This weekend’s horrendous acts of anti-Semitism in our city show how, if given an inch of room in our city, Jacksonville can succumb to divisiveness and hatred. We condemn these acts of hostility aimed at our Jewish friends and neighbors, and we encourage our local, state and federal leaders to do more to unite our community and take action to end the growing number of acts of hatred in Northeast Florida.
To curb these acts of hatred, our leaders must demonstrate respect for others of all religions, nationalities, races, sexes, sexual orientations, and gender identities and have the courage to denounce bigotry in all of its forms. Words have power, and power plus action creates change! We will not sit back and watch our city be torn further apart by hate, bigotry, and silence.
At 904WARD, we stand with our Jewish friends and neighbors today and every day. We understand that putting an end to hatred will take a lot of hard work, which we are committed to doing, alongside the Jewish community and other organizations and individuals who realize that our fates are intertwined. We must have necessary conversations and create educational opportunities to address anti-Semitism in our community. Hate will not win in Jacksonville - there are too many great people here who love this city and will push it to be the best it can be, despite the efforts to hold us back.