Bay Area Jewish groups urge cancellation of Ye concerts at Raymond James Stadium over antisemitic remarks

TAMPA, Fla. - The heat is being turned up on Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, as members at every level of government are speaking out against his upcoming performance at Raymond James Stadium.

Ye is being blasted because of past praise for the Nazi leader, whose actions led to World War II and to the deaths of six million Jews in the Holocaust.

There is now a coordinated response amongst Jewish organizations in the Bay Area who call the offer of a platform to Ye a dangerous mistake.

Ye Tampa concert controversy

The backstory:

The rapper released a song last year that included a Nazi slogan, along with sales of T-shirts that had the Nazi logo on them.

During the Nazi reign of terror over Europe, six million Jews were killed, along with six million others.

The song Ye wrote also had a sampling of a speech of the former Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, who was one of America's key enemies in World War II, and whose army killed 250,000 American service members.

"There's a real danger that we can actually lose an entire generation of people," Hillsborough County Commissioner Harry Cohen said. "Unless we make sure that people understand the facts."

Since the release of the song and shirt, Ye has apologized, blaming the outbursts on bipolar disorder and a car accident that gave him a head injury.

"I think it's really simple. This is public money," Sen. Rick Scott said. "Public money should not be taken to spew hate. It should never be taken to spew hate. That's what this is. I can't imagine who made this decision and how this decision was made. The best thing to do is to cancel the concert."

Call for concert cancellations

Dig deeper:

Today the Tampa Jewish Federation released a statement saying that Ye has "demonstrated vicious hate against Jewish people."

The Jewish Federation of Florida’s Gulf Coast also called on the Tampa Sports Authority to cancel the concerts, which are scheduled for June 26 and June 28.

"We're all about the First Amendment and free speech in this country and Ye has every right to perform, and the [Tampa] Sports Authority has every right to give them the platform to perform," Steve Schwersky of the Jewish Federation of Florida’s Gulf Coast said. "But it's about the moral decision to do what's right and to not give this guy a platform to potentially spread more hate."

Elected officials urge action

What's next:

Cohen called on the Tampa Sports Authority to develop a community standards policy that balances the rights of free speech with the impact of giving this type of platform to someone.

According to Ticketmaster, there are two shows planned for Tampa, with a minimum ticket price of $168.

"No one should buy a ticket. Because if you're buying a ticket, what you're saying is you're promoting somebody that's antisemitic, adores Hitler," Scott said. "You can't separate his music from what he believes. I hope no one buys a ticket. The right thing is that the [Tampa] Sports Authority needs to cancel this, and then if they don't, which I can't imagine that they wouldn't, that no one buy a ticket."

One show is planned for the Netherlands, with upcoming performances scheduled for the countries of Georgia and Italy.

Five shows that had been scheduled for London are listed by Ticketmaster as having been cancelled.

A spokesperson for the Tampa Sports Authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Community-wide statement

What they're saying:

The Tampa Jewish Federation released a statement to the Bay Area community regarding Ye and his upcoming performances in Tampa.

"The Tampa Jewish Federation, almost every Jewish person in the region and well-beyond, as well as a very large number of other people are deeply disappointed and disturbed with the Tampa Sports Authority’s (TSA) decision to contract with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, to perform at Raymond James Stadium later this month.

We understand and fully support the concept of free speech as a bedrock value in this country. We also respect the need for artistic freedom in a democratic society. In addition, we recognize that the TSA generates significant and much needed revenue for our community through its management of county-owned sports facilities.

Despite all of the above, it is critical to recognize that Ye has publicly demonstrated a great deal of vicious hate directed at Jewish people and he’s taken antisemitism to frightening new levels. His well-documented and rancorous rants about Jews go much further than casual or careless remarks. He declared his admiration and "love" of Adolf Hilter, who oversaw the systematic murder of six million Jews; he stated that he "likes Nazis" and is one himself; and spread many dangerous conspiracy theories.

As a public agency, the TSA is accountable not only to its board of directors, but also to every person living in the region, including the Jewish residents. By booking Ye, the TSA lent institutional credibility to an individual who has caused genuine fear and anxiety to Jews across the country; from Holocaust survivors who hoped and prayed this type of virulent Jew hate would be consigned to the history books, to students of all ages, many who now think twice about wearing symbols of their Judaism such as Jewish stars or yarmulkes because they’re fearful of being harassed or even attacked.

Ye apologized for his behavior in a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal titled ‘To Those I’ve Hurt.’ In the ad, he attributed his statements to a ‘four-month-long manic episode of psychotic paranoid and impulsive behavior’ saying that he ‘lost touch with reality’ and stated, 'I love Jewish people.'

The Talmud contains many teachings that emphasize repentance, forgiveness, the possibility of redemption and encourages people to forgive one another. We completely embrace those principles and hope Ye’s apology is authentic. Nonetheless, factoring in his sustained campaign of hatred, we think it’s much too early to consider beginning to forgive him.

Many Jews and non-Jews believe those comments were nothing more than a PR move rather than genuine remorsefulness, especially since his Jew hate assertions lasted more than two years rather than four months. There are several examples on record of antisemitic statements that he made from October 2022 to February 2025, when he again posted on X that he self-identified as a Nazi and praised Hitler.

His comments weren’t made in a vacuum. A figure with his reach and influence who celebrates Nazism does not merely offend – he emboldens! Why should Tampa hold itself to a lower standard than the United Kingdom, France, Poland, Italy, Switzerland and South Korea — all of which have cancelled or banned Ye's performances because of his hateful rhetoric? The international community has spoken clearly. It is time Tampa did the same.

We strongly encourage elected officials and community leaders in the region and beyond to speak out against Ye’s exceptionally hateful comments and all forms of antisemitism. We’re very grateful to Senator Rick Scott and the growing number of others who have already done so; and we urge the TSA board and all levels of government in the area to join together to undertake a serious review of how and why the decision to enter into a contract with Ye was made and what can be done to avoid this type of travesty with other ‘artists’ with very problematic and/or criminal pasts from happening again."

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