Davis, California is experiencing heightened tensions between Jewish, Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian residents, as highlighted by Rabbi Pini Dunner’s opinion piece in the New York Post, and the city’s response to a May Day gathering that displayed a banner supporting the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
The Davis City Council adopted three sets of actions to address discrimination against Muslim, Arab, Palestinian and allied residents, reaffirming protections against antisemitism and all forms of harassment, and approving additional anti-bias education efforts for the community.
The Davis Hate Free Together program needs to evolve beyond addressing individual prejudice and focus on fostering shared understanding and dialogue between groups, rather than using a “hate eradication” model that can be polarizing and counterproductive.
Dozens of Jewish residents and their allies packed into Davis City Council chambers to express their deep alarm about antisemitism in the city and to call for the disbandment or reconstitution of the Human Relations Commission due to the MAPA report, which they say is discriminatory and harmful.