City of Rockford reaffirms commitment to battling antisemitism

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - Thursday, the City of Rockford reaffirms a proclamation it made last year. On October 18th, 2021, Mayor Tom McNamara officially made October 27th the Day of Action to Combat Antisemitism.

In the document, the Mayor outlines the fact that antisemitism remains a major issue in the United States. On October 27th, 2018, the congregation of the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was attacked. Eleven worshippers were shot and killed, several others were injured. That is the date behind Rockford’s day of action.

Since that day in 2018, hatred toward Jewish people has endured in the United States. On October 3rd of this year, rapper Kanye West tweeted he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people,” in reference to the U.S. Armed Forces defense readiness condition. As a result, West was dropped from numerous brand deals, including his partnership with Adidas, said to be worth $1.5 billion.

Thursday, the City of Rockford’s Facebook page posted their proclamation document again, encouraging the public to show hate has no place here.