South Bay leaders, Jewish community stand together against antisemitic hate
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Antisemitism is considered to be the oldest form of hate and it's still being felt in Bay Area communities.
The 2023 California Hate Crimes Report found that anti-Jewish hate crimes have increased by more than 50% from 2022 to 2023 in the state.
Following the horrific events of October 7th, 2023, both the Jewish and Palestinian communities have suffered from acts of hate - with a disturbing rise in antisemitic violence worldwide.
In San Jose, members of the Jewish Community and their allies came together to say, "Here I am."
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It's a powerful phrase that simply means: we are here to support one another and oppose hate - especially as the conflict in Gaza continues.
"We have no influence over the decisions of the Israeli government, and yet we are held in a form of collective punishment, a form of antisemitism that has rung true for millennia," Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area CEO Tyler Gregory said. "We are being held responsible and it feels like we, as citizens of this country, are being prosecuted for a war overseas and have opinions on the war that we may or may not agree with that they presume of us."
In Santa Clara County, District Attorney Jeff Rosen is prosecuting those who spread this hate in an attempt to stop it at the source.
As a son of Holocaust survivors, he knows personally how damaging antisemitism can be.
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"I grew up surrounded by concentration camp survivors, their memories, their struggles and their tears," Rosen said. "Antisemitism is not only morally reprehensible, it is totally and profoundly anti-American and un-American."
Sadly, Rosen says hate crimes against Jewish people in the United States are increasing, and Rosen says Jews are more likely to be the victim of a hate crime than any other religious or ethnic group.
Rosen says it's not a battle can be fought alone.
This group of leaders in the South Bay hoped they proved that the Jewish community is supported and is not alone.
"We have to speak up as allies and be willing to highlight these examples and stand firmly against them and say, 'antisemitism is wrong and that hatred will not be tolerated," San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said.
