Amid Turmoil, Rising Hate and Fear, Jewish-Americans Celebrate Heritage

Edward Henderson | California Black Media (CBM) – Amid escalating tensions stemming from clashing and entrenched opinions about the conflict in Gaza – and the ongoing chaos on college campuses nationwide — Jewish American Californians paused to celebrate Jewish American Heritage month this May.  On college campus and in neighborhoods across California, many Jewish Americans from different backgrounds representing various perspectives about the conflict in the Middle East reported fearing for their lives and safety. Despite making up only about 3% of the California’s population, the Jewish community has faced a disproportionate share of religiously motivated hate crimes, with a surge in antisemitic attacks in recent years. According to the Anti-Defamation League Central Pacific Region, antisemitism has spiked in the U.S by about 140% and by a staggering 202% in Northern California Alone. “It’s been a challenging time for our community.& It’s been a dark and difficult seven months,” said Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, referring to the period of time since Oct. 7,2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and killed nearly 1,200 people. Since that attack, more than 30,000 Palestinians have died in Israeli retaliative attacks. Emhoff, a former entertainment industry lawyer based in Los...