An anonymous "Mapping Project" website that targets Jewish and Zionist communal spaces, organizations, and law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts has recently come to light.
According to an exclusive interview with an ex-Israeli counter-terrorism advisor to prime ministers, the Islamic Republic of Iran may be the regime that created the website in an "attempt to expose and isolate" supporters of Israel.
The Mapping Project also includes a disturbing and antisemitic call to 'dismantle' and 'disrupt' most of Boston's Jewish community and concludes with a thinly veiled threat that 'every entity has an address, every network can be disrupted," according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Zachor Legal Institute, a legal organization focused on combating BDS, claims that “more than two-thirds of the 505 ‘targets’ featured on the website are not Jewish institutions, but rather US security institutions, including the exact locations of 271 police stations, 9 US military bases and installations, and offices of Homeland Security, the FBI, the Secret Service, and US government-linked weapons manufacturers, all of which are pinpointed on a single interactive map.”
Zachor further noted that the “outsized focus placed on the American security apparatus indicates that the map is not domestic in origin, but might be a product of a foreign agenda, and that the chief suspect is the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The website, which was widely covered in June 2022, largely focused on potential violent attacks against American Jews, Zionist and Jewish organizations in Boston. A 24-page report titled "The Unseen Threat of The Mapping Project," released by Zachor, argues there is "considerable evidence that Iranian elements may be involved in creating the Mapping Project."
The report notes that the Iranian regime-owned PressTV published a "supportive column" on June 26, 2022, and a 30-minute video segment about it in July of the same year that praised the Mapping Project and called for its replication in all 50 American states. PressTV reported, "It is perfectly legitimate to target Jewish groups that support Zionist crimes, just as it is to target Christian groups that do the same, The Mapping project, to its credit is already doing that."
However, the American government sanctioned PressTV in June 2021, although it was unrelated to the Mapping Project. The US government said at the time that it seized the PressTV website because the outlet is used as a front for Iran’s regime to “subvert US democratic processes.”
Marc Greendorfer, President of Zachor Legal Institute, said about the Mapping Project: “There is no logical explanation for why the map was published other than to serve as a kill list for extremists to use when targeting United States’ national security infrastructure and prominent Jews in America.”
This recent report by Zachor Legal Institute raises serious concerns about the potential threat posed by the Mapping Project and its impact on the Jewish community in Boston. The website's focus on US security institutions indicates a foreign agenda, and the evidence points to the involvement of Iranian elements. If confirmed, this would not be the first time Iran has been accused of targeting Jews and Jewish institutions. The Islamic Republic has a long history of promoting antisemitism and supporting terrorist organizations that have targeted Jews and Israelis.
As the US and its allies continue to grapple with Iran's aggressive behavior in the region, it is essential to remain vigilant about the regime's efforts to spread its influence and propaganda. The Mapping Project is a disturbing example of the kind of activity that requires attention and action to counteract the threat it poses to national security and the safety of Jewish communities in America. Photo by Terageorge, Wikimedia commons.