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Mayor, Jewish Leaders Decry Rising Antisemitism in San Francisco and Nationwide
Jewish leaders in San Francisco—joined by Mayor Daniel Lurie, officials, law enforcement and community members—condemned the rising hate and violence against Jewish people locally and nationwide.
The Bay Area’s cultural capital has seen anti-Jewish hate crimes quadruple in 2023 as antisemitic vandalism, assaults and harassment skyrocket across the country.
In 2024, the Anti-Defamation League recorded 9,354 antisemitic incidents in the U.S.—a 5 percent rise from 2023, a 344 percent increase over five years, an 893 percent surge over the past decade and the highest number since tracking began 46 years ago. With 1,344 incidents last year, California had the second-highest number of any state.
“But even in the middle of this ugliness, there were many points of light.”
Speaking at the rally from a podium emblazoned with a Star of David containing the words “Here I Am,” Mayor Lurie said, “We must all come together to stand with the Jewish community to condemn antisemitism.”
“It has to end, and Jews need to stand up and be proud and not hide, and our allies need to stand up and say that is not acceptable,” said California Senator Scott Wiener.
The rally featured Manny Yekutiel, owner of Manny’s—a popular local café vandalized several days earlier, when windows were smashed and hate speech was spray-painted on the building.
“I’m not the only Jew throughout history who’s had messages on their walls, saying ‘you don’t belong here,’” he said. “But there is a dark tide of antisemitism that is covering our country, and its shadow has reached our city. San Francisco cannot allow this to happen. We have to stand against it, because it is in our blood to be a city that welcomes everyone.”
When news of the attack on Manny’s broke, the community sprang to its aid. Yekutiel described what happened in an op-ed in a local paper: “But even in the middle of this ugliness, there were many points of light. Since the news broke that Manny’s was vandalized, I received hundreds of messages of love and support from all corners of the city. Mayor Daniel Lurie, without even asking, showed up to my space to hold my hand, to console and to cry with me. Before I could even start cleaning up the damage, strangers from the neighborhood stopped what they were doing to help. A kind man named Jesus grabbed my paint bucket and started covering the first layer of graffiti without a word. The outpouring has been overwhelming.”
The attack on the Jewish-owned café was not the only hate crime this month in the City by the Bay. In the Marina District, a group of about six people spouting antisemitic slogans attacked a man who fell to the ground, hit his head and lost consciousness, whereupon the group continued to punch and kick him while he was down. A bystander attempting to help the victim was also kicked and punched.
“The bottom line is, hate has no place in San Francisco,” said Mayor Lurie at the rally. “We are not going to stand for it.”
