We at Pride for Israel, a division of StandWithUs, are deeply disturbed by the antisemitic incident at the Bolleras al Vapor event in Barcelona, Spain on May 30, 2026.
As we begin June Pride month, two Jewish women were surrounded and forced to leave after participants noticed one was wearing a Star of David. Organizers attempted to force the women to denounce their own identity before saying they were not welcome and needed to leave. A mob of self-righteous, supposedly progressive women stood by, and many joined in with shouts of “Free Palestine” as these two women were forcibly removed from the premises. The incident is a throwback to bigotry we have not seen for decades.
No minority group, including Jews, should ever be forced out of any place because of their identity, and the fact that we have to write this sentence is abhorrent. Jews around the world are increasingly having to choose between living their lives freely and openly or having to hide a part of their identity for their own protection. If anyone can understand why this is unacceptable, it should be the LGBTQ+ community.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Queer Jews are finding themselves the targets of hate from the very community that prides itself on welcoming everyone. This is not a Jewish issue. This is an issue that the entire LGBTQ+ community must reckon with. Will we allow hatred to infiltrate our movement and safe spaces? Will we allow the insidious ideology of antisemitism to tear us apart? Or will we stand by our core values of inclusion, acceptance, and love?
That is why we applaud Sauna Thermas for quickly recognizing the blatant antisemitism and taking action to condemn the incident on June 1. They have made it clear that the hatred expressed by Bolleras al Vapor is unacceptable and that they would not be permitted to use Sauna Thermas’ facilities moving forward. This commitment to ensuring that all are welcome should serve as a model for responding to antisemitism and bigotry everywhere.
We call on members of the LGBTQ+ community to be more intentional about pushing discrimination out of our community.
About Pride for Israel: Pride for Israel is a growing LGBTQ community of Jews and allies. Find out more. Write to MaxKa@standwithus.com
