Last month, a Las Vegas man was arrested after police say he spray-painted swastikas across dozens of political campaign signs throughout the valley.
By his own account to police, his target was a politician he despised. But he could have drawn anything. A mustache. A red X. An insult.
Instead, he chose a swastika.
That choice matters, regardless of who he was aiming at.
A swastika is not a generic symbol of anger. It is the flag under which six million Jews were murdered.
Using it, for any reason, against anyone, drags that horror back into our streets and treats it as a punchline.
It deserves condemnation in the strongest possible terms, and I'm offering that condemnation here, unequivocally.
Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident in our state.
What's Actually Happening Here at Home
In 2024, the Anti-Defamation League recorded 74 antisemitic incidents across Nevada. Vandalism nearly doubled that year, and physical assaults tripled.
An Israeli student at UNLV found his car vandalized with cups bearing swastikas and Stars of David.
A disabled Jewish student in our state had what appeared to be a swastika scratched into his back.
“Death 2 Jews” graffiti turned up in northwest Las Vegas.
Threatening letters were mailed to Jewish organizations here in Las Vegas.
That prompted Rabbi Levi Harlig to say publicly what no one in this country should ever have to say: “The Jewish community is scared. We are scared to go to synagogue.”
The Politics Behind the Trend
Nationally, the ADL's most recent audit found 2025 was the worst year on record for physical assaults against Jewish Americans, and the first year since 2019 that Jewish people were murdered in the United States in antisemitic attacks.
And part of what's driving this isn't confined to shadowy extremists on internet forums. Some of it now sits inside mainstream left-wing politics, organized and unapologetic.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the largest socialist organization in the country, adopted a resolution at its 2025 national convention formally embracing anti-Zionism as a core principle of membership.
Under that policy, a DSA member can be expelled simply for stating that “Israel has a right to defend itself.”
The organization has endorsed the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel since 2017.
It's also grown into a serious electoral force nationally. The clearest example: a DSA-aligned mayor was elected in New York City last November.
And It’s Come to Nevada
The Las Vegas DSA has grown from roughly 350 to 550 dues-paying members since that New York victory, including my opponent in the Assembly District 41 race, Vinny Spotleson.
Now, I want to be careful and precise here: I'm not accusing him or any other candidates of antisemitism. That would be unfair, and I won't do it.
But voters deserve to understand what's happening in our politics right now.
Hostility toward Israel is spreading. Too often, hostility toward Jewish people is spreading right along with it.
In some circles, that hostility isn't even seen as a warning sign anymore. It's treated as a badge of honor.
That trend is now arriving in our own state. And staying silent about it would be its own kind of failure.
What I Support, and Why
I'm proud that Nevada has taken real, bipartisan steps against antisemitism in the Legislature, and I want to be clear about my support for each of them.
Senate Bill 179 formally defines antisemitism for Nevada Equal Rights Commission investigations. It uses the widely adopted IHRA definition.
Sen. James Ohrenschall sponsored it and two Las Vegas teenagers, Ethan Cohen and Meyer DeLee, championed it before either of them was even old enough to vote.
It passed the Senate 19-1-1. It passed the Assembly 38-4.
Senate Bill 201 is known as the “mezuzah bill.” It prohibits homeowners' associations and landlords from barring Nevada families from displaying religious items, like mezuzahs, on their own doorframes.
It's a small protection. But it speaks to something larger.
No Nevadan should have to hide their faith to avoid a fight with their HOA.
And I'm glad Nevada now formally recognizes January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. That bill passed both chambers unanimously. Gov. Lombardo signed it into law.
Remembering isn't a partisan act. It's a basic obligation. Fighting antisemitism shouldn't be a partisan project. In Nevada, for the most part, it hasn't been. I hope it stays that way.
Where I Stand
If elected, I will always be a legislator Nevada's Jewish community can count on.
It doesn't matter where the threat comes from. A spray can. A mailed letter. A political movement that's decided hostility toward Israel is now a litmus test for its own members.
Hate doesn't get a pass because of who's holding the can of spray paint. And it doesn't get a pass because it shows up wrapped in a political platform instead of a hood.
Not on my watch.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. Digital technology may have been used in the research, writing, or production of this article. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
