A Texas man allegedly carved Nazi symbols into a Beverly Hills, California, menorah on Sunday, the first day of Hanukkah, according to the Beverly Hills Police Department.
Officers were called to the large menorah at around 8 p.m. after receiving reports that a person was defacing the Jewish candelabrum. The suspect was identified as 47-year-old Dallas resident Eric Brian King. Video surveillance showed King throwing things at the menorah, police said.
NAZI ‘SECRETARY OF EVIL’ BROUGHT TO JUSTICE AT 97
“The initial investigation revealed that King carved Nazi symbols into the base of the menorah,” police said in a press release. “He was charged with felony vandalism and a hate crime.”
Detectives are still investigating the crime, and more charges are possible, police officials said. King is being held on $20,000 bail as of Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The vandalism occurred as the nation has seen an increase in antisemitic attacks in recent years. The Anti-Defamation League tracked 2,717 instances of assault, harassment, and vandalism linked to antisemitism last year, a 34% increase over the number of attacks in 2020, according to the Associated Press. It is the highest number of attacks the organization has documented since its founding in 1979.
“It is unfortunate that we as Jews can’t even have a peaceful display of our religion without being targeted in this disturbing wave of recent antisemitism locally and globally,” Rabbi Noah Farkas, the president and chief executive of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times. “We will not let this act, or any act of hate, deter us from celebrating the wonder of Hanukkah and the joy of being Jewish. We will continue to live with pride and will never allow an incident like this to diminish our spirit.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
During a White House Hanukkah reception Monday night, President Joe Biden repeated that “silence” on antisemitism is “complicity” and that the country must not provide hate and violence a “safe harbor” in America. The statement is the latest move by the Biden administration to address the growing antisemitic attacks after second gentleman Doug Emhoff hosted a roundtable discussion on antisemitism earlier this month. The administration added the first menorah to the White House this year.
