‘This Comes From Ignorance’: Jewish leaders respond to Nazi flag flown in Cabazon

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) Leaders at the Tolerance Education Center in Rancho Mirage are speaking out after a Nazi flag was flown earlier this week in Cabazon, calling it a painful reminder of rising antisemitism and the urgent need for education.

Michelle Gold, the center’s executive director, said the flag, displayed over a cluster of RVs, is more than a symbol. “The Nazi flag represents the Nazi Party. It’s a symbol of hate,” she told News Channel 3. “When Hitler became chancellor in 1933, this became the official flag. It’s the flag of hate.”

Gold said incidents like this one often stem from ignorance rather than malice, which is why she believes education is the most effective tool to combat hate.

“I’d invite this man to the center,” she said. “Let him meet a Holocaust survivor, even virtually, or speak with someone like me a second-generation daughter of a survivor. Let’s sit down and explain what this symbol really means.”

Another local Jewish leader, David Tsikman, called the display “retraumatizing” for the Jewish community, particularly with the rise in antisemitic incidents following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel.

“When we see that flag, we see an endorsement of genocide,” Tsikman said. “This isn’t just rhetoric. It’s violence. It’s hate. And it’s happening more openly now.”

Still, both leaders emphasized that the majority of the community has shown overwhelming support.

“There’s always a small minority pushing hate,” Gold said. “But we have to focus on the good. We have to keep educating. That’s how we push back.”

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed deputies visited the Cabazon resident who displayed the flag but reported no crime was committed.