A planned Hannukah celebration at Oakland's Lake Merritt was marred by the discovery of antisemitic graffiti, prompting community members and volunteers to take action. This is not the first instance of vandalism targeting the Jewish community during the holiday.
Rabbi Dovid Labkowski of Chabad Center for Jewish Life of Oakland says what was supposed to be a holiday celebration turned into fear and disappointment after community members found antisemitic graffiti at Lake Merritt. 'We've seen all this graffiti around it. We saw Sinwar lives. But it was the next day that we got messages, that right next to the menorah on the platform next to it, there was antisemitic, anti-Israel hateful messages,' Rabbi Labkowski told CBS News Bay Area.
He said the community has gathered at Lake Merritt in Oakland for the last 19 years to celebrate Hannukah. But this isn't the first time they have experienced vandalism during the holiday. 'Last year, we had a situation where the menorah was broken into pieces and thrown into the lake. We were able to find local volunteers to put that together piece by piece and we displayed it right outside our center here,' the rabbi said. As for this year's act of vandalism, community members reported the first message on Sunday night. The next day, volunteers jumped into action to cover up even more antisemitic words near the menorah. But on the last day of Hannukah, those hateful messages reappeared. 'We live in a city that has so many different types of people, and we should all be able to live in peace and harmony together,' Rabbi Labkowski said. Local volunteers with the Oakland Jewish Alliance, a grassroots program, gathered to paint over those hateful messages by Lake Merritt. They also reported it to Oakland police. 'It really feels like we are specifically targeted, it feels like we are alone in this endeavor. And so, I really hope that at some point there will be more togetherness, more community more allies speaking up,' Zoe Levine, founder of Oakland Jewish Alliance, told CBS News Bay Area. She said that about 140 members from the Jewish community across the Bay Area united to paint over these antisemitic messages. The group was founded in November of 202
Antisemitism Vandalism Hannukah Oakland Jewish Community
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