Gabriel Groisman, a Florida mayor and a Jewish community leader, sounded the alarm on rising antisemitism on Sunday.
Jewish groups have raised concerns about an alarming uptick in antisemitic incidents in recent weeks as popular celebrities like Kanye West spout antisemitic remarks, including tweeting that he planned to go “death con 3 on Jewish people.” In addition to an increase in hateful rhetoric, there have been several incidents of antisemitic vandalism in recent weeks across the country.
Groisman, a leader who has long vocalized concerns about antisemitism in the United States, called for a “zero-tolerance policy” in responding to antisemitic attacks on Twitter Sunday.
“To the Jewish-American community: We’ve reached the tipping point. Daily attacks against our people. We’ve been here before in other generations and other continents How will we respond? With STRENGTH, doubling down on everything and imposing a zero tolerance policy. It’s on,” Groisman tweeted.
To the Jewish-American community:
We’ve reached the tipping point. Daily attacks against our people. We’ve been here before in other generations and other continents
How will we respond?
With STRENGTH, doubling down on everything and imposing a zero tolerance policy
It’s on.
— Mayor Gabriel Groisman (@GabeGroisman) November 6, 2022
Groisman serves as mayor of Bal Harbour, a small city located near Miami. Florida has seen a myriad of antisemitic incidents throughout the year. In nearby Weston, vandals spray painted swastikas and insults against Jewish people, as well as the N-word, across a local playground, drawing condemnation from local political and religious leaders, television news station WPLG reported.
In Jacksonville, an antisemitic message related to West’s comments was projected onto the TIAA Bank Field stadium following a football game in late October. Somebody allegedly beamed the message, “Kanye is right about the Jews” onto the stadium.
In June, antisemitic pamphlets targeting Disney were distributed outside of homes in cities ranging from Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville and Fort Pierce. The pamphlets allegedly read: “Every single aspect of Disney’s child grooming is Jewish. Protect your children.” Neo-Nazis also held a rally in Orlando in January, shaking up the local community.
TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images
However, antisemitic incidents have occurred far beyond Florida. In New York, an elderly Jewish man was attacked by a man who threw water and garbage on him on Thursday. New York Police Department’s (NYPD) Hate Crimes Task Force is currently investigating the attack.
On Tuesday, graffiti that read “Jews kill blacks” and “Jews enslave Black lives” was found spray painted in Atlanta, according to The Jerusalem Post. In Chico, California, a sign featuring swastikas was found burning outside a synagogue on Wednesday, according to KRCR-TV.
Antisemitic Incidents Come Amid Kanye West, Kyrie Irving Remarks
These incidents come after West has faced mounting backlash for his remarks on the Jewish community. During an interview with NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo, the rapper said that he does not “believe in that term” when asked about antisemitism.
“One thing is, Black people are also Jew [sic]. I classify as Jew also,” West told Cuomo. “So I actually can’t be an antisemite. The term is actually not factual.”
West also said during an October 16 appearance on Drink Champs that he “can literally say antisemitic s***” and would not be dropped from his brand deal with Adidas, which did indeed drop West in late October, alongside other companies.
Brooklyn Nets basketball player Kyrie Irving has also faced backlash for promoting a film that promotes antisemitic tropes. He was criticized from many, including the NBA, for promoting the 2018 documentary Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. Irving on Thursday issued an apology for not disavowing antisemitism after he was suspended from the team for five games.
Newsweek reached out to Groisman for further comment.
