Is Antisemitism Becoming Normalized?

From the streets of Charlottesville to the endless pages of Twitter the spectrum from antisemitism doh whistles to outright violence towards Jews seems to be coming up more and more .

It's easy to point to white supremacist protects chanting "Jews will not replace us!" and shootings at synagogues as proof that we must be on guard against antisemitism.

But then there are incidents like the twitter postings of Ye , Kyrie Irving, and other celebrities and influencers. There's former President Trump dining with holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.

From NPR: According to the Anti-Defamation League, 2021 was the highest year on record for documented reports of harassment, vandalism and violence directed against Jews. The watchdog group has tracked these incidents since 1979, and it says 2022 will look a lot like last year.

So what's going on? Is antisemitism becoming normalized or some version or form of it? What is acceptable speech and what's hate speech when it comes to this topic?

Joining us for this topic are Tyler Gregory, CEO of the Jewish Community Relationship Council, and State Senator Scott Wiener. More this below and more panelists may join!

Co-Sponsored by the Wallenberg Democratic Club & San Francisco Black & Jewish Unity Coalition

About Senator Scott Wiener:

Senator Wiener serves as Chair of the Senate Housing Committee and the Senate Committee on Legislative Ethics. He serves as Vice Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, immediate past chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, and Chair of the Senate Mental Health Caucus. Senator Wiener is a member of the Public Safety Committee, Judiciary Committee, Governance and Finance Committee, and Health Committee. He is the Senate Assistant Majority Whip.

Before his election to the Senate, Senator Wiener served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, representing the district previously represented by Supervisor Harvey Milk. During his time on the Board of Supervisors, Senator Wiener authored a number of first-in-the-nation laws, including mandating fully paid parental leave for all working parents and requiring water recycling and solar power in new developments. He focused extensively on housing and public transportation, authoring laws to expedite approval of affordable housing, legalize new in-law units, and tie public transportation funding to population growth.

About Tyler Gregory:

Tye joined JCRC as its fifth executive director in April of 2020. He was previously executive director of A Wider Bridge (AWB), a New York-based partner organization of JCRC that is working to advance LGBTQ equality and inclusion in Israel. During his six years as deputy director and later executive director of AWB, the organization grew from a Bay Area startup to a leading voice for Jewish and Israel inclusion in the fabric of LGBTQ and progressive America. Before AWB, Gregory spent several years working for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in San Francisco. He is a graduate of UC Davis, and a native of San Diego.

JCRC Bay Area is the largest collective voice of the Jewish community across San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. We advocate for Jews to be able to live their own authentic Jewish lives and believe that by working together with other communities, the full vibrancy and diversity of Jewish identity will be embraced and celebrated. We mobilize Bay Area Jews and our allies to counter antisemitism and rising hate, advance social justice, strengthen civic engagement, and ensure a combined response to critical issues we all face.

About the Wallenberg Democratic Club:

In 40 years of San Francisco activities, the Wallenberg club has become a top advocate for the Jewish community's essential issues. The Wallenberg Club has hosted local and statewide elected officials at numerous events and has been a platform for future leaders in our political community.