Waves Apart

After moving from his Jewish community in Chicago to the small surf town of San Clemente in middle school, Josh Greene became one of the only Jewish kids in his entire town. Josh was bullied and ridiculed for his Jewish heritage, so he decided to find solace in the coolest possible thing he could do as a twelve year old San Clemente boy: he took up surfing. Fast forward 10 years, and Josh is now an avid surfer. However, Josh was never quite able to leave his Jewish roots behind as new hate groups continue to rise in the United States, with antisemitic rallies happening in his own Southern California backyard. After finding swastikas carved into surfboards at a surf museum, Josh takes a look back at the sport that once allowed him to fit in. He uncovers California's long, strange history with anti-semitism and how the world's oldest form of hatred has found a home in surfing. By speaking with historians, journalists, and pro surfing legends, like Shaun Tomson and Izzy Paskowitz, Josh personally confronts the hidden underbelly of surfing before discovering new signs of light and community that can help combat the darkness of the sport.