Locals Show Support For East Bay Synagogue In Wake Of Anti-Semitic Flyer
SAN LEANDRO (KPIX 5) -- Anti-Semitic flyers posted outside several synagogues in the East Bay have stirred up both community concern and support during Rosh Hashanah.
Outside Temple Beth Sholom in San Leandro Sunday, neighbors held signs to show support for the synagogue.
Ten days ago, a racist flyer was found on the property. It shows ultra right wing radio host Alex Jones, his mouth covered by black tape adorned with the Jewish star covers his mouth, as if he is being silenced.
On the left and right of Jones are two caricatures of Jewish men. The flyer references the Daily Stormer, identified by the Anti-Defamation League as a neo-Nazi website.
"I came here tonight feeling a bit nervous. And that's unfair, because Rosh Hashanah is supposed to be a joyous occasion," said Stan Osofsky with Temple Beth Sholom. "Whether it's for mean spirit or a joke, whatever. It really has no place in this community."
A staffer discovered the flyer in front of the temple door on August 30th. And it was not the only one.
The Anti-Defamation League reported that same week, that same flyer began showing up at other East Bay synagogues.
The ADL says it is not going to name the locations, but that the flyer showed up in at least four temples. The flyer is an apparent reference to the fact that social media sites have shut down accounts by Jones and the Daily Stormer for abusive behavior.
San Leandro resident Cathy Romero, whose father was an American soldier who helped defeat the Nazis in World War II, blames the current political climate and the president himself.
"I think it's terrible," said Romero. "All this hatred and bigotry and racism is coming from the top and it makes it okay even in our small little towns. And I think it's very, very sad."
Temple Beth Sholom released a statement saying they are taking security measures to protect congregants during the high holidays.
"These hate groups stand for the opposite of our values of love and inclusivity," the statement read. "We are fortunate to have a warm and close-knit community that will not be cowed by attempts to intimidate."
According to the flyer, a local "Stormer Book Club" or SBC claimed responsibility for it. The ADL says "SBCs are small crews of young white men who follow and support Andrew Anglin and his neo-Nazi website...notorious for its hateful, racist content and troll culture."
