Jewish community replaces Lake Merritt menorah

Police investigating the incident as a possible hate crime

OAKLAND >> The Jewish community and its supporters gathered Wednesday at Lake Merritt to replace a menorah that was destroyed by vandals the previous evening.

The Oakland Police Department is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. No arrests were announced Wednesday night.

Previously set out for the public, the menorah was smashed and its pieces strewn around the area, according to a spokesperson for the Jewish Community Relations Council. Anti-Semitic graffiti was also sprayed on benches near the outdoor display.

The CEO of the JCRC, Tyler Gregory, said he was shocked but not surprised by the vandalism.

“I can't tell you how many times people have texted me images of anti-Semitic graffiti (around) Lake Merritt over the past couple of months,” Gregory said in an interview with the Bay Area News Group. “I'm not shocked it would happen here.”

Gregory, in a separate statement, called the crime “devastating” and a “vicious act (that) unequivocally deserves condemnation. Jews in the county should not have to live in fear.”

The incident comes at a time when concern is rising — both locally and nationally — about anti-Semitism. At a Senate hearing in late October, FBI Director Christopher Wray said anti-Semitism was reaching “historic levels” in the United States.

Local leaders including Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao condemned the menorah's destruction.

“I want to be very clear that what happened was not just an attack on Oakland's Jewish community but our entire city and our shared values,” Thao said. “We stand together against hate, against anti-Semitism and against bigotry in any form. And when someone commits such a crime, they are attacking the (city's) foundation.”

Rabbi Dovid Labkowski, the director of the Chabad Jewish Center of Oakland, said the Jewish community would put up another menorah Wednesday night, beginning with a ceremony starting at 5:30 p.m. near the amphitheater along 12th Street.

“It's just very sad that Jews have live here in fear,” Labkowski said. “And we're not going to cower.”

Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department at 510-238-3728.

RAY CHAVEZ — BAY AREA NEWS GROUP People look at a new menorah after another one was vandalized the night before at the Lake Merritt Amphitheater in Oakland on Wednesday, About 150members of the community gathered at the amphitheater to light menorahs in solidarity and denounce violence.