Walking through Town Plaza Park on a Sunday morning, it is easy to feel insulated. We live in a town that prides itself on “Small Town Service” and quiet, manicured peace. But for the Jewish community in Los Gatos and the broader Silicon Valley, that peace is increasingly expensive, financially and emotionally.
Recent events have shattered the illusion that the “Los Gatos Bubble” is impenetrable. From a violent incident at Santana Row to the constant monitoring of FBI reports regarding regional threats, the reality of rising antisemitism is no longer a distant headline. It is a local emergency.
The Santana Row ripple effect
While the recent attack at Santana Row took place just a few miles away, the shockwaves were felt here in Los Gatos. When local victims speak out, they are sharing a story of a localized crime, but they are also highlighting a systemic vulnerability.
In a recent update, community leaders noted that they have been in direct contact with the San Jose Police Chief and the District Attorney’s Office to ensure these cases are treated with the gravity they deserve. The fact that high-level intervention is required to ensure victims feel “seen and heard” points to a chilling truth: for Jewish residents, safety is something that must be vigorously advocated for, investigated and policed.
The architecture of anxiety
Perhaps the most jarring statistic to emerge from recent community reports is the “Security Tax” on Jewish life. On March 12, Jewish Silicon Valley sent out an email in response to various incidents, including the one at Santana Row, stating its security costs had skyrocketed by 200% over the past three years.
We are living in an era where ‘Jewish joy’ requires a tactical budget
While most local non-profits are budgeting for new programming or facility upgrades, our Jewish neighbors have had to divert millions of dollars toward armed guards, surveillance, and fortified entries. At the Addison-Penzak JCC (APJCC) and across our “Jewish ecosystem,” the priority has shifted from simple community gathering to the logistical hardening of spaces.
This is the hidden face of local antisemitism. It isn’t always a slur shouted on Main Street; often, it is the silent, staggering cost of ensuring that a child can go to preschool or a senior can attend a bridge club without being a target. We are living in an era where “Jewish Joy” requires a tactical budget.
Solidarity beyond the foothills
The sentiment shared by regional leaders is clear: “You are not alone.” But for that to be true in Los Gatos, the burden of vigilance cannot fall solely on the Jewish community.
When we hear about FBI drone updates in San Francisco or active shooter situations in Michigan and elsewhere, the instinct is to check our own locks. But as the APJCC elevates its security presence “out of an abundance of caution,” the rest of Los Gatos must elevate its moral presence.
Recognizing the weight: Acknowledging that your Jewish neighbors are navigating a baseline level of stress that their peers may not be.
Supporting the infrastructure: Understanding that when local Jewish organizations ask for help, they are often asking for the basic right to exist safely.
Refusing silence: Ensuring that when antisemitic rhetoric appears in our schools or on our social media feeds, the pushback comes from the entire community, not just the victims.
Unapologetic belonging
The goal, as stated by community advocates, is to ensure Silicon Valley remains a space to be “vocally and unapologetically Jewish.” In Los Gatos, that means ensuring that our town remains a place where a Hanukkah menorah is displayed with the same sense of security as a Christmas tree, and where Jewish students at Los Gatos High School, and in our other schools, feel as protected as any of their classmates.
We are a community that shows up for the Holiday Parade and the Jazz on the Plazz concerts. We must also be a community that shows up when the “oldest hatred” knocks on our regional door.
True safety isn’t just about police presence and 200% increases in security spending; it is about the collective refusal to let any segment of our town feel like they are standing alone. The cost of Jewish joy is currently too high.
It’s time we all started chipping in to lower it.
