From North Florida to South Florida, antisemitic messages are suddenly showing up.
Sunday’s dawn revealed a homeowners’ association property had been defaced in Weston, after other, anti-Jewish sentiments were displayed around Jacksonville Friday and Saturday, most prominently at a full-capacity football game between University of Florida and the University of Georgia at the TIAA Bank Field stadium in Jacksonville.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who lives in Weston, put out a statement decrying it all — and called on more politicians to do the same.
“The recent spike in high-profile and public antisemitism, both in Northeast Florida and now with repeated cases in my own hometown of Weston, is a deeply alarming and heartbreaking trend,” said Wasserman Schultz’s statement, released through her office Sunday afternoon. “This hatred must be called out forcefully. It is incumbent on all of Florida’s leaders to unequivocally condemn this dangerous rhetoric.”
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis tweeted about the Seminoles victory at its football game Saturday, but there was nothing about the antisemitic UF-UGA game incident, even though he reportedly attended Saturday night.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist put out a statement Sunday calling attention to DeSantis’ silence on the football game incident, in addition to an antisemitic Friday display on an Interstate 10 overpass. Still, though, a slew of pols from both sides of the aisle took to Twitter Sunday to voice their disgust with the hate displayed in Jacksonville. Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott did, as did Miami state Sen. Annette Taddeo who is running to unseat Rep. Maria Salazar from Congress.
“… Hate will not win,” Taddeo tweeted. “I want all my Jewish brothers & sisters to know this – when I’m elected as the 1st Jewish Latina to Congress I won’t stop fighting until we eradicate hate.”
House Speaker-elect Paul Renner condemned the crawl of words projected across the end zone of the stadium.
“There is no place for the hateful antisemitic messages in Jacksonville this weekend or anywhere in America — ever,” Renner tweeted Sunday afternoon. :We must remain vigilant in opposition to this vile rhetoric and we will always stand united with our Jewish community.”
The HOA defacement hits close to home for many — South Florida is a stronghold for the Jewish community. State Rep. Robin Bartleman posted the pictures of the graffiti at Hunters Pointe community on her Facebook page.
“I am appalled to see these acts of hate, prejudice and anti-semitism in my hometown,” she wrote. “We must unite and all stand up against this — ENOUGH!! It is unacceptable.”
Earlier in the month, during the observance of Yom Kippur, one of the high, holy holidays of the Jewish faith, racist, antisemitic graffiti was spraypainted on a sidewalk in Weston in the same area.
Democratic Senate Leader Lauren Book tweeted pictures of the graffiti, writing that it’s time for the community to speak up and act.
“I am disgusted & dismayed by the hateful messages graffitied in Weston,” Book tweeted. “There is a rise in anti-semitism & racism not only in our state, but across the country. We, as a community, must collectively condemn these acts and the cowards who did this.”
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