Calif. Jewish leaders blast socialist Mayor Eduardo Martinez over antisemitic conspiracy theories

Jewish leaders and groups in California’s Bay Area have blasted socialist Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez’s apology for sharing heinous antisemitic conspiracies online — and have even formed a new political advocacy organization over concerns about rising Jew-hate.Martinez, a proud member of the ultra-left Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), is facing intense pressure to resign after he amplified sickening posts on LinkedIn claiming the Bondi Beach terror attack in Australia was a “false flag” operation and blaming Israel for rising antisemitism.The embattled lefty pol deleted the posts and apologized, insisting, “We should not conflate Zionism with Judaism.”However, critics are ripping the tepid regrets as a cop-out that failed to address the harm.Sam Yebri, a former Los Angeles City Council candidate with strong ties to the LA Jewish community, said that sharing hateful rhetoric is “beyond a mistake” with dangerous real-world consequences.

“Martinez has consistently and repeatedly trafficked in the worst antisemitism imaginable, and now has put the lives of his Jewish constituents in jeopardy,” Yebri told The Post. Rabbi Dean Kertesz, a recently retired longtime rabbi of Temple Beth El in Richmond, who describes himself as both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian, also labeled Martinez’s actions as blatant “hatred of Jews.”“My first reaction is anger,” Kertesz said.“What we’re seeing is not legitimate criticism of Israeli policy.It’s hatred of Jews.

And that’s where this road leads.”The Bay Area Jewish community is so concerned about rising antisemitism that they have formed a new political advocacy organization.It was launched last summer in response to what leaders described as a growing sense that traditional approaches were no longer enough.The group was structured for political muscle — free to lobby, pressure lawmakers and engage in hard-nosed advocacy — a sharp break from the cautious, charity-only approach t...