incident/Case | Key Details | Legal/Social Outcome |
| Oct 2019 | CAIR Petition | Petition to Dept. of Ed to ban CAIR from campuses. | CAIR designated StopAntisemitism a "Hate Group." |
| Aug 2023 | Druskinis Incident | Druskinis paints penis; StopAntisemitism claims "swastikas." | Defamation lawsuit filed; Motion to Dismiss denied on falsity grounds. |
| Oct 2023 | "Pallywood" Dolls | Rez claims dead Gaza infants are "plastic dolls." | Debunked by fact-checkers; widely condemned as atrocity denial. |
| Nov 2023 | StopDontShop Launch | Launch of blacklist for businesses supporting Gaza ceasefires. | Allegations of tortious interference with business relations. |
| May 2025 | AbouYabis Lawsuit | Physician sues for wrongful termination & conspiracy. | Allegations of doctored screenshots and Milstein funding coordination. |
| Sept 2025 | Christensen Lawsuit | Student expelled after Rez campaign; ACLU sues OSU. | Challenges "Heckler's Veto" and involvement of AG Pam Bondi. |
| Nov 2025 | Ms. Rachel Targeting | Letter to DOJ accusing YouTuber of being Hamas agent. | Backlash from Congress (Ro Khanna); viewed as overreach targeting children's advocate. |
Table 2: The Funding Ecosystem (Merona Leadership Foundation)
| Entity | Role | Financial Contribution | Source |
| Merona Leadership Foundation | Fiscal Sponsor | ~$270,000 (Expenses, 2022) | IRS Form 990 |
| Liora Rez | Executive Director | $125,633 (Salary, 2022) | IRS Form 990 |
| Adam & Gila Milstein | President/Officers | Primary Funders | Foundation Disclosures |
| Impact Forum | Network | Strategic Support |
Table 3: List of Notable Public Figures Targeted by StopAntisemitism
| Name | Role | "Offense" | Result/Status |
| Anuradha Mittal | Chair, Ben & Jerry's | Ended sales in illegal West Bank settlements. | Named "Antisemite of the Year" 2021. |
| Ms. Rachel | YouTuber | Fundraised for Gaza children; cited UN stats. | DOJ investigation requested by Rez; Shortlisted AOqy 2025. |
| Trevor Noah | Comedian/Host | Criticized Israel's military disparity. | Smear campaign labeling him antisemitic. |
| Dua Lipa | Singer | Shared post criticizing IDF actions. | Named in "Antisemite of the Year" campaigns. |
| Gigi & Bella Hadid | Models | Palestinian heritage; vocal activism. | Frequent targets of "Antisemite of the Week." |
| Amer Zahr | Comedian/Activist | Palestinian activism. | Targeted for "denying Jewish history." |
End of Report
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