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Carrying signs bearing the slogan “Not here! Not now! Not Ever!” members of Sacramento’s Jewish community were joined Monday evening by people of other faiths, as well as local and state political leaders, in denouncing anti-Semitism.
The rally on the west steps of the state Capitol was organized by the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region in response to events around the world, including the recent swastika graffiti on a Jewish fraternity house in Davis and the display of swastikas at a home in Sacramento’s River Park neighborhood.
Upon seeing a swastika on the wall of the fraternity house in January, Julia Reifkind, president of Aggies for Israel, said she experienced “an indescribable feeling of terror that I will never forget.”
SACRAMENTO – Recognizing the many ties that inexorably bind the state of California to the nation of Israel, the California Legislative Jewish Caucus issues the following statement today:
“We stand with Israel.
“The California Legislative Jewish Caucus extends our solidarity and support for the people of Israel. We pray for their safety during these difficult times.
“We condemn the actions of Hamas; a U.S. designated terrorist organization, whose charter calls for the destruction of Israel.
SACRAMENTO – The California Legislative Jewish Caucus has made the following statement regarding the recent kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank:
SACRAMENTO – Senator Marty Block (SD-39) today issued the following statement after learning that the Rialto Unified School District assigned eighth grade students an essay debating the reality of the Holocaust:
“Recently eighth grade students in the Rialto Unified School District were asked to assess whether the Holocaust ‘was an actual event in history, or merely a political scheme created to influence public emotion and gain wealth.’
Senator Marty Block (SD-39), chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, today issued the following statement regarding the weekend shootings at a Jewish retirement home and a Jewish community center in Overland Park, KS, a suburb outside Kansas City, MO:
“The California Legislative Jewish Caucus is outraged and deeply saddened by the horrific and senseless acts of evil that engulfed the Kansas Jewish Community on the eve of the Passover holiday.
Press Release
Block: Jewish Caucus wants Donnelly apology
SACRAMENTO – State Senator Marty Block, chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, today issued the following statement regarding Assemblyman Tim Donnelly’s recent outrageous rant:
“Assemblyman Tim Donnelly owes an apology to the millions impacted by the Holocaust and to countless American heroes and their families who battled evil during World War II. His odious trivialization of Adolph Hitler’s brutalities mocks their sacrifice.
In a modest office near the floor of the state Senate, 12 California legislators meet to talk politics every month. Nothing unusual about that in Sacramento. Except that with this group, the lunch usually consists of lox and bagels, and the conversation is peppered with Yiddish.
Meet the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, which launched in January.
Its nine Jewish members and three non-Jewish associate members hail from the Senate and the Assembly. Their mission: Meet monthly to coordinate on legislation, speak as one on issues of concern to the Jewish community, and do a little shmoozing while they’re at it.
Eleven members of the California State Senate and Assembly have come together to form the state’s first legislative caucus that will focus on issues of importance to the Jewish community.
The Legislative Jewish Caucus also will form a political action committee to raise money to support Israel-friendly candidates, Sen. Marty Block, the San Diego Democrat who chairs the group, told the Sacramento Bee.
SACRAMENTO -- A group of lawmakers has formed the California Legislative Jewish Caucus to weigh in on issues of priority to members, including immigration, civil rights and Israel, according to its chairman, state Sen. Marty Block (D-San Diego).
The state Legislature has for years had caucuses representing various groups, including African Americans, Latinos, Asians and Pacific Islanders, women, gays and lesbians, environmentalists, rural lawmakers and “outdoor sporting” enthusiasts.
So far, the new caucus has nine full members, including Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), and about three associates. It will meet once a month to discuss issues “that the Jewish community can advocate as a united caucus,” Block said.