Oakland Hanukkiah destroyed in antisemitic act of vandalism

Oakland police have launched a hate crime investigation into the toppling of a menorah at Lake Merritt, located near downtown Oakland. 

Standing at 11 feet tall, the Chabad of Oakland assembled and placed the menorah for Oakland's 18th annual public Hanukkah ceremony. The Mayor of Oakland, Sheng Thao, and other officials attended the ceremony on Sunday and delivered remarks.

The Hanukkiah was destroyed sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Pieces of the Hanukkiah were cut up, strewn across the sidewalk, and tossed into the lake. Graffiti was left on the base, where the Hanukkiah once stood, including curses directed at Chabad and “free Palestine” in Arabic.

This is all that remains of the Chabad of Oakland’s Hanukkiah (menorah). The level of Antisemitism in Oakland is unbelievable. @SFJCRC pic.twitter.com/Op67LNgsJ0

— Tye Gregory ️‍ (@TyeGregory) December 13, 2023

According to The Jewish News of Northern California, Chabad leader Rabbi Dovid Labkowski said he received morning texts about the destroyed menorah, which was discovered by passersby, and went “rushing” to the scene.

“I felt outraged,” he said. “There’s crime in this city, but it just hit a new level of antisemitism. Together with the crime — it just makes you feel hopeless.”

The Mayor of Oakland issued a statement that what happened to the Hanukkiah on Lake Merritt was “not just an attack on Oakland’s Jewish community but our entire city and our shared values.” 

Widespread antisemitism across Oakland

However, this is one of a series of antisemitic attacks on the Jewish community in Oakland since the October 7th massacre. 

Graffiti peppers the city, including messages such as “Zionism=Fascism”  and “Death to Israel.” 

Earlier this month, a coffee shop in Oakland, Farley’s East, went viral in a video showing three employees blocking a customer from entering the cafe’s restroom. Farley’s owners apologized, stating that they “do not tolerate any behavior at Farley’s that makes people feel unwelcome or unsafe.” 

According to the city’s website, Oakland is the cultural center of the East Bay of California. It is home to a nationally recognized symphony and the largest California art collection at the Oakland Museum of California. The website highlights Oakland’s high concentration of universities and scientific laboratories, labeling it as an important center of intellectual resources and technical innovation. 

Several universities have seen immense pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests in Oakland. The University of California, Berkeley, in Oakland, was sued in late November by The Louis D. Brandeis Center, arguing that UC Berkeley’s “inaction” against antisemitism violates Jewish students’ religious and equal protection rights under the Constitution and federal civil rights laws.