New Student Art Display in Tampa Raises Awareness of Rising Antisemitism

A new student art display at the municipal building in downtown Tampa, Florida, is meant to raise awareness of surging antisemitism in the area and across the United States, 10 Tampa Bay reported.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has invited the public to come view the “Shine a Light Youth Art” exhibit, which is sponsored by the Tampa Jewish Community Centers & Federation, saying, “We need to remember lessons from history. Even in 2022, synagogues, Jewish cemeteries and Jewish people have been attacked.”

Entries were submitted by students in grades 4-12, and included written descriptions of the pieces.

Jeffrey Berger, president of Tampa Jewish Community Centers & Federation, commented, “We were curious to see what these remarkable students would do if we tasked them with the challenge of helping combat antisemitism through art. As you can see from the inspired and inspirational artwork on display here, our students were up to the challenge — they did not disappoint. We thank and applaud all of our contest participants for their thoughtful and creative submissions and congratulate the winners for their valuable contributions.”

The artwork — which can be viewed online here — will be displayed at the municipal building through August 8th, and then at Tampa International Airport this fall.

Just several days ago, neo-fascist demonstrators carried Nazi flags and antisemitic posters outside the Tampa Convention Center.

The Tampa area has also not been immune from the antisemitic flyering campaign that has plagued the United States over the past year. Most recently, bigoted leaflets were distributed over the weekend in Lutz, Florida, 15 miles north of Tampa.