Not in Our City: The Jewish Community Response to Ye's July 4th Concert

(JUNE 20, 2026) -- More than 80 years after the Holocaust, the responsibility to remember—and to act when confronted with hatred—remains urgent. The organized Jewish Community of San Antonio unequivocally condemns antisemitism in all its forms and rejects the repeated antisemitic statements, symbols, and conduct promoted by Ye (formerly known as Kanye West). 

Over several years, Ye has repeatedly targeted Jewish people with hateful rhetoric, released a song titled “Heil Hitler,” and marketed merchandise bearing a Swastika. These actions are not isolated controversies or regrettable missteps. They reflect a sustained pattern of conduct that trivializes and glorifies the ideology responsible for the murder of six million Jews and millions of other victims of Nazi persecution. 

Ye has since issued a public apology, attributing his conduct in part to bipolar disorder and a brain injury. While we do not dismiss the possibility that mental illness and injury are relevant contexts, the recurrence of this conduct over many years, including after previous apologies, requires that his actions—not his words alone—be the measure of accountability. 

Because of these realities, we respectfully urge the City of San Antonio and the management of the Alamodome to decline the use of this publicly owned venue for Ye's scheduled July 4 performance, and to review its policies and procedures that led to this decision.

This request is not a call for censorship. We hold free speech among our most fundamental values, not despite our history, but because of it. Ye has the same constitutional rights as every other American. He is free to speak, and private venues are free to host him. The question before the City is not whether Ye may perform somewhere. It is whether public resources and a publicly owned facility should be used to host and elevate someone whose public conduct has been marked by repeated hate speech. 

The issue is one of stewardship. Taxpayer-supported facilities belong to the people of San Antonio, and public institutions must decide what they choose to elevate through the use of public property. 

Jewish tradition teaches that people are capable of change. Teshuvah—repentance—requires more than words. It requires acknowledgment of wrongdoing, efforts to repair harm, and sustained actions that demonstrate genuine transformation. Accountability and growth are possible for anyone, but they must be demonstrated through conduct, not merely proclaimed. 

San Antonio's values of dignity, inclusion, and respect are best reflected when public institutions refuse to lend public resources to those who repeatedly promote antisemitism and hate. 

Signed,

Jewish Federation of San Antonio

Jewish Community Relations Council

Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio

Alamo Brandeis B’nai B’rith Lodge

Barshop Jewish Community Center

Chabad of Boerne

Chabad Center for Jewish Life and Learning

Chabad Downtown San Antonio

Chinese American Citizens Alliance of San Antonio

Congregation Agudas Achim

Congregation Beth Am

Congregation Shalom

Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Campus of the San Antonio Jewish Community

Hillel San Antonio

Hebrew Free Loan Association of San Antonio

Israeli Chabad of San Antonio

Jewish Family Service of San Antonio

Jewish War Veterans of San Antonio

National Council of Jewish Women, San Antonio

San Antonio Jewish Senior Services

Temple Beth-El