Disgust, horror greet ‘vile’ displays showing up in North and South Florida
Graffiti found Sunday in Weston.

antisemiticcollage
Antisemitic messages stir condemnation from both sides of the aisle.

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 the 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 Sunday 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,” Wasserman Schultz said in the statement released 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‘ office Monday issued a statement condemning the acts, but not before his rival for re-election, Democratic 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.

DeSantis, who was at the football game in question, followed a slew of pols from both sides of the aisle who took to Twitter Sunday to voice their disgust with the hate displayed in Jacksonville. Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott joined the chorus, as did Democratic Miami state Sen. Annette Taddeo, who is running to unseat Rep. Maria Elvira 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-designate 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 display hits close to home for many. South Florida is a stronghold for the Jewish community. State Rep. Robin Bartleman posted 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 spray-painted 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.”

Anne Geggis

Anne Geggis is a South Florida journalist who began her career in Vermont and has worked at the Sun-Sentinel, the Daytona Beach News-Journal and the Gainesville Sun covering government issues, health and education. She was a member of the Sun-Sentinel team that won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Parkland high school shooting. You can reach her on Twitter @AnneBoca or by emailing [email protected].


36 comments

  • Joe Corsin

    October 30, 2022 at 6:07 pm

    It was Tom

  • Tom

    October 30, 2022 at 6:17 pm

    Demented, extremist left wing associated groups. This is despicable. Florida Dum Dems have nothing to run on. This is left wing smears, to create a left wing echo chamber so as to blame FGOP, Pathetic.

    Gov Ron campaigned for Cong Zeldin, who is Jewish. Save the cheap shots.

    Joey you are demented and a hater. FP please remove this fraud Joey corsin. For the sake of humanity.

    • Joe Corsin

      October 30, 2022 at 7:03 pm

      They said earlier today they would remove people who use other people’s names. That’s YOU… FAKE TOM. They gonna remove YOU for being a screen name thief and imposter. Gonna write them and tell them now.

    • Ariana

      October 31, 2022 at 7:22 am

      Stop lying! When Musk took over Twitter, the N-bomb increased 500% along with anti-Semitic rhetoric. Not to mention, it’s MAGAts —particularly Chumpydrawers n Kanye—feeling the most recent anti-Jewish sentiments, while Marjorie PotatoHead was the one making comments about Jewish space lasers.
      This isn’t “Democratic smears”; these idiots you worship said it publicly—for the while world to hear.
      Wake up and stop supporting hate and stupidity and take your party back from it—if it can even be saved at all at this point!😡🤬

      • Joan

        October 31, 2022 at 7:33 pm

        Good for you. The hatred in our Country is a total Disgrace.

      • Cindy

        October 31, 2022 at 8:50 pm

        How do you keep track of all the name calling, hateful rhetoric for anyone that doesn’t think like you. Then you are preaching to the choir about Jewish community. Trumps own daughter is Jewish by choice!

      • SecretSquirrell

        November 1, 2022 at 11:24 pm

        Boy you just proved his point of Dumb Democrats doing this.Listen to the hate role out of you mouth. First to wine is the guilty party. All this is being brought up by Democrats. Amazing, it’s Officially Election time and your losing.

  • Tom

    October 30, 2022 at 6:17 pm

    Demented, extremist left wing associated groups. This is despicable. Florida Dum Dems have nothing to run on. This is left wing smears, to create a left wing echo chamber so as to blame FGOP, Pathetic.

    Gov Ron campaigned for Cong Zeldin, who is Jewish. Save the cheap shots.

    Joey you are demented and a hater. FP please remove this fraud Joey corsin. For the sake of humanity.

    • Joe Corsin

      October 30, 2022 at 7:04 pm

      They gonna remove YOU for spam repetitive posting, double posting, triple posting.

  • PeterH

    October 30, 2022 at 6:56 pm

    Wake up voters!
    REPUBLICANS ARE AMERICA’S PROBLEM!

    Racism is endemic in today’s Republican Party. Donald Trump gave white supremacist a megaphone.

    If Americans want women to control their own bodies, qualified teachers to replace DeSantis’s culture wars in classrooms, intelligent teacher-student conversations concerning the social issues facing Americans in the 21st century, non-bullying discussion about classroom students who are different, common sense gun regulations, and a new honest approach on how best to address climate change……
    AMERICANS MUST VOTE ALL REPUBLICANS OUT OF OFFICE.
    REPUBLICANS ARE AMERICA’S PROBLEM.

    • Kurt stanzer

      October 30, 2022 at 9:41 pm

      Let’s just get together red or blue and make America the green pasture people from all over the world will try to emulate.

      • Robert Hames

        October 31, 2022 at 4:55 am

        I agree with you 100%. This country is more devided now than I can ever remember. We need peace and love not hatred and racism.

        • Phil Morton

          October 31, 2022 at 5:16 am

          I remember the 1960s so please stop with the “more divided than ever” bs. That said, it’s a shame many people are still stuck in the past.

    • Debs

      October 30, 2022 at 11:27 pm

      You are so right..and you have said it all.Thank you and I more than totally agree with you.
      Thank you kindly

    • Adrian Lee Steininger

      October 31, 2022 at 8:10 am

      Who opened the border to murderers, rapists, and drug dealers? Biden who is a Democrat. Who wants to kill the unborn especially the black unborns? The Democrats! If that is not racists what is! Look at our economy! When President Trump was in we were fine and other countries respected us. Not now. Now our enemies are in our leaders who are Democrats! They and their Chinese friends invented the Covid virus with money from Biden and friends. Biden is a traitor to the true Americans. God help us fight the devil’s within our own nation!

      • Elliott Offen

        October 31, 2022 at 8:28 am

        Abortion is racist? How is that the case when women of all races get abortions and up until recently it was an individuals right to chose? If a black woman gets an abortion that means she’s racist? What sort of nonsense is this Adrian? Certainly you must be trolling 😆

    • Pami

      October 31, 2022 at 8:51 am

      So not true

    • Victor Biggs

      November 3, 2022 at 9:14 am

      Look for more of this under the heading Christian Nationalism.

  • Linda Lee Byars

    October 30, 2022 at 7:00 pm

    Democrats don’t like the terrible things written anymore than some republicans. Stand up and speak out against these horrific things in our communities.🇺🇸🇺🇸

  • Chuck Babli

    October 30, 2022 at 8:51 pm

    There is a person named Tom who spouts off about Democrats also showing antisemitism, however, you have never seen nazi symbols or nazi flags at a Democrat rally. You have seen those things at republican rallies. So who is this person trying to convince?

    • Tom

      October 31, 2022 at 8:55 am

      That’s me chucky.
      I’m Tom the legend, I don’t spout, facts only. Enjoy.

  • Impeach Biden

    October 30, 2022 at 9:08 pm

    This is what Democrats do when they get desperate. I’m convinced that the graffiti was done by Corsin, Offen, Crist and the rest of the fake names to try and influence the election. Of course it won’t stem the Red Tsunami coming, Remember that staged event in Virginia by Democrats trying to portray these so called “neo nazi’s”?

    • Joe Corsin

      October 30, 2022 at 9:33 pm

      👆Epic conspiracy theory dude. Epic troll post. You’re on fire tonight 🔥

      • Tom

        October 31, 2022 at 8:47 am

        Yes impeach.
        That was Lincoln predator Org.
        They hired college kids as Klan, with tiki torches for McAulife.
        They lost, Youngkin won!

    • Di

      October 31, 2022 at 3:21 pm

      Guarantee that this graffiti is done by democraps. Diversion tactic because of upcoming (1 week) election which they are terrified they will loose by a gigantic margin! They have proven how low down they will go to win an election. Started with Obummer and continues with Slow Joe.

  • Jackson

    October 30, 2022 at 10:42 pm

    Wake up And use some common sense. Based on the scrolling, these signs were done by teenagers displaying their idiocy.

  • Joe Henn

    October 31, 2022 at 7:32 am

    As I read the comments, I see a lot of blame put on Republicans and especially MAGA, which makes me laugh recently seeing who has done the most for Israel and who has ignored them. I also agree with another writer that these are likely teens and from the community it’s being done.

    • Chris

      October 31, 2022 at 11:56 am

      Said the German Notsee to the refuge in 1933.

  • Mary Beth Borman

    October 31, 2022 at 7:43 am

    It was a bunch of kids! 🙄

  • Dale M Merrill

    October 31, 2022 at 9:00 am

    Sadly even when anti-Semitism rises to the level where the protection of the court system is required, there are certain judges who will side with those who are harassing Jews in Florida. I represented a woman who was seeking an injunction against a neighbor for his anti-Semitic harassment. The man brought a group of his anti-Semitic friends with him to testify at court, and the judge ruled against giving the woman protection, because he said the man had so many friends who testified on his behalf. It was very disheartening to see the judge refuse to stand up to anti-Semitism.

  • Ginja

    October 31, 2022 at 10:36 am

    Give me a break. The libs hate Israel. Wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve paid to have this done just so they can come out and fake cry about it. Look at how all these people have voted in the past to see how they really feel about the Jewish people. This is just happening because the midterms are here and they’ve got nothing else talk about because they know their party is a dumpster fire.

  • Terry Kelley

    October 31, 2022 at 11:43 am

    Desantis wants Florida to be free to ignore science, wink at discrimination, and ignore antisemitism. This is a recipe for chaos and violence all cooked up to win elections. If you are OK with that, Desantis is your guy. If you want to return to a civil society not constantly roiled by the resulting turbulence, vote for someone else. Charlie Crist should be your choice on November 8th.

  • Linwood Wright

    October 31, 2022 at 11:47 am

    The Republican Party is a Hate Group.

    They always were, and Trump just took the mask off.
    All Republicans are racists. Every single one of them.

  • Tjb

    November 1, 2022 at 10:57 am

    A great comment from :Virginia D from another post.
    November 1, 2022 at 10:14 am
    The Secretary General of the United Nations disagrees:
    “Addressing hate speech does not mean limiting or prohibiting freedom of speech. It means keeping hate speech from escalating into something more dangerous, particularly incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence, which is prohibited under international law

  • Francisco Anucci

    November 6, 2022 at 7:51 pm

    It’s funny to read some of these comments. I swear they read like jr high students making fun of each other. Mostly none of them include facts.
    Look at the facts from Trump bs Biden. Most of the hate for the R team is emotional. And most importantly. Would we say these things face to face! We are all the same with different ideologies.

Comments are closed.


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