A symbol of faith and unity in Oakland was viciously destroyed early this morning as a large menorah displayed at Lake Merritt's amphitheater was found vandalized and discarded. Jewish leaders in the area reported the menorah had been ripped apart and thrown into the lake, accompanied by anti-Israel and antisemitic graffiti on the sidewalk close by, as detailed by The Oaklandside. The defaced menorah had been erected by the Chabad Center of Oakland as a celebration of Hanukkah and stood there for nearly two decades.
"I feel afraid," Rabbi Dovid Labkowski of the Chabad Center told The Oaklandside, expressing his shock and anger over the hateful incident. Strewed with threats and antisemitic messages, the graffiti near the Menorah has shaken the local Jewish community. The Oakland Police Department is reportedly investigating the case as a hate crime. Oakland's Mayor Sheng Thao condemned the act in a statement, declaring it an attack on the entire city and vowed, "We stand together against hate, against antisemitism and bigotry in any form."
Support came from various sectors, including the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC), which extended their solidarity through a message posted on social media. "We are deeply saddened and dismayed to learn of the recent vandalism of the menorah at Lake Merritt in Oakland," AROC posted, stressing the significance of discerning the difference between Judaism and Zionism and highlighting that such acts of antisemitism are intolerable.
California State Senator Nancy Skinner also offered her voice of denouncement, sending out a statement of outrage over the menorah's destruction. Her words, captured by an X post, called the act a desecration of "a symbol of hope and light" especially poignant during the Hanukkah season. She praised Mayor Thao's decisive action to treat the vandalism as a hate crime.
The destruction of the menorah at Lake Merritt in Oakland and the accompanying hateful graffiti is an outrage and an act of cowardice.
— Nancy Skinner (@NancySkinnerCA) December 13, 2023
My statement:@SFJCRC @MayorShengThao pic.twitter.com/SGuKNobOZ1
In response to the vandalism, Rabbi Labkowski and his community have taken a stance of resilience, with plans to rebuild the menorah. "We're going to rebuild it bigger and better. We don’t cower from hate," he said, inviting all Oaklanders to join in the effort, as reported by The Oaklandside.
