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Tempe mayor denounces reports of antisemitic incident
The incident reportedly involves flyers with antisemitic content, and the flyers were left in front yards and doorsteps of homes in parts of the East Valley city. FOX 10's Lauren Clark reports.
TEMPE, Ariz. - Tempe Mayor Corey Woods is speaking out amid reports of antisemitic flyers being distributed in parts of the city.
According to a tweet made by Woods on Oct. 21, the flyers were reportedly left on front yards and doorsteps of homes in an areas southwest of the city's downtown area.
"The flyers, which contained disgusting, bigoted rhetoric, were placed into plastic bags with stones to prevent them from blowing away," a portion of Mayor Woods' statement read.
Mayor Woods said the city's hate crimes unit wants to hear from those who received the flyers. People can call Tempe Police's non-emergency line at (480) 350-8311 to provide information.
The mayor also denounced the incident.
"Whether their intolerable expressions take the form of graffiti, printed materials, or something else, they are jarring, offensive, and most of all totally unacceptable," read a portion of Mayor Woods' statement. "There is no place for hate in our community."
Material features name of antisemitic network
The flyers feature the name of an organization that has been identified by the Anti-Defamation League as a "loose network of individuals connected by their virulent antisemitism."
Residents, religious leaders react
One resident, Grayson Glazer, said he is disgusted by what happened.
"It’s definitely scary. It’s always alarming. I guess you always hear about these things a little bit more distantly, but when they happen closer, it’s obviously more real," said Glazer.
Rabbi Shumel Tiechtel, who is the Co-Director of Chabad at ASU, also talked about the incident.
"That feeling for being targeted for who you are, and that people dislike you for who you are, and that people know that unfortunately, there is hate out there in the world, but coming to your doorsteps, that someone had the time, effort and energy to deliver it to your doorstep, it’s painful," said Rabbi Tiechtel.
Rabbi Tiechtel said the community is finding strength in each other.
"You don’t fight darkness with more darkness. You don’t push away hate with more hate. How do you push away darkness? In Jewish teachings, a little light pushes away a lot of darkness. You can have a dark room, but you light one little candle, and it illuminates the whole room," said Rabbi Tiechtel.
Antisemitic incidents on the rise across the U.S., according to report
According to a report by the Anti-Defamation League, incidents involving antisemitism are on the rise in Arizona, as well as other parts of the U.S.
ADL's report, which was released in May 2022, found a total of 41 antisemitic incidents in Arizona for 2021, representing a big increase from 15 in 2020, and 11 in 2019.
Across the country, the report listed 1,776 incidents involving antisemitism in 2021, an increase from 1,238 in 2020.
In recent weeks, there have been various antisemitic incidents in the U.S., some of which feature banners praising controversial rapper Kanye West.
West has been at the center of antisemitic controversy for his remarks.
Recent incidents involving antisemitism in the Phoenix area
The Phoenix area has seen incidents of antisemitism in recent years.
In August, we reported on a letter sent by the U.S. Department of Education to Kyrene School District. The letter announced that the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights has found that the Kyrene School District violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by "failing to respond appropriately to notice of ongoing antisemitic harassment of a student by other students."
The report came following an investigation into complaints that the student was subjected to discrimination based on her Jewish ancestry at a school within the Kyrene School District. We have since learned that the school in question is Altadeña Middle School, which is located in Ahwatukee.
In late September, we reported on another investigation by the Department of Education, which found that a school within Peoria Unified School District violated students' civil rights by failing to address reports of racial harassment.
The alleged harassment included, among other things, some mimicking Nazi salutes, and drawing Swastikas on photographs of students' faces on notebooks.
Read More: Dept. of Education finds Peoria Unified failed to address racial harassment of students
In February 2020, we reported on the arrest of a Queen Creek man as part of an investigation into a neo-Nazi organization.
Johnny Roman Garza, who was 20 at the time, was arrested along with three other men from Florida, Texas and Washington, for their alleged connection with a conspiracy to threaten and intimidate journalists and activists. The group reportedly focused mainly on those who are Jewish, as well as journalists of color.
In December of the same year, we reported that Garza was sentenced to 16 months in a federal prison for his involvement in the matter. By then, he had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to mail threatening communications and commit cyberstalking.
City of Tempe