Anti-Semitic Graffiti Prompts Response in Santa Monica
On Apr. 8, multiple reports came out detailing the use of swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti marked on sidewalks, trees and lamp posts within the SM-Pico neighborhood.
Members of the Jewish community in Santa Monica have taken various approaches to combat these hateful displays. Some parents and students have put it upon themselves to cover the graffiti on Pico with positive messaging.
Taylor Coffman and Zach Lupetin, who live in the area with their daughter, decided to use chalk to turn the Swastikas into hearts, flowers and butterflies.
"I was just like, this is a beautiful way to say ‘love lives here—we’re here, and we’re not going to stand for this kind of thing in our neighborhood,’" Coffman explained.
The SMPD Chief Ramon Batista put out a statement on the incident.
“Let me be clear: there is no place for hate in Santa Monica," said Batista. "We are appalled by these cowardly acts of anti-Semitism. Our department is fully committed to upholding the safety and dignity of all members of our community."
However, this is not the first time that anti-Semitic hate has been found in Santa Monica. Fliers linking Jews with an anti-vaccination conspiracy were found, mainly within elementary schools throughout the district, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Jan. 2022.
These hateful symbols found in Santa Monica mirror an ongoing display of anti-Semitism that has been documented throughout the United States. Data collected from the Anti-Defamation League shows an increase in anti-Semitic incidents by 360 percent since Oct. 7, 2023 (the date of the terrorist group Hamas’s attack on Israel in which 1200 civilians were murdered and over 200 taken hostage). The conflict in Israel as well as its relation to Jews abroad, particularly in America, has become of great concern to the overarching community.
As the war in Israel and Gaza continues, many Jews throughout the US have felt increasingly isolated. Additionally, anti-Semitic crimes throughout colleges in the United States have some students fearing their future in higher education. At Columbia University, widespread Pro-Palestinian rallies, many of which have had instances of violence, have led community representatives to caution Jewish students on their safety. One Campus Rabbi even called for all Jewish students to leave the school.
Chole Stevelman (’24), a member of the SM Chabad Teen Network [a Jewish club at Samo] who will attend college in the fall, is fearful of what could happen if the current higher academic environment is maintained.
“It's definitely scary. I read a poll that said around 50 percent of Gen Z adults, the people who I'm going to be going to college with, think that what happened on Oct. 7 was justified (Harvard-Harris Poll). And I think that is just an absolutely terrifying statistic,” Steveleman said. “With the big things that they’re [Pro-Palestinian students] discussing, it's not just criticism of politicians or political decisions. It is people who are just outwardly saying, Israel doesn't have the right to be a state. Many people are also actively supporting the idea that Jewish people are inherently oppressors. I feel like it definitely goes beyond just constructive criticism.”
While these concerns continue to permeate Jewish spaces, a multitude of groups are available to students to comfortably explore their identity and also get support in this exceedingly difficult period. On the Samo campus are two clubs, the Jewish Student Union (JSU) and Chabad Teen Network (CTeen) that meet weekly and have discussions on prescient topics for the community.
Stevelman gave some insight into why these organizations can be so important to Jewish students at Samo.
“The idea of Cteen is to have this space that is welcoming and inclusive of any Jewish student or rather any student who may just want to learn more about Jewish culture and the traditions and the religion on campus. We have a large organization that spans the globe, and this is just one of many chapters. At the club, we talk about things like Torah and this past year we've had more serious discussions about anti-Semitism and what's been going on in the world,” Stevelman said. “I feel like this is a space where people don't have to be afraid of backlash from other students and can just feel supported in their views and have meaningful conversations about that.”
As the aforementioned anti-Semitism makes waves throughout the USA, Jewish students at Samo are looking for a safe place in which to be comfortable with their heritage. During this period, many Jewish students viewed it as being of the utmost importance that they can not have to be hidden. Various administrations around the country, both high school and college, have been ridiculed for complacency to active calls for harm against Jews. Much of this hate has been materialized in rallies around the US, such as those at Arizona State University where Pro-Palestinian protesters threw rocks at a Jewish club. While hateful rhetoric and violence such as this have been comparatively rare at Samo, it is something that community representatives warn the SMMUSD administration as a whole must actively take measures to work against.