Sonoma County Approves Resolution Condemning Antisemitism and All Forms of Hate Speech
Back row from left to right: Commissioner Howard Sapper, Petaluma Vice-Mayor Janice Cader Thompson, Supervisor Lynda Hopkins & Supervisor Susan Gorin. Front row from left to right: Holocaust Story Project of Northern California Director Flora Lee Ganzler, Antisemitism Action Team co-leader Eric Leland, Supervisor Chris Coursey & Commissioner Katrina Phillips.
May 16 2023 (Santa Rosa) The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution against Antisemitism and all forms of hate speech.
Residents county wide have been focused on raising awareness of rising anti-Jewish hate as part of the “Antisemitism Action Team.” Maureen Svenson of the The Holocaust Story Project of Northern California and Eric Leland from the Deviled Eggery community group founded and co-lead the group. Over the past year, the group has come together to share experiences, support one another and to discuss ways to help shine a spotlight on the increase in hate locally.
“Many of us were shocked to learn how Sonoma County is home for some of the most virulent hate networks in the country,” explained Eric Leland. “We are very concerned at how fast hatred against Jews and against many other groups has risen in the past few years. We knew that if we could just get the word out, that people across the county would also be concerned and be moved to take action.”
The Antisemitism Action Team decided as their first action to get the support of Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. “There is real fear in our community - fear of being a target of these rising hate incidents, “ Maureen explained. “We thought that if people knew that their elected leaders recognize the issue and are on their side, this would be a first step towards improving a sense of safety and well being.” Several public officials joined in to lend early and ongoing support to the team, including Commissioners Katrina Phillips, Howard Sapper, and Elizabeth Escalante from the County Commission on Human Rights, Commissioner Caitlin Quinn from the County Commission on the Status of Women, as well as Petaluma Council Members Janice Cader Thompson and Dennis Pocekay.
Many residents in the county have been the target of hate attacks, or know people who have been. “I have friends in elected office and local elected office who have personally experienced antisemitism.” Supervisor Hopkins shared. “We recently witnessed a horrifying racist attack against a member of the Santa Rosa City School Board, and so it makes it more important to stand behind these resolutions.”
Supervisor Gorin echoed Hopkins’ comments, declaring that “any expression of Antisemitism or hate speech in Sonoma County is totally inappropriate.”
The resolution is a first step in building a campaign of awareness and support. “This isn’t the end, it’s the beginning.” Eric explained. “Because of your support, this is a model for the rest of the county to be able to step up and say, ‘hey - we support this as well.’”
Anyone wishing to get involved to help bring the support of local Sonoma County groups can reach out to the Antisemitism Action Team by visiting https://www.antisemitismaction.org
May 16 2023: Resolution of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma, State of California, Condemning Antisemitism And All Forms Of Hate Speech
WHEREAS, antisemitism and all forms of hate speech remain a serious and growing threat in the United States and around the world; and
WHEREAS, hate speech as defined by Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary is intended to insult, offend, or intimidate a person because of some trait (as race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability); and
WHEREAS, on June 9, 2020 the Board adopted a Resolution honoring the Sonoma County United In Kindness Campaign supporting living in a community in which kindness is a guiding principle; and where a half-million Sonoma County neighbors come from diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and traditions in pursuit of joyful and healthful living. The resolution included the Board’s believe that freedom from hateful speech, bullying, discrimination, and violence is a human right; and
WHEREAS, on April 6, 2021 the Board adopted a Resolution in support of and solidarity with the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Communities, denouncing xenophobia and anti-Asian racism and violence, and affirming the County’s commitment to the well-being and safety of AAPI communities; and
WHEREAS, over the past year Sonoma County residents in Windsor and Santa Rosa have received unwelcome antisemitic flyers distributed at their homes, the work of an antisemitic network of individuals responsible for disseminating other such anti-Jewish content throughout the Bay Area and state; and
WHEREAS, last year nearly one in four Jewish Americans said they experienced antisemitism, according to a study released on October 25, 2021, by the American Jewish Committee; and
WHEREAS, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, more than 50 percent of religious-based hate crimes in 2021 targeted Jewish Americans, who make up 2.4 percent of the U.S. population; and
WHEREAS, according to an Anti-Defamation League report, 3,697 antisemitic incidents were reported nationwide in 2022 - the highest year on record since the ADL began tracking in 1979; and
WHEREAS, antisemitic views do not represent the views of Sonoma County residents but of a White Supremacist extremist group and other hate groups that target Jewish communities and other historically marginalized groups; and
WHEREAS, history has shown (with the killing of 6 million Jewish people in Europe during the Holocaust) antisemitism is a danger to the entire community, our country, and our world. An attack on any part of our community based on race, religion, gender identity, or ability is an attack that weakens our social fabric; and
WHEREAS, standing up to antisemitism and all forms of hate and discrimination will make us stronger together as a community; and
WHEREAS, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors stands firmly behind the preservation and protection of basic human rights, dignity, health, and well-being of all people; and condemns all forms of senseless hatred from any source, for any reasons, ideological or personal, including spreading disinformation, discrimination, vandalism, and violence; and
WHEREAS, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors encourages community members and organizations to foster a sense of welcoming, belonging, and inclusion.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Supervisors of Sonoma County, California, condemns antisemitism and will continue to condemn all forms of hate.