LOS ANGELES (VINnews) – In a disturbing display of antisemitic vitriol that has drawn swift backlash from Jewish leaders and pro-Israel advocates, fringe California gubernatorial candidate Alicia Lapp launched her campaign with acts widely condemned as hateful incitement against Jews and the Jewish state.

Lapp, a Republican who garnered a negligible 0.1% of the vote in California’s June 2 primary, appeared in videos burning the Israeli flag and calling for the deportation — or imprisonment — of “every single Zionist,” equating support for Israel with treason.

“Zionists” in this context serves as a thinly veiled antisemitic slur targeting Jews who support their ancestral homeland’s right to exist and defend itself, a core tenet of Jewish identity for millions worldwide. Jewish organizations have long warned that such rhetoric echoes dangerous historical tropes blaming Jews for societal ills.

In one video, Lapp stood beside a burning Israeli flag while promoting her “America First” platform, falsely blaming Israel’s existence for California’s crises of homelessness, failing schools and infrastructure — a baseless conspiracy theory that deflects from the state’s own policy failures under decades of Democratic leadership.

Critics, including Jewish activists, compared her statements to those of other extremists who have called for placing Jews in camps, drawing painful parallels to the Holocaust. Lapp’s rhetoric has been slammed as pure Jew-hatred masquerading as political commentary.

California’s Jewish community, already grappling with a surge in antisemitic incidents, expressed outrage. The state recorded hundreds of antisemitic attacks in recent years, including harassment, vandalism and violence against synagogues and Jewish institutions. Leaders stress that such hateful campaigns have no place in American politics and only embolden those who wish harm to Jews.

Lapp’s poor showing at the polls reflects the American public’s rejection of such bigotry. Mainstream candidates across parties have reaffirmed support for the Jewish community and Israel’s security amid rising global threats from Iran-backed terrorists and their ideological allies.

Jewish voters and allies in California and beyond are urged to remain vigilant against antisemitism in all its forms, whether from the far-left or fringe right. Support for candidates who stand firmly against Jew-hatred and for the safety of Jewish communities remains essential.

VINnews will continue monitoring this story and the broader fight against antisemitism in American politics.