Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, July 8, 2023

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, July 8, 2023 


JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE GREATER 
SAN GABRIEL AND POMONA VALLEYS IS 
COMBATING ANTISEMITISM LOCALLY – 
ONE CITY COUNCIL AT A TIME

Monrovia, CA, July 5, 2023 - With the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) latest 
audit on antisemitism showing a 36% increase in reported antisemitic 
incidents and attacks between 2021 and 2022, and more specifically, a 41% 
increase here in California between 2021 and 2022, the Jewish Federation of 
the Greater San Gabriel launched an initiative to combat antisemitism and all 
forms of hatred locally. And the effort is showing signs of making a difference.

 

In March, Jewish Federation sent letters to the mayors, city council members, 
and City Managers of the 48 cities the organization covers – between Glendale 
to Rancho Cucamonga and south to Whittier – and asked that they join 
and support the organization's effort. 

The initial letter outlined four specific action steps each city's leadership 
should take:

1. Sign the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and US Conference of Mayors' 
statement to combat antisemitism and join the over 700 mayors who have 
already done so. (Before the initial letter was sent back in March, only four 
local mayors (Brea, Chino Hills, El Monte, and South El Monte) had signed 
onto the statement. 

 

2. Adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) working 
definition of antisemitism. 

 

3. Adopt a resolution denouncing antisemitism and all forms of hatred. 

 

4. Establish a task force of representatives from various targeted ethnic and 
racial groups to work with city officials to develop a plan to confront hatred. 

 

As of today, thirteen City Councils have responded by passing resolutions, 
agreeing to sign onto AJC and US Conference of Mayors' statement to combat 
antisemitism, and adopting IHRA's working definition on antisemitism: 

Claremont

Upland

Monrovia

Alhambra

Sierra Madre

San Gabriel

Temple City

Pasadena

Whittier

Diamond Bar

Walnut

South Pasadena

Ontario. 

Glendale has the request on their July 11 city council meeting agenda.

 

"Our goal is to not only raise awareness of this issue of antisemitism and hatred 
that is plaguing society," Jason Moss, Jewish Federation of the Greater 
San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys' Executive Director explains, "but also work 
with our local elected officials to confront and combat it where we live – in 
the cities that are part of the greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys."

Moss continues, "When I address the various city councils and share the figures 
that illustrate the increase, I make it a point to mention that these are 
only the reported figures… that there far more antisemitic incidents that go 
unreported. I want each city council member to understand the power their 
individual voices have and should be used to do what they can to get rid of all 
forms of hate in their cities."

 

Jewish Federation staff have contacted the remaining 24 cities and are awaiting 
a response to their follow-up request for each city to take the organization's 
recommended action steps.

 

Jewish Federation is committed to continuing to do what it can to get the 
remaining cities in the greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys to take the 
first steps to combat antisemitism by following the lead of their fellow city 
colleagues.

The Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys’ mission is to 
build community by strengthening and enhancing Jewish life. The Jewish Federation 
does this by providing programs and services that support the needs of the Jewish community 
in our region, and acts as the Jewish voice on issues that affect the greater 
Jewish community. 

My dear ol’ departed father told me time and time again “Don’t argue sex, politics or religion, you’ll never 
win”. Well, Summer is here and we will be spending time BBQ’n with friends and family…. My politics 
are simple: I don’t share my views at social events, and I’m not going to change my 85-year-old uncle who 
swears by Fox News so bottom line keep your lip tight if you must ask questions learn and don’t react.

Here are a few more of my “get along this Summer” tips…

• Ask for help, but don’t expect it. Families are never fair. Work is never equally divided. That’s just 
the way it is. I am always prepared to do everything, but very happy not to. Wasting time being mad because 
one person tends to just sit around ruins the whole experience for everyone.

• Don’t try to be right about everything. Getting the family together can be a toxic experience when 
someone insists on being the winner in an argument or thinks he or she is right about everything….of 
course, I am right about everything, but that doesn’t mean I have to rub it in their faces.

• Try not to criticize. Nothing is more hurtful or hard to watch than someone criticizing someone 
else in front of others. Whether it’s your kids or your spouse or your sister, get togethers are a time to 
suspend critical thinking and just surrender to the getting together spirit. If you need to discipline a child, 
please take the child to a quiet corner or another room and speak respectfully.

• Enjoy yourself. If you are doing all the work, make sure you sit down and take breaks and talk to 
people…so what if the BBQ is a little late? I like to spend a little one-on-one time with each person present—
to take the conversation at least a tiny step further than just “How are you?”

• Remember, we are all going to turn into our mothers/fathers one day. The very things that drive 
us crazy about our parents and relatives are probably hard wired into us, too. It’s just harder for us to see 
it in ourselves, since we are looking at the world from inside of ourselves. 

You probably have your own game plan, so if you have family survival tips of your own, feel free to share 
with me, and tune in this Sunday Night at 5 PM for my Foodie Talk Show AM 830 KLAA - the Angels 
Radio Station

One last thing: please bring something to the BBQ. Even if the host says they have things covered, there 
never is enough ice or plates. Pro Tip: don’t bring an entrée unless asked - I learned the hard way on that 
one

Happy Summer!


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com