Beverly Hills School Board Candidate Faces Antisemitism Claims Over Mocking Messages

Beverly Hills school board candidate Kim Lifschitz is facing accusations of antisemitism after screenshots emerged appearing to mock a trustee's visit to Jerusalem's Western Wall and his religious head covering. The messages, attributed to Lifschitz, surfaced in response to a local news article detailing Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education member Russell Stuart's New Year's Day visit to the Western Wall, a significant site in Judaism.

One message reportedly from Lifschitz ridiculed Stuart's kippah, a traditional Jewish skullcap, stating, "Maybe he can bust out the kippah from his dress up trunk." Another message continued the jest, suggesting he "probably used it to store his complimentary in-flight nuts."

Stuart, whose family is Jewish, condemned the remarks, telling Fox News Digital that the comments crossed the line from political criticism into religious ridicule. "My visit to the Western Wall was personal and meaningful to me," he said. "Seeing a kippah described as something from a 'dress up trunk' turns Jewish religious observance into a costume and a punchline." He added, "Mocking my religious observance crosses a very different line."

Lifschitz, who has identified herself as Jewish, pushed back against the allegations, acknowledging the messages originated from a private group chat nearly a year ago. She argued her criticism was directed at Stuart's perceived use of religious symbols for political gain. "I said nothing antisemitic at all. In fact, I criticized Russell Stuart for disrespecting Jewish culture and observance," Lifschitz stated. "He was treating a kippah like a costume used in a performance, and he afforded it the same amount of respect one would give a container for airplane snacks."

She further clarified, "I didn’t 'attack' Russell Stuart for wearing a kippah or visiting the Western Wall. I expressed disgust that he turned those things into internet content."

Further controversy arose from another screenshot showing a message attributed to Lifschitz that appeared to mock Board Vice President Sigalie Sabag for discussing Holocaust survivors. The message read, "Love that Sigalie is talking about holocaust survivors like she collected the most Pokémon."

Lifschitz's husband, Daniel Lifschitz, also drew attention after his public criticism of the district's resolution on antisemitism was featured on a livestream by Twitch streamer Hasan Piker in September 2025. Daniel Lifschitz had posted on Instagram about being featured on Piker's stream after criticizing the resolution.

Lifschitz previously defended the private nature of group chats, stating, "Adults are allowed to dislike each other and talk about it amongst themselves in private chats." She accused Stuart and his supporters of seeking out critical remarks to portray her negatively.

Lifschitz is competing for one of two seats on the BHUSD Board of Education in the upcoming Nov. 3 election. During an October interview, she emphasized the importance of combating discrimination and modeling appropriate conduct for students.