Antisemitic chant breaks out at San Francisco mayoral event
Rise in antisemitism in the U.S.
We're seeing a rise in antisemitism here in the U.S., especially after the deadly Boulder terror attack. Rabbi Mark Bloom joined us on The Four to talk about how this act of violence is impacting the Jewish community.
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and Supervisor Bilal Mahmood held an event on Wednesday where a woman yelled an antisemitic comment, prompting the mayor to respond on social media.
At Wednesday's event, the woman yelled ‘tax the Jews." At the same event, a separate group, the Democratic Socialists of America in San Francisco, chanted ‘tax the rich."
The mayor addressed the woman's antisemitic chant in a social media post.
The event, Lurie explained, was put on by him, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, labor leaders and workers to announce plans to repeal Prop I, which he said would create more jobs and housing, although opponents say the change will only benefit wealthy commercial real estate owners.
Lurie said the women's chant was a "tired trope."
"Suggesting that Jews are wealthy is a tired trope, and targeting our community at an event focused on creating economic opportunity for San Franciscans is decidedly anti-Semitic," wrote Lurie, who is Jewish. "I will never accept hate directed at the Jewish community or any community in our city. Those are not San Francisco values—we’re better than that."
A socialist political group – the Democratic Socialists of America in San Francisco – said that a woman who was not a member of their group, spouted "disgusting and antiemetic remarks."
In a social media post, DSA SF said they "want to make clear her words came from her alone."
The group said that while they disagree with Lurie on policy, "we join you in condemning antisemitism."
The event was intended to focus on Lurie and Mahmood's legislation nicknamed the "Build Act," which would cut the transfer tax by about half, to pre-pandemic 2020 levels.
The tax is paid when property changes from one owner to another, and for projects valued at more than $25 million.
Lurie said the money was supposed to fund affordable housing, but "instead, taxes went up, revenue went down and homes never got built."