Local officials call on the community to reject ‘bigotry in all of its forms’
A wide range of city, county and state officials joined Jewish leaders Wednesday in denouncing fringe hate group group members who blanketed homes on the Mesa with antisemitic fliers over the weekend.
In a joint statement, they noted that Santa Barbara is home to a thriving and diverse Jewish population with a strong sense of belonging to the larger community.
“Perhaps that is why our area was recently targeted by a small and fringe hate group seeking attention and revenue by distributing virulently antisemitic fliers designed to heighten concern, reaction and financial support from their own supporters.
“We won’t address the content of the flyers to avoid amplifying them, but the conduct warrants response — particularly in the context of rising antisemitism nationally and globally.”
The troubling trends of antisemitism are mirrored in rising hate and bigotry targeting black, Latino, AAPI, LGBTQ+, Muslim and other often marginalized or minority groups, they said.
“Whether fueled by animus, political division, social isolation or ignorance,
we reject the diminution of others’ value based on their identity and immutable
characteristics that contribute to it.
“This disgusting incident intended to spread hate and fear provides an opportunity, as do other recent incidents targeting other groups, to reaffirm our conviction in the value of a diverse and inclusive community that respects and embraces the wide range of experiences, beliefs and backgrounds that define it.
“We encourage community members, Jewish and non-Jewish, who would like to
respond to this specific incident to join the Jewish community in displaying candles in a window of your home during Hanukkah, which continues until the evening of Dec. 26. You could post an image of a Hanukkah menorah or light candles of your own.
“Our community is at its best when we come together to reject bigotry in all of its forms.”
The statement is signed by the following Jewish leaders:
Dan Meisel, Regional Director; Ashley Myers, Asst. Regional Director; and Mark Goldstein, Regional Board Chair, of the Anti Defamation League, Santa Barbara/Tri-Counties.
Rabbi Steve Cohen, Cantor Mark Childs, Rabbi Daniel Brenner, Elizabeth Gaynes, Executive Director; Marcy Wimbish, Co-Board President; Nancy Sheldon, Co-Board President; and Janet Wolf, Board Executive VP, Congregation B’nai B’rith.
Rabbi Arthur Gross-Schaefer, Community Shul of Montecito and Santa Barbara;
Cyndi Silverman, Executive Director; Eric Berg, Board President-Elect, Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara.
Rabbi Evan Goodman, Executive Director, and Mark Silverberg, Board President,
Santa Barbara Hillel.
Elected officials who signed the statement include: Congressman Salud Carbajal, State Sen. Monique Limón, District 19; State Assemblyman Gregg Hart, 37th District; Randy Rowse, Mayor of the City of Santa Barbara; Mike Jordan, Eric Friedman, Oscar Gutierrez, Meagan Harmon and Kristen Sneddon, Santa Barbara City Councilmembers; Laura Capps (Second District), Joan Hartmann (Third District), and Das Williams (First District), Santa Barbara County Supervisors; and Joyce E. Dudley, Santa Barbara District Attorney.
The Santa Barbara Police Department received numerous calls for service over the weekend in regards to the antisemitic fliers being distributed in Santa Barbara neighborhoods. These fliers were discovered by residents on the Mesa on the first day of Hanukkah, and many of the fliers were turned over to police.
“This is very similar to what other cities across the country have experienced in recent months,” police said. “It does not appear that any one person or group of people were targeted in this distribution of fliers. The fliers have been described as ‘upsetting’ and ‘full of hate.’”
The 8- by 11-inch fliers were delivered in clear plastic sandwich baggies and left in the front yards of homes in Santa Barbara, police said.
The baggies contained rice and beans to weigh them down so they wouldn’t blow away, and were left Sunday on sidewalks, driveways and lawns of homes on the west side of the Mesa.
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FYI
Anyone with information about the fliers with antisemitic comments or in possession of surveillance footage of their distribution in their neighborhood is encouraged to contact Lt. A. Baker, Santa Barbara Police Department Investigative Division, at 805-897-3754 or abaker@sbpd.com.
