Oakland Hannukah celebration turns into disappointment after finding antisemitic graffiti
OAKLAND – 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 2023.
"We log on average eight instances a week, it's been over a year. So that's over 400 instances of just reported graffiti, and that's not even the stickers we peel off and sometimes don't even report," Levine said.
"It is very difficult to go day after day, looking at this vandalism and having to live with this," Levine said.
She and Rabbi Labkowski said, however, that they won't back down.
The menorah that was destroyed last year, has been replaced with an even larger 15-foot menorah this year. Fortunately, the menorah was not damaged during this year's Hannukah celebrations.
Rabbi Labkowski said he and his community plan to continue spreading the message of resilience and hope.
"There's no reason there should be hate. You could have differences of opinions and that's fine, it could be for or against what's happening on the other side of the world. We're living here together, and should be able to live in peace and harmony," he said.
