February 3, 2025 — San Diego
When it comes to fighting antisemitism, Jews can’t go it alone—nor should they, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said Sunday at the second annual “Standing Together: A Community Response to Antisemitism” symposium, sponsored by American Jewish Committee San Diego in partnership with the Jewish Federation of San Diego.
“Antisemitism has never been just a Jewish problem,” Gloria said in a video address. “It’s one we must all solve. Because that’s what a community does.”
The symposium brought together a diverse array of community members, many of them not Jewish, for frank conversations and skills-building workshops aimed at finding and learning about the best ways to combat antisemitism and create greater understanding between Jews and other groups.
“The importance of combating antisemitism impacts us all,” said AJC San Diego Director Sara E. Brown. “Antisemitism is not just a threat against Jews. It is a threat against our democracy, our liberty, our values, our freedom. So we must take a stand not just as a Jewish people, but as a human family.”
Brown was also in conversation with author and journalist Franklin Foer, whose 2024 article in The Atlantic, “The Golden Age of American Jews,” attracted widespread attention for its warning that antisemitism from both the right and the left threatens to upend the American Jewish experience.
Foer, who spoke at AJC’s Global Forum last year, said: “As Jews, as allies, I think we all need to work on this collective project of reinvigorating democracy and understand that antisemitism matters because it’s a bellwether for how conspiracy theories flourish in our country, how we are incapable of trusting one another, and how we struggle to have conversations about difficult things.”
With about 100,000 people, Jews make up roughly 3% of the greater population in the San Diego area. Although relatively small in number, the Jewish community has made its presence felt by fighting antisemitism and pushing back against blatantly anti-Zionist ethnic studies content in K–12 schools. Along the way, the Jewish community has also developed close partnerships with leaders from different faiths and ethnic groups who have also experienced prejudice.
“We may come from many different faiths and backgrounds but we have a lot in common, especially when it comes to recognizing the need to come together to stem the flow of hate,” said Jewish Federation of San Diego President and CEO Heidi Gantwerk.
Recognizing the importance of this allyship, Nicole Murray Ramirez, a longtime Latino and LGBT activist in San Diego, was recognized with an allyship award. He noted that when gay San Diegans frequently faced prejudice and violence—even after same-sex relationships were legalized in California in 1977—it was the Jewish community that was the first to stand with them.
This year, the symposium added a component for Jewish high school teens, including a workshop for 50 students focused on maintaining a strong Jewish identity amid rising antisemitism and becoming effective advocates for the Jewish community.
Those advocacy skills are at the core of AJC’s Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT) program, which has trained nearly 2,000 high school students across the country on how to effectively speak up for Israel and the Jewish people.
“With a spike in anti-Zionist and antisemitic activity on campuses, Jewish students, more than ever, should have the tools and skills they need to stand up for the issues that matter to the Jewish community before they get to college,” said AJC Los Angeles Assistant Director Alissa Bernstein, who moderated the teen track.
The symposium was capped by an appearance from singer-songwriter John Ondrasik, who goes by the stage name Five For Fighting. Among the songs he played was “OK (We Are Not OK),” a song he wrote about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, which he performed last April at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv.
Ondrasik’s presence was in many ways emblematic of what the symposium was all about. He is not Jewish. Ondrasik said that did not matter.
“One does not have to be Jewish to condemn the evil that is Hamas, one just has to be human,” he said.
AJC San Diego connects our community with American Jewish Committee’s global advocacy work to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel. Our action at the local level advances AJC’s broader priorities: combating the growing threat of antisemitism, promoting Israel’s place in the world, and championing the values of democracy and pluralism. Learn more at www.ajc.org/sandiego.
Inspired by Jewish values, Jewish Federation of San Diego broadens and deepens engagement in Jewish life to strengthen Jewish identity, foster dynamic connections with Israel, and care for all Jews in need. Learn more at www.jewishsandiego.org.