Several synagogues and Jewish organizations in San Diego announced on Friday that they will not participate in next month’s pride festival in the area since the festival is planning to headline R&B and pop singer Kehlani (Kehlani Parrish), who they say has fomented antisemitism.
According to a press release, The Finest Community Coalition, which consists of groups like the Anti-Defamation League-San Diego, A Wider Bridge, Temple Emanu-El of San Diego and Hillel of San Diego, issued a statement on May 22, pointing out that “in recent months, Kehlani has amplified antisemitic rhetoric that is deeply harmful to the Jewish community. These messages go beyond political critique—they are dehumanizing, and they alienate and endanger Jewish San Diegans, including LGBTQ+ Jews.”
Kehlani was recently canceled from performances at Cornell University and Central Park; she has called for “eradicating Zionism” and had a music video incorporating the words, “Long live the intifada,” on the screen. For her part, she has claimed that she is not antisemitic, merely “anti-genocide” and “anti-the actions of the Israeli government.”
The release claimed that organizers didn’t respond to their statement; as such, some synagogues and Jewish organizations decided to withdraw.
They include the ADL-San Diego, Jewish Federation of San Diego, Congregation Beth Israel, Congregation Dor Hadash, Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Temple Adat Shalom, Temple Emanu-El of San Diego and Tifereth Israel Synagogue.
San Diego Pride is scheduled for July 19-20 at Balboa Park. Kehlani is expected to perform on July 19.
“We respect our local Jewish community’s decision not to participate in San Diego Pride’s programming this year,” the San Diego Pride Board of Directors told JNS. “Each member of our community must make their own decision about attending this year’s events, but we hope everyone will come out as a sign of solidarity for our queer community.”
The board continued: “San Diego Pride does not endorse or adopt the political positions of any individual performer. Rather, we honor the value of artistic integrity, the importance of free expression, and the role that artists play in shaping culture, challenging systems and amplifying voices while respecting each other’s differences.”
Laura Stratton, a member of Temple Emanu-El of San Diego, said that “as a queer, a Jew, a Zionist and someone who is horrified at the suffering in Gaza, I will not be participating in Pride this year—and neither should any organization that claims to be inclusive and strives to be a safe place for all.”
Stratton, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, has been attending and volunteering for San Diego Pride for 35 years.
‘We’re left with no choice’
Dr. Jennifer Anger and Eliyahu Cohen-Mizrahi, the volunteer director of medical operations and assistant director of medical operations for the festival, have withdrawn this year over the matter as well, the coalition press release noted. Both are Jewish.
“As a Jewish San Diegan, I can no longer ignore the very real risks that come with normalizing hate speech like the kind Kehlani has promoted,” Anger stated.
“It’s heartbreaking to step away from an event I’ve supported for years, but when the Jewish community’s safety is treated as negotiable, we’re left with no choice,” she added. “Pride should be a place of healing and inclusion, not one that turns its back on a community in pain.”
Anger had been volunteering as the director of medical operations for San Diego Pride for two years.
“Now more than ever, Pride should be a celebration of inclusion and solidarity, not a platform for divisive voices that incite hatred and violence,” stated Heidi Gantwerk, president and CEO of Jewish Federation of San Diego County. “As we’ve seen in D.C. and Boulder, when antisemitism is ignored or tolerated, it fuels a culture that leads to violence. We cannot wait for tragedy to strike our own community—again—before we act.”