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California Jews

Jan Reicher (left) and Debbie Findling, former Wexner Heritage Program fellows who are giving the amount the program spent on them and encouraging former fellows to pay similar amounts to organizations supporting victims of sexual assault and human trafficking, pose for a photograph in Findling’s home, May 14, 2026. (Aaron Levy-Wolins/J. The Jewish News of Northern California)
July 1, 2026, 1:21 pm
US Jewish alumni of Wexner fellowship demand reckoning over philanthropist’s Epstein ties
Graduates of an elite leadership program sponsored by the billionaire businessman are donating the equivalent of its value to charity and urging others to do the same
By Emma Goss
Clockwise from left: Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman, congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar, congressional candidate Scott Wiener, L.A. mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, and congressional candidate Saikat Chakrabarti are among the California primary contenders of interest to the Jewish community. (Photo illustration by Grace Yagel/70 Faces Media)
June 2, 2026, 5:13 pm
In California primaries, Jewish voters face a slate of races shaped by Israel, antisemitism
Tuesday’s contests have some Jews weighing reality TV candidate over left-wing Israel critic, while others consider backing pro-Israel progressive who accused country of genocide
By Andrew Lapin
Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, 50, puts his hands behind his back as he leaves Ventura County Superior Court in connection with the death of Paul Kessler in Ventura, California, on November 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
May 8, 2026, 2:10 am
Jewish leaders decry ‘inadequate’ plea deal for California man guilty of pro-Israel protester’s death
Loay Alnaji will spend no more than a year in county jail after pleading guilty to all charges including involuntary manslaughter
By Grace Gilson
Attorney Ron Bamieh, left, listens to his client Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji in Ventura County Superior Court on November 17, 2023, in Ventura, California. (AP/Damian Dovarganes)
May 7, 2026, 10:56 pm
California prof. pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter in death of Jewish man
Pro-Palestinian protester Loay Alnaji likely to serve about six months in jail followed by probation for striking pro-Israel counterprotester Paul Kessler in 2023
By AP
Anti-Israel protesters assemble outside of Adas Torah, a synagogue in the Pico Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles, July 23, 2024. (Shay Horse/NurPhoto via Getty Images and JTA)
March 21, 2026, 6:24 am
California rep. proposes ‘buffer zone’ bill to limit protests near houses of worship
With anti-Israel protesters targeting synagogues, ‘Safe worship bill’ backed by Jewish groups would create 100-foot zone around religious institutions in the state
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
Five California gubernatorial candidates — from left, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Tom Steyer, Eric Swalwell and Antonio Villaraigosa — appear on stage at the Jewish California Governor Candidate Forum at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, where antisemitism emerged as a defining issue in the 2026 race. (Asaf Elia-Shalev)
February 28, 2026, 4:00 am
Antisemitism emerges as a defining issue in California gubernatorial race
Leading candidates present themselves as defenders of Jewish community in forum organized by Jewish groups, which is held as 3 antisemitism lawsuits filed against state institutions
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
California State Senator Scott Wiener is shown at a Halloween event while campaigning in San Francisco, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
January 23, 2026, 5:54 pm
After accusing Israel of genocide, Scott Wiener steps down as Calif. Jewish Caucus co-chair
Wiener caused anger in Jewish community after flip-flopping on the issue amid pressure from pro-Palestinian groups as he campaigns for Congress
By PHILISSA CRAMER
Congregants search through the remains of Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which served Pasadena for over 100 years and was destroyed in the Eaton Fire, as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 11, 2025 in Pasadena, California (Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP)
January 15, 2026, 2:52 am
Anti-Zionist graffiti defaces rubble of Pasadena synagogue destroyed in wildfire
The rabbi of the century-old Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, along with the Anti-Defamation League and local sheriff’s department, decry the vandalism as antisemitic
By Jackie Hajdenberg
California Democratic State Sen. Scott Wiener talks during a Senate hearing in Sacramento, California, on June 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
January 12, 2026, 8:46 pm
In reversal, Jewish US House candidate Scott Wiener says Israel committed ‘genocide’
California state senator and leader of legislature’s Jewish Caucus is seeking to replace Nancy Pelosi; all 3 Democrats in the race endorse genocide charge
By JTA and ToI Staff
Undated photo of Branham High School, San Jose, California. (Ali Ali, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)
December 10, 2025, 1:59 am
‘Blind hate’: California high school students spark outrage with viral ‘human swastika’
Students in San Jose face disciplinary action over social media post with Hitler quote calling for annihilation of Jews; local lawmaker decries ‘the hate plaguing our communities’
By Reuters and ToI Staff
In this Jan. 23, 2013, photo, a construction worker walks past Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
December 4, 2025, 9:51 pm
Anti-Israel activists disrupt Israeli consulate event at LA synagogue; two arrested
Mayor Karen Bass denounces protest as ‘abhorrent,’ after ‘Elbit out of LA’ protesters storm event where defense researcher was teaching Koreatown residents about cybersecurity, AI
By PHILISSA CRAMER
Illustrative: The California state capitol in Sacramento. (Wikimedia Commons via JTA)
September 17, 2025, 7:55 am
California lawmakers approve narrowed bill targeting antisemitism in schools
If enacted, state would be first with coordinator to prevent antisemitism in public schools, as religiously motivated bigotry against Jews soars; teachers group opposed initial version
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
A demonstrator holds a poster reading "End Jew Hatred" on the campus of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), in Los Angeles on April 28, 2024. (Etienne Laurent/AFP)
April 10, 2025, 12:25 pm
California: School’s ethnic studies curriculum discriminated against Jewish students
Course at Branham High School in San Jose included discussion of Israel as a ‘settler colonial state’ and ‘Genocide of Palestinians,’ without offering a pro-Israel perspective
By Grace Gilson
Police patrol as workers clean up anti-Israel graffiti at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus after police evicted pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters, May 2, 2024. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP)
October 24, 2024, 8:36 am
Task force says UCLA let antisemitism fester amid pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests
Report says Jewish and Israeli students, faculty and staff were assaulted and threatened; panel says administrators should have taken more action against campus rules violations
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. (Andrew Esensten)
April 10, 2024, 4:35 pm
7 anti-Zionist Jewish artists pull out of California Jewish museum’s exhibit
When the California Jewish Open exhibit opens at San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum in June, the gallery walls will have blank spaces where the art was supposed to hang
By Andrew Esensten
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