Antisemitism

At a conference in Broward County, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt — President Biden's Special Envoy to combat antisemitism — called the rise in hatred against Jewish people "very frightening," singling out its "normalization" in the discourse of celebrities as a "major concern."

On this week's Florida Roundup, we discuss an immigration bill sparking pushback from medical professionals, Florida's possible tilt towards authoritarianism, and efforts to combat hate speech.

Florida had a 42% increase in antisemitic incidents last year, according to the Anti-Defamation League. These incidents include flyers thrown in yards, roadside harassment, graffiti and messages projected onto buildings.

A far-right group in Jacksonville has been regularly projecting hate symbols onto downtown buildings. Groups like this look to capitalize on what they see as a favorable political climate.

"Enough is enough, said Rep. Mike Caruso. The Delray Beach Republican filed the bill last week. He said that legislators need to act.

Mayor Lenny Curry's office window appears to have a bullet hole in it while a plane pulling a Confederate flag and message circled City Hall.

Rabbi A. James Rudin has spent much of his life helping to develop respect and understanding among faiths. On Sunday, he will be the third American rabbi bestowed with the Papal Knighthood of the Order of St. Gregory the Great.

The University of Florida has the largest population of Jewish students of all public universities in the nation, and campus organizations continue to show solidarity and host events combating hate.

More than 300 people assembled Thursday night for a Downtown vigil co-hosted by OneJax and the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Northeast Florida to peacefully protest the antisemitic messages.

The report for the first time publicly identified the group responsible: National Socialist Florida, known as NatSoc Florida or NSF, an extremist group with a growing presence in Jacksonville.

Even projecting hateful messages onto a private building might not lead to an arrest, legal experts say.

Jacksonville has been the longtime home of the annual football rivalry game, where more than 75,000 fans were expected to come to the city to attend Saturday's game.