JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It was a sight that sparked outrage in central Florida this weekend.
People standing on a highway overpass – with flags with swastikas.
Self-proclaimed Nazis held rallies and protests on street corners in Orlando.
The gatherings are still under investigation by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office which is trying to determine if any crimes were committed.
The demonstrations have drawn backlash and sparked a larger conversation about the Holocaust and antisemitism in America.
Antisemitic incidents are on the rise and have been for the last four years, according to those tracking the incidents. Now, Jewish community advocates say the stories making national headlines are a reminder of why education is so important.
“It’s sad to me that we’re still having this conversation so many years later,” said Colleen Rodriguez, CEO of Jewish Family & Community Services.
Rodriguez said it’s also not easy for the Jewish community to see what’s been in the headlines.
From swastikas in South Florida to reports of Nazi rallies near Orlando.
On a national scale, talk show host Whoopi Goldberg was suspended from “The View” after she said the Holocaust “is not about race but about man’s inhumanity to man.”
The comment came during a discussion of the book “Maus” – which is about the Holocaust, and was recently banned by a school district in Tennessee.
Goldberg later apologized saying she should’ve said the Holocaust is about both, adding Jewish people always have her support, and she was sorry for the hurt she caused.
Rodriguez said it’s semantics, but there’s a bigger picture.
“We can go back and forth about that, what did she mean and how did she mean it but the message is clear that we need to be accepting of each other,” Rodriguez said.
The Anti-Defamation League said in 2021, 56 antisemitic incidents were reported in Florida. Two of them were cases of harassment in Jacksonville.
ADL interim director Lonnie Wilk said 2016 to 2020 were the highest years on record for antisemitic incidents.
“In the state of Florida, in that same time period, 2020, over 2019, we saw a 44-percent increase in antisemitic incidents. So that is greatly troubling for our state,” Wilk said.
Wilk said what happened in Central Florida is an act of antisemitism.
“Understand that it, antisemitism, is not just a Jewish community problem, it is a problem for all of us,” Wilk said.
The groups News4JAX spoke to said the only way it will stop is if people in the community are actively and accurately educated, and try to heal as a country.
The Jewish Family and Community serves the entire community and offers tours of the Holocaust Memorial Gallery part of how they educate the community.
And if you witness or experience any antisemitic incidents call the police and contact the ADL.