No sooner had Councilmember Lili Bosse finished rallying at the March for Israel in Washington D.C., on Nov. 14 than she was off to Fort Lauderdale, for the North American Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism. She was a featured guest at the summit and spoke on a panel entitled, “How Can Cities Lead the Fight Against Rising Antisemitism.”
During her speech, Bosse shared that Beverly Hills has a zero-tolerance attitude towards antisemitism and that police officers, public works staff, and other city departments work together to respond to any expression of antisemitic vandalism, hate speech, intimidation or violence.
“We have given the message loud and clear that if you even think to do anything antisemitic in our city, we will do everything that we can under the law to address it quickly,” Bosse told the Courier.
“Throughout the remainder of the conference different speakers referenced my comments about how Beverly Hills has a zero-tolerance attitude towards Antisemitism,” she added.
Bosse also explained that the city works to share Jewish culture with the community and create a positive attitude towards all types of religious expression. For example, the city has a robust program of activities to celebrate Jewish American Heritage month and bring people together through Jewish song, food, art, speakers and more.
In addition to teaching others, Bosse told the Courier that she did a great deal of learning at the conference. One of her favorite sessions was a panel called “What is Contemporary Antisemitism? Understanding Manifestations of the World’s Oldest Hatred Today.”
In this session, Professor Alvin Rosenfeld, Director of the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism at Indiana University, explained that contemporary antisemitism often manifests in the form of the “Three D’s”—the demonization of the Jewish people, delegitimization of their faith or the Israeli state, and double Standards applied to Jews.
“That felt very, very accurate as to what is going on right now,” she said.
Bosse was also deeply moved by the heart-breaking testimony of Natalie Sanandaji, who survived Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack at the Nova Music Festival.
“Hearing a survivor of that massacre at the music festival and knowing that there are still, at this very minute, over 200 hostages that have not come home, really was a huge part of this antisemitism summit,” Bosse said on Monday. “Until we have all of our hostages home, I feel that our souls have been ripped from our bodies.”
While the summit contained many beautiful moments of community and joy, it was a somber event in light of recent events.
For Bosse in particular, the conference was eerie as it was held less than a year since she attended the 2022 Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in Athens, Greece.
“At that summit in Greece we were warned that we were in a state of emergency when it comes to antisemitism,” she said. “October 7 was less than a year later and I feel that every single day.”
Councilmember John Mirisch also attended the summit, speaking on a panel entitled, “Bridging the Divide Through Sportsmanship: Athletics as a Unifying Force Between Communities.
