Peninsula Official Takes New Role In Confronting Antisemitism

BELMONT, CA — A Peninsula city's top elected official has taken a leadership role in a newly formed Bay Area group that aims to confront antisemitism.

The Bay Area Network of Jewish Officials (BANJO) announced earlier this week that Belmont Mayor Julia Mates will serve as regional chair for the Peninsula.

Mates was among three regional chairs BANJO the group named Monday. San Rafael Vice Mayor Rachel Kertz and El Cerrito City Councilmember Tessa Rudnick will represent the North Bay and East Bay communities.

The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) on Monday announced BANJO’s launch in a news release.

JCRC Bay Area is the largest collective voice of Bay Area Jews, and BANJO already includes more than 50 Jewish elected officials from all nine Bay Area counties.

The JCRC plans to host regular networking and professional development gatherings, deepen Jewish elected engagement in Bay Area government, education, and civic spaces, and serve as a trusted resource for members.

“I am grateful to JCRC for creating this support system to help address the unique issues facing Jewish elected officials,” Mates said in a statement.

“BANJO is already building bridges and elevating issues of importance to the Jewish community in meaningful ways. I hope and expect that having this network will increase and encourage Jewish community activism and participation in civic life for years to come.”

The group’s launch comes amid a global rise in antisemitism that includes several incidents in the Bay Area in recent months.

Flyers laced with antisemitic messaging were distributed in Marin communities February, April, July, September and November of this year.

A Petaluma man admitted earlier this year that his group was behind the distribution of antisemitic flyers in the Bay Area and beyond, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. Jon Minadeo runs Goyim TV, according to the report.

Although not a violation of the law, police said the incidents are considered “hate-motivated,” which is described as an action motivated by hate but legally protected by the First Amendment.

It was against that backdrop that local Jewish leaders felt compelled to launch BANJO, JCRC Bay Area CEO Tye Gregory said.

“When we gathered elected officials to discuss future partnerships, we found there was a need for Jewish officials to have a space to network, build skills, and speak out given the current environment, and that JCRC would be the perfect convener to do so," Gregory said in a statement.

"Leading up to today’s announcement, JCRC Bay Area held regional meetings in the North Bay, East Bay, and Peninsula.”