Dear Friends,
Over the past few weeks, our Jewish community has bounced back and forth at light speed between celebration and mourning, joy and fear, delight and anger. We have had dozens of joyful, festive events that highlight the rich history, strength, and depth of Jewish life in San Diego.
At the same time, we have been processing two domestic terror attacks against the Jewish community in Washington D.C. and Boulder, CO. Both were precipitated by the horrific rise in antisemitic hate speech we are seeing across the country. One of the pillars of our work here at Federation is the safety and resilience of our community. While I wish we could spend all of our time cultivating Jewish joy, we are fully invested in combating antisemitism. We are doing all that we can to make sure anyone participating in Jewish life feels safe and is safe.
When it comes to antisemitic rhetoric and hate speech, we take seriously our sacred obligation to defend and care for the Jewish people. Six years after the attack at Chabad of Poway, no one knows better than San Diego the tragic consequences of hateful antisemitism. We are a founding and active member of The Finest Community Coalition, now comprising over 32 organizations that are working collectively to combat antisemitism. The Coalition has been taking steps on many issues of critical importance. Coalition members have been actively advocating for action to protect Jewish students, faculty, and staff at UCSD and Cal State San Marcos, and we have been deeply involved in the efforts to deplatform the antisemitic and antizionist singer Kehlani as this year’s San Diego Pride Festival headliner.
Today, we announced that no Jewish groups will be participating in Pride this year in response to the decision to feature this artist, whose statements and social media make LGBTQIA+ Jews and their allies unwelcome and unsafe. Having marched with my own synagogue at Pride many times, I am personally saddened and angered by San Diego Pride’s unwillingness to follow New York City, Cornell, and most recently San Francisco Pride in removing Kehlani from the lineup. For LGBTQIA+ Jews, that sense of pain, loss, and anger is far greater. As we’ve seen in D.C. and Boulder, when antisemitism is ignored or tolerated, it fuels a culture that leads to violence.
Bill Ganley and Heidi Gantwerk at past San Diego Pride, celebrating community and inclusion.
Shabbat Shalom,
Heidi Gantwerk, President & CEO Jewish Federation of San Diego
