San Diego County sees sharp uptick in antisemitism as community fights for change
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A new regional coalition is uniting against antisemitism and working to reach more community members in its mission for change.
It comes as a recent report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of San Diego shows a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents throughout the county. The ADL audit shows a 28% uptick in antisemitism in 2024 from the year prior.
As part of that, harassment is up 19%, vandalism is up 67%, and assault is up 100%. Meanwhile, college campuses saw one of the biggest spikes in incidents — up 125%.
The Finest Community Coalition is an opportunity for non-Jewish allies to join the Jewish community in the fight against hate and prevent more division.
New affordable housing community coming to San Diego
'People writing all over the sidewalks outside of our playgrounds, where children of every kind play not just Jewish children, things about calling Jews baby killers, calling us less than,' said Betzy Lynch, CEO of the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center (JCC).
Chapters in Lynch's own story are marked with antisemitism, many taking place at the La Jolla-based center.
'We build Jewish community with every kind of person,' Lynch continued. 'More than 40% of the people that use the JCC and are part of the experiences are a faith other than Jewish.'
Sharing Shabbat dinner with churches is one way the JCC exposes people to Jewish life, but a growing trend is prompting concern.
'What we've seen over the last several years is that there's malice associated with antisemitism,' said Lynch.
ADL's regional director, Fabienne Perlov, says Jewish students are often targets.
'Blaming them for what the Israeli government might be doing or their policies, or blaming them for just supporting the existence of the state of Israel,' Perlov explained.
He says misinformation circulates online.
'Holocaust jokes are being made by your peers or the conspiracy theories about Jewish power,' he continued.
And tragically what happens online can inspire real-life action.
'We saw it at the Chabad a few years ago in San Diego unfortunately,' Perlov told FOX 5/ KUSI.
Rather than giving into fear, members of the Jewish community are calling on others to share in their experience and fight for change.
'There's nothing more powerful with having that kind of friendship and this is exactly what this coalition is about,' said Lynch.
If you witness or experience antisemitism, you can report it to the ADL. The organization has additional information on how to support the fight against antisemitism online.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'Israel-Palestine Conflict' section of study guide for New York high schoolers draws outrage
A New York State Regents Exam study guide intended for 10th graders is making the rounds on social media over its section on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the guide's section on "Decolonization and Nationalism" — which happens to be Unit 10.7 — the section gives its definition of Zionism and includes notes on the United Nations Partition Plan and acts of terrorism. The widely criticized guide calls Zionism an "example of extreme nationalism" and defines it as the "belief that Jews need a homeland in Palestine." Additionally, its example under the category of "Acts of Terrorism by Israel & Palestine" is "settler movement by Jews taking away land from Palestinians." Student Calls Out Elite University Staffing And Costs Before House Judiciary Committee Half Hollow Hills Central School District Interim Superintendent Brian Conboy addressed the issue at a Board of Education meeting on Monday. He said that the material in question was neither created nor approved by the Social Studies Department or the district. He also noted that the material was created before Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre. "As planned and previously discussed, the HHH Social Studies Department will be meeting to conduct curriculum writing over the next two months to address these exact topics. Moving forward, all curriculum relating to these issues, both historical and modern, will be district-wide and vetted by an outside group of experts in the field," Conboy said. He assured parents that all teachers in Global Studies 10 would use "the same materials and language" on this topic next school year. "On behalf of the district, I want you all to know that offensive and inaccurate materials such as this do not meet our standards of excellence and are not something we take lightly. We can and will do better moving forward," Conboy concluded. Read On The Fox News App Jewish Family's Peace Shattered As Neighbor Is Accused Of Hate-fueled Attack The New York State Education Department (NYSED) Spokesperson JP O'Hare acknowledged the issue in a statement online and clarified that it "does not create or distribute curriculum or study guides." O'Hare also said NYSED would "continue to monitor and take appropriate action as needed." In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment, O'Hare seemed to take a swipe at critics, saying NYSED takes "issue with anyone attempting to cloak misinformation in the guise of combating antisemitism. That's not advocacy, it's manipulation." Despite the school district and NYSED statements on the issue, the study guide has drawn backlash from both sides of the aisle with Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., condemning the academic materials. Federal Judge Sides Against Jewish Students Who Sued Upenn Over Antisemitism Torres said the guide "demonizes Zionism" while failing to "label as extreme the anti-Zionist ideology that inspired the October 7th massacre—the belief that Jews should be violently expelled from the land of Israel." "Anti-Israel indoctrination under the guise of academic instruction is one of the pathologies of modern education," Torres wrote in a post on X. Stefanik — who some believe is preparing to launch a bid for New York governor — slammed N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrats. "This New York State Regent Exam is a disgraceful example of the rampant and persistent indoctrination of our children in the K-12 education system perpetrated by radical far-left Democrats," Stefanik said in a statement to Fox News Digital. She also posted a similar message on X, claiming the "aging antisemitism in New York is appeased and promoted by Kathy Hochul and her failing antisemitic NY Democrat Party." Auburn Basketball Coach Accuses Carville Of Spreading 'Hatred' With Statements About Jewish Donors In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment on the study materials, Hochul's office said that the NYSED was responsible for the Regents Exam. However, they also noted Hochul's repeated condemnations of antisemitism and actions taken to combat it, including convening "the first-ever summit on antisemitism in education." Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust Director Anne Bayefsky said that, "such indoctrination perpetuates antisemitism." She slammed the guide for teaching hate over "tolerance, respect and coexistence." "Anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism because it teaches that Jewish self-determination is a wrong — instead of the realization of a basic human right. It is time to connect the dots between teaching hate inside the schools and the violence on our streets," Bayefsky told Fox News Digital. As of this writing, the original source of the study guide remains unclear, with neither NYSED nor the school district attributing it to anyone in particular. According to Michelle Herman, a parent at Half Hollow Hills High School East, one teacher who distributed the material did not realize what was in it and has since apologized. Herman emphasized that she does not blame the teacher for the article source: 'Israel-Palestine Conflict' section of study guide for New York high schoolers draws outrage
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
148 Democrats back noncitizen voting in DC as GOP raises alarm about foreign agents
The majority of House Democrats voted in favor of allowing non-citizens to participate in Washington, D.C. elections on Tuesday. The House of Representatives passed a bill led by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, to prohibit non-U.S. citizens from voting in elections in the nation's capital. It passed 266 to 148, with 56 Democrats joining Republicans in passing the measure. One Democrat voted "present," while 148 voted against the bill. "I believe strongly in not having federal overreach, but we have jurisdiction, Congress has jurisdiction over Washington, District of Columbia…and we don't like to utilize our jurisdiction and our authority, but in this case, they've gone too far," Pfluger told Fox News Digital in an interview before the vote. D.C.'s progressive city council passed the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act in 2022, granting non-U.S. citizens the ability to vote in local elections if they've lived in the district for at least 30 days. Scoop: House Gop Memo Highlights Republican Wins In Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Read On The Fox News App Noncitizens can also hold local elected office in the D.C. government. The local measure has been a frequent target of GOP attacks, with Republican national security hawks raising alarms about the possibility of hostile foreign agents participating in D.C. elections. But progressive Democrats like Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., who spoke out against the bill on Tuesday afternoon, have dismissed that as an implausible scenario. "Republicans claim that Congress has a constitutional duty to legislate on local D.C. matters, but this is historically and legally incorrect. Republicans legislate on local D.C. matters only when they think they can score political points, such as by demonizing immigrants," Frost said during debate on the House floor. "They only bring it up to the floor when they think they can score political points, taking away the democratic rights of people here in D.C. and home rule." Frost also argued that it was "highly unlikely" foreign officials would vote in those elections, claiming they would have to "renounce their right to vote in their home country" and because "D.C. has no authority in federal matters." But Pfluger, who spoke with Fox News Digital before the vote, was optimistic that it would get at least some Democratic support. He noted that 52 Democrats voted for the bill when it passed the House in the previous Congress. It was never taken up in the formerly Democrat-controlled Senate, however. "It's hard to go back to your district as a Democrat and say, yeah, I want foreign agents to be able to vote in our elections – 'Oh yeah, it's not federal elections,' some may say. But it has an impact on the way the city is run," Pfluger said. Meet The Trump-picked Lawmakers Giving Speaker Johnson A Full House Gop Conference "This could be Russian embassy personnel, they could be Chinese embassy personnel – a number of folks. It's just wrong. It goes against the fabric of our society," he added. Another bill receiving a vote on Tuesday is legislation that would grant D.C. police the ability to negotiate punishments via collective bargaining, and would help shield the capital's police force from at least some liability by installing a statute of limitations against the Metropolitan Police Department. That legislation was introduced by New York Republican Rep. Andrew article source: 148 Democrats back noncitizen voting in DC as GOP raises alarm about foreign agents
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
New super PAC launches anti-Mamdani ad push amid criticism over pro-Palestinian stance
NEW YORK — A group of executives in New York's finance, law and communications sectors has launched a new super PAC to oppose Zohran Mamdani's mayoral run, kicking off with an ad accusing the socialist of pushing to 'defund the police' amid an increase in pro-Palestinian protests in the city. The PAC, called Sensible City, Inc., disclosed in filings released Tuesday it has raised $211,000 so far to oppose Mamdani, who has consistently polled as the runner-up to Andrew Cuomo, the favorite to win the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary. The ad's focus on pro-Palestinian protests comes as Cuomo and other moderate Democrats have accused Mamdani of aligning himself with antisemitic causes due to his outspoken criticism of Israel's war in Gaza. Mamdani has rejected those accusations as politically motivated, saying he's adamant about fighting all forms of hate. Asked if he recognizes Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, Mamdani has said Israel has a right to exist as a state with 'equal rights for all.' The PAC was launched by Alan Sash and Daniel Horwitz, partners at two prominent New York law firms, as well as investor Eric Eve and PR professional Lisa Wolford, paperwork shows. The largest single donation to the PAC to date came from Rob Stavis, a partner of Bessemer, a venture capital firm, who gave $100,000. Other contributors include Eagle Capital Management founder Ravenel Curry, who gave $50,000, and designer Danyelle Freeman, who also gave $50,000. Filings show the PAC has already plunked down $100,524 on airing the new ad slamming Mamdani. The ad started going out on digital platforms over the weekend. 'It doesn't stop: day after day, streets blocked, demonstrations, some calling for killing, destruction, it's not safe. Institution walls defaced with symbols to remind us of what can happen only because of who we are. The haters mean every word they utter. What can we do?' a voice in the digital ad says as imagery flashes across the screen of pro-Palestinian protests and anti-Israel vandalism playing out on New York City streets. 'Zohran Mamdani wants to defund the police, we need a mayor who puts more cops on the street. What's your June 24 Democratic primary choice?' A rep for the new PAC didn't immediately return a request for comment from the Daily News. Mamdani, a Queens Assembly member and democratic socialist, has in the past supported calls for defunding the police. As a mayoral candidate on the 2025 campaign trail, he has called for keeping NYPD staffing levels flat. Mamdani spokesman Andrew Epstein called the new PAC expenditure a 'desperate' attempt to push back on the candidate's left-wing agenda, which includes vows to increase taxes on corporations and millionaires to bankroll expanded free child care and public transit. 'It's always amusing when some of the richest people in the city are so outraged at the idea of paying just a little more in taxes that they spend tens of thousands of dollars on deceitful and slanderous attack ads,' Epstein said. 'New Yorkers will see this for exactly what it is: desperate.' The new PAC spending comes as recent polls have shown Mamdani closing in on Cuomo. A May 28 poll from Emerson University put Mamdani just 8% behind Cuomo. A separate PAC, Fix the City, has raised more than $12 million, mostly from billionaires and powerful business executives, to boost Cuomo with ads and other political messaging. The Fix the City expenditure is the largest super PAC spend on a single election in New York history. _____
