Oakland Mayor Calls for Hate Crime Investigation Over Destruction of City Menorah During Hanukkah

The mayor of Oakland, California, has called for a hate crime investigation after unknown suspects vandalized a sizeable public menorah. In addition, the unknown suspects threw pieces of it into Lake Merritt as Jewish communities around the world celebrate Hanukkah.

The Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area showed images and videos of pieces of the menorah strewn across the waterfront. Also, the damage threatened the graffiti painted where the menorah stood. According to the videos and images, menorah pieces lay nearby in shallow water. 

While the suspects remain unknown, reposts suggest the vandalism occurred overnight. KGO reported that it happened on the sixth night of Hanukkah, a celebration known as the “Festival of Lights.” 

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, who attended the lighting of the menorah, expressed her displeasure at the incident. She said she asked Oakland Police Department Interim Chief Darren Allison “to investigate this incident as a hate crime.”

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Also, Thao said the desecration and act of vandalism outraged her. In addition, she called the menorah a “long-standing and important symbol” for the local Jewish community. “I want to be very clear that what happened was not just an attack on Oakland’s Jewish Community,” Thao stated. 

“It’s an attack on our entire city and shared values.” She added that the city stands together against hate, antisemitism, and bigotry in any form. “And when someone commits such a crime, they are attacking the foundation of our City,” she concluded. 

Before the incident, the Chabad Jewish Center of Oakland lit the Lake Merritt menorah. The center’s rabbi, Dovid Labkowski, revealed that he received a text Wednesday morning that they had destroyed the menorah.

He added that he never imagined someone would want to vandalize the menorah, a symbol of light. “I don’t know why,” Labkowski said. “I know the air is toxic these days, and it shouldn’t be that way.”

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News of the menorah’s vandalism comes amid a spike in reported antisemitic incidents following the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. According to reports, Oakland documented over 2,000 such incidents since the October 7 attack. Consequently, Oakland called for a heated city council meeting, which included hours of debate over a resolution.

However, there has been a surge in biased incidents against Muslims and Arabs, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR reported more than 2,000 requests for help and reports of bias in the month following October 7.

Nonetheless, CAIR’s San Francisco Bay Area chapter condemned the vandalism of the Oakland menorah. They said it was “not only an attack on the Jewish community but an affront to all who stand for religious freedom.” The group took to X to express that the incident calls for a “collective response against all forms of bigotry.”

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The group also wrote, “We stand in solidarity with our Jewish neighbors against antisemitism, just as we fight against Islamophobia.” They said, “Hatred against one community is a threat to all.”

Following the incident, the Oakland community mobilized to install a new menorah. According to reports, many people, including California Attorney General Rob Bonta, attended to show their support. Bonta decried the rise of hate-motivated crimes, saying targeting people for their religion “is wrong.”

As the Oakland community struggles with the growing hate crime, many people are speaking out against it. However, several states have reported similar cases in recent months. 

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