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VENTURA — Mayor Dr. Jeannette Sánchez-Palacios has released the following statement in response to antisemitic vandalism targeting Temple Beth Torah and Juanamaria Park, including swastikas and other hateful imagery:
Dear Community Members of Ventura,
I am deeply disturbed by the antisemitic vandalism targeting Temple Beth Torah, Higher Vision Church, and Juanamaria Park, including the spray-painting of swastikas and other hateful imagery.
Antisemitism, hate, and intimidation have no place in Ventura. An act intended to make members of our Jewish community feel unsafe is an attack on the values we share as a community.
To our Jewish neighbors, families, students, educators, and faith leaders: you are an important and valued part of Ventura. We stand with you. No one should have to fear being targeted because of their faith, culture, or identity.
As a community, we cannot allow ourselves to become desensitized to symbols of hate. A swastika is not simply graffiti. It carries a horrific history of antisemitism, persecution, and genocide, and its use to threaten or intimidate our neighbors must be taken seriously.
Our City Council has a history of supporting inclusion and opposing racism and violence, as demonstrated through resolutions passed on September 25, 2017, July 13, 2020, and October 19, 2020. At moments like this, we must reaffirm that commitment, not only through our words, but through how we respond as a community.
I ask my colleagues on the City Council and all Ventura community members to join me in solidarity with our Jewish community. Let us stand together against antisemitism, hatred, intimidation, and violence in all their forms. Let us continue working to foster a community rooted in respect, understanding, and compassion, where every person feels safe and welcome.
Ventura is stronger when we look out for one another. If you have information about these acts of vandalism, please share it so that those responsible can be held accountable. Anyone with information may contact the Ventura Police Department anonymously at (805) 339-4416.
Hate will not define Ventura. Our response to it will.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jeannette Sánchez-Palacios
Mayor of Ventura