(July 2, 2026 \/ JNS)\n <\/p>\n
Rick Chavez Zbur, a Democratic member of the California State Assembly, told JNS that he is \u201cheartbroken\u201d over a newly released state report showing that nearly three-quarters of the state\u2019s religion-based hate crimes in 2025 targeted Jews.<\/p>\n
The California Department of Justice\u2019s 2025 \u201cHate Crime in California\u201d report, released Wednesday by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, found that Jews were the targets of 289 of the state\u2019s 392 religion-based hate crimes\u2014about 74%. Although anti-Jewish hate crimes declined from 310 in 2024, they still accounted for by far the largest share of religion-based offenses in the state.<\/p>\n
Zbur, a member of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, told JNS that \u201cwhile these numbers are deeply disturbing, they are, sadly, not surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCalifornia is home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the world, and we continue to see the consequences of rising antisemitism in our neighborhoods, outside our places of worship and in our schools\u2014including in the communities I represent,\u201d he said. \u201cThese cannot become just another set of statistics. They must serve as a call to action.\u201d<\/p>\n