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King County proclaims May 2025 Jewish American Heritage Month; council highlights rise in antisemitic incidents
Summary
The Metropolitan King County Council read and adopted a proclamation declaring May 2025 Jewish American Heritage Month, with council leaders and a rabbi citing a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents both nationally and locally and calling for increased protection and solidarity.
The Metropolitan King County Council on May 20 read and adopted a proclamation declaring May 2025 Jewish American Heritage Month, and council leaders used the occasion to call attention to a rise in antisemitic incidents.
Council Chair Girmay Zahilay read the proclamation and said the month recognizes Jewish Americans’ contributions while acknowledging that many in the Jewish community are living with heightened fear because of rising antisemitism. "Anti‑Semitism is rising at a rate we haven't seen in decades," Zahilay said, and he described increased security at synagogues and other community sites as a troubling new normal.
Councilmember Dunn cited Anti‑Defamation League data noting 9,354 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism in 2024, the highest total since the ADL began compiling those figures. Zahilay and Dunn described recent local incidents: multiple synagogues in the Seward Park neighborhood received letters containing a white powder and Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Capitol Hill was defaced with hateful graffiti shortly before Holocaust Remembrance Day.
A rabbi who joined councilmembers at the dais praised the proclamation as an important recognition and called for common cause across communities to uphold democratic values. The proclamation text, which the council read aloud, recited the history of Jewish Americans in the United States and affirmed King County’s commitment to stand against hate and discrimination. The council then invited community members and councilmembers for a group photograph.
During the public-comment portion tied to the proclamation, a member of the public, Alex Zimmerman, spoke to the item but used profanity and directed slurs and abusive language at the dais. The chair curtailed the line of questioning to keep the record focused on the proclamation.
The council’s proclamation also noted the county’s “commitment to advancing equity, compassion, and justice for all communities” and encouraged residents to learn from Jewish American history and stand united against antisemitism.
