County Supervisors Cite LA Freeway Banner in Condemning Antisemitism

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday declaring Riverside County’s condemnation of acts of antisemitism within the county and anywhere else they may occur.

“I heard from residents in the Fourth District that these are scary times,” said Supervisor Manuel Perez, who joined with Supervisor Karen Spiegel in bringing the resolution forward. “It’s important to speak out, to say such acts will not be tolerated. We need to stand up for human rights and stop antisemitism.”

Spiegel noted that the resolution’s passage just about coincided with the 84th anniversary of a period collectively recognized by Jews throughout the world, Kristallnacht, for its trauma and inauguration of Holocaust atrocities. The two-day period in November 1938 was replete with looting, vandalism, assaults and the beginning of forced relocation of Jewish citizens of Germany to concentration camps.

“The timing of this marks the point of the real persecution of Jews in the Nazi era,” she said. “People need to be wide-eyed. This is another way of raising awareness. People have to take a stand and say, `it’s not OK.”‘

The resolution underscores county government’s recognition that “openness, acceptance and diversity” are critical to society, and that “residents should never have to fear for their safety.”

“Religious liberty is an unalienable human right and among the foundations of our great country,” the narrative states.

The resolution doesn’t reference any specific acts of antisemitism in the county. However, it points to an Oct. 22 demonstration on a San Diego (405) Freeway overpass in Los Angeles, during which a few demonstrators made Nazi salutes and hung banners in support of rapper Ye — better known as Kanye West – – who landed in hot water over a few recent antisemitic comments, including a social media post expressing dislike of “Jewish people.”

“You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda,” he tweeted. The post was later removed and West’s Twitter account was locked.

More worrisome, according to the supervisors’ resolution, is the Anti- Defamation League’s documentation of “2,717 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism against Jewish people in the U.S.” last year. “It’s the highest annual number on record by the organization since it began measuring antisemitic incidents in 1979,” the resolution states.

Antisemitic attacks in New York City have, since 2021, propagated at a rate not witnessed in decades, according to the Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post and other publications.

“We are all called on to shine a light on all forms of antisemitism and empower individuals and communities,” according to the resolution. “We can stop the spread of hatred, bigotry and prejudice and overcome ignorance and inhumanity by teaching love and respect.”