Antisemetic fliers plaster the walls of SMMUSD schools

Sakura Amano, Student Life Editor

On the morning of Jan. 13, school staff of several Santa Monica elementary and middle schools discovered that a spew of antisemitic fliers had been posted on walls, signage and other areas throughout their respective campuses. The fliers, displaying a red-and-green Star of David symbol, along with the phrase “anti-vaxxer,” appeared to link Jewish people to the anti-vax movement; a movement which has continued to spark controversy since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Further, the fliers provided a hotline to text and “report” those who are against vaccines. The number links to a Kentucky-based safety group of parents and local citizens identified as the “Safer Tomorrow Organization,” and responds to messages with an automated text. 

“As you are well aware, anti-vaxxers  are endangering us from getting out of this pandemic. Most importantly, they are endangering future generations – our children. We are starting to collect (but not act on) information on anti-vaxxers. That way we can work toward a solution together as a society. Thank you for caring when they don’t!” the response said. 

Officials initially knew of four schools where the fliers had been found, but the number had grown to seven by that evening, including Grant, McKinley, Edison, Will Rogers, Roosevelt, Lincoln and John Adams. All were removed before the end of the school day. 

Following the incident, SMMUSD and the City of Santa Monica released a joint statement denouncing the act. 

“Santa Monica rejects bigotry of any kind and antisemitic rhetoric, intolerance, harassment and violence have no place in our schools or in our community…We are deeply offended by the antisemitic posters, falsely and nefariously representing pro-vaccine propaganda found at several of our schools,” the statement read.

SMPD detectives and LAPD are working swiftly through the early stages of its investigation, but this is not the first time Los Angeles county has seen these types of occurrences. Since the start of the pandemic, over 200 similar fliers have been collected from neighborhoods in areas such as Beverly Hills and Pasadena, all promoting the same antisemitic propaganda-style hate speech related to COVID-19. Officials believe these crimes stem from old historical discrimination, as noted in the statement from SMMUSD and the City of Santa Monica. 

“The attempt to associate Jews with vaccines connects to the antisemitic trope that Jews spread diseases and dates back to the Middle Ages when Jews were blamed for the outbreak of the Black Plague. This message was front and central in Nazi propaganda during the Third Reich,” the SMMUSD-City of Santa Monica statement said.

Many residents are appalled by this act of religious discrimination involving schools with young children, especially in the predominately liberal Santa Monica neighborhood. As a member of the Jewish community and Holocaust Scholar, School Board Member Jon Kean expressed his intolerance for targeted acts which divide the community. 

“I will once again make the same plea I have made for the past two years: The enemy is the virus. The enemy is not one another. Please tone the rhetoric down,” Kean said.