JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Plastic bags filled with antisemitic flyers and hate messages were left at homes in the Mandarin area, many living there woke up Sunday morning shocked at the messages.
One neighbor, who talked off camera, says she became worried and called police when she found the bag left in her driveway. She is Jewish, works at an Orthodox school and has seen hate towards the Jewish community become more frequent.
This is not the first instance antisemitic messages were spread across the fist coast. Last August, similar messages in bags were left in the in the Lake Pointe neighborhood. In November, an antisemitic banner was hung over 1-95. And after at least two recent football games at TIAA Bank field, hate messages were projected onto buildings around the city.
In response to the increase, just last week, the Jacksonville city council passed a law prohibiting signs or messages from being projected on buildings without the owner's consent.
Rabbi Shmuli Novack, Chabad of Southside says he has noticed an increase in antisemitism, but it doesn’t shake his faith.
"Instead of turning off, or terrorizing, or breaking down the Jewish community, what I think you’ll find is that folks are saying in the Jewish community, well this is my opportunity, I should be participating more," Rabbi Shmuli Novack of the Chabad of Southside, said. "Lets act and behavior more Jewishly as the ultimate way to defeat these acts of hatred.”
Anyone who comes across flyers containing hateful messages, are encouraged to report it to the police.