Antisemitism Resolution Penned By Riverside County Supervisors

RIVERSIDE COUNTY — The Board of Supervisors was slated Tuesday to approve a resolution declaring Riverside County's condemnation of acts of antisemitism within the county and anywhere else they may occur.

"Riverside County stands for openness, acceptance and diversity, and residents should never have to fear for their safety," according to the resolution, jointly proposed by Supervisors Karen Spiegel and Manuel Perez. "All people deserve peace and respect over hate. Religious liberty is an unalienable human right and among the foundations of our great country."

The resolution doesn't reference any specific acts of antisemitism in the county.

However, it points to an Oct. 22 protest on a 405 Freeway overpass in Los Angeles, during which a few demonstrators reportedly traded Nazi salutes and hung banners in support of Kanye West, who landed in hot water over a social media post expressing dislike of "Jewish people (for) black ball(ing) anyone who ever opposes your agenda."

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." nationwide 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 supervisors' resolution. "We can stop the spread of hatred, bigotry and prejudice and overcome ignorance and inhumanity by teaching love and respect."