OAKLAND — Vandals on Tuesday night destroyed a large Hanukkah menorah set out for the public at Lake Merritt.
Related Articles
Oakland man gets no additional jail time for biting off cousin’s earlobe during drive
One person killed in East Oakland shooting
Police arrest suspect in Berkeley double stabbing
East Bay hit-and-run victim from January dies; police seeking harsher charge against suspect
Investigation underway into Castro Valley road-rage shooting
Few details about the destruction of the menorah were available immediately on Wednesday. The vandalism comes during a time that concern about anti-Semitism locally and nationally is rising, with the FBI director earlier this year lamenting the “historic” level of hatred directed against Jewish people.
Police did not comment immediately on the vandalism.
Cassandra Huffman, a spokesperson for the Jewish Community Relations Council, said in a statement that the menorah had been smashed, its pieces strewn across the area. Anti-Semitic graffiti was also sprayed on concrete benches near the display.
“This is devastating to the local Jewish community,” Tyler Gregory, the CEO of the JCRC, said in a statement. “There’s no room for debate; this vicious act unequivocally deserves condemnation. Jews in this country should not have to live in fear.”
The Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and the Israeli response in Gaza, have sparked heated debates and protests on many sides. Thousands of civilians have died on both sides of the conflict.
As the conflct has continued, local protests and other events have seen loud calls for peace and denunciations of the violence.
Teachers held what the Oakland Unified School District called an “unsanctioned” teach-in centered on the “Palestinian struggle for liberation,” on Dec. 6, an event that the OUSD pushed back against when Superintendent Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell sent out a message to the school community stating the OUSD “does not authorize this action.”
In late November, Oakland became the second Bay Area city to signal support for the people of Gaza, calling for a ceasefire to the violence in region.
This is a developing report. Please check back for updates.
