Resolution condemning antisemitism and all forms of hate speech

“WHEREAS antisemitism and hate speech remains a serious and growing threat to Jews in the United States and around the world; and

WHEREAS over the past year Sonoma County residents in Windsor and Santa Rosa 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, nearly 60 percent of religious based hate crimes in 2020 targeted Jewish Americans who make up no more than 2 percent of the U.S. population; and

WHEREAS, according to an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) report, 2,717 antisemitic incidents were reported nationwide in 2021 – 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 that targets Jewish communities and other historically marginalized groups; and

WHEREAS, history has shown (with the killing of six 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. We stand with our Jewish neighbors, 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.

WHEREAS, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors encourages community members and organizations to foster a sense of welcoming, belonging, and inclusion; and

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on [DATE] condemning
antisemitism and will continue to condemn all forms of hate.”

We the undersigned urge the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to pass the above resolution condemning antisemitism and all forms of hate speech in Sonoma County.

Resolution co-signed by the Sonoma County Democratic Party on March 14, 2023