I cannot stay silent when I see former Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s opportunistic attempt to fundraise off the hurt and pain our Jewish community is experiencing. Faulconer’s crass attempt to pad his campaign coffers with cash while pretending to be a friend of our community shall not go unnoticed.
Since childhood, I have been an active member of my Jewish community. I participated in B’nai B’rith Girls and Hillel at San Diego State University. I sat on the board of my own temple, Congregation Beth Israel. In addition, others also know me from 40-plus years of political activism in San Diego and in California.
Many of us in the Jewish Community San Diego have recently paid extra attention to the San Diego County Human Relations Commission because of the overt antisemitism of several members, including one who was just re-appointed.
Last week, the Board of Supervisors voted to re-appoint Iman Taha Hassane, whose statements following the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre were particularly abhorrent.
Within the hour, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, who voted for the re-appointment, was made aware of the past onslaught of antisemitism by the Iman. In short order, Lawson-Remer apologized, expressed regret for her vote and declared bluntly that she no longer supported Imam Hassane’s appointment to the commission.
I have known Lawson-Remer since she was seven years old. Today she is the only Jewish elected official on our county Board of Supervisors. Terra is a strong and solid voice in the fight against antisemitism.
Terra regrets her vote — and expressed her regret clearly, honestly and without reservation. A lesser individual would have equivocated or tried to “walk back” her action. Not Terra. She owned her mistake and apologized. And she called for far-reaching reform of the commission.
On the other hand, Faulconer, who is running against her, is using the incident as a fundraising vehicle for his campaign. Let’s be clear Faulconer has done virtually nothing for San Diego’s Jewish community in 22 years as a career politician. And the moment he saw an opportunity to drive a wedge in our hurting community — he attacked, and then turned around and turned our pain into cold, hard campaign cash.
Don’t let this fool you.
Lawson-Remer is the real deal. She has always spoken her truth and engaged with her whole heart. Unlike Faulconer, she values the Jewish community — not as a fundraising football to be kicked back and forth -– but as a tribe who have long been hunted and has long been hurting. In her soul, she holds steadfast her commitment to healing the world.
As as supervisor, Lawson-Remer has used her platform to shine a light on rising antisemitism, authoring a county resolution and generating much-needed media coverage. She opened the County Administration Center for the first ever Menorah Lighting Ceremony that has grown into an annual event. She has made efforts to preserve and shine a light on Jewish history, interviewing the late Rose Schindler.
Shame on Faulconer, especially at a time when the ties that bind us as a community are under tremendous strain. Shame on him for seizing on our pain to seek shekels instead of offering compassion.
Clearly, strengthening our ties to one another via the Human Relations Commission will take considerable effort and engagement. I hope focus on the hard work of truly “hearing” everyone’s pain and life story with equal measures of care and candor. We have before us an opportunity to meet challenges with far-reaching implications, and I am appreciative, as ever, for your help in our efforts.
The only way to stop the cycle of ignorance and hate is through knowledge and love.
Laurie Black has served as president of the Downtown Partnership, as a San Diego Unified Port Commissioner, and as a board member of the Centre City Development Corporation. A Democratic party activist, she also served as chief of staff for former Congresswoman Lynn Schenk.
