JWeekly reports:
Wave of violent anti-Israel graffiti hits AlbanyViolent anti-Israel graffiti has surged in recent weeks in and around UC Berkeley graduate student housing in Albany, as well as on the Stanford and Berkeley campuses.Jews in Albany tallied 18 incidents of extreme anti-Israel graffiti in November, according to Yafit Shriki Megidish, a resident who helps run a WhatsApp group called the Albany Jewish Parent Engagement Group. Photos of the graffiti include phrases such as “F*** Israel,” “Burn Israel down,” “Kill Zion” and “Kill all Zionist [sic].”Albany’s mayor spoke out against the graffiti in a public statement after Megidish emailed the city council and mayor’s office on Nov. 24 on behalf of the parents group. Albany, which has roughly 20,000 residents, is Berkeley’s northern neighbor.“Simply removing hateful graffiti of any kind does not solve the problem –– which several vocal members of our local Jewish community have raised,” Albany Mayor Robin López said in a Nov. 24 statement. “We take this issue, and the escalating nature of the violent rhetoric seriously, as our police department is actively investigating all reported cases.”Most of the graffiti was spotted in and around the 58-acre University Village housing complex for UC Berkeley graduate students with families.Megidish said that nearly a dozen parents, many of whom live in University Village, have expressed concern over the spread of the graffiti and have told her they no longer feel safe in their city.“Our concern is not only about vandalism,” Megidish wrote in her email to the city. “These messages signal a dangerous shift in the public atmosphere — one that fosters fear, division, and the potential for targeted harm. Many Israeli and Jewish families in Albany, including our own children, now feel unsafe walking through their own neighborhoods.”UC Berkeley’s student affairs division notified residents of the graffiti on Nov. 25, according to Cal spokesperson Adam Ratliff.“Over the past few weeks, we have received reports of graffiti messages that many have found to be concerning and offensive in public spaces around” the housing complex, Cal’s statement read. The university also encouraged residents to report graffiti to UC Berkeley police. “It’s important that you help keep our community free of such graffiti.”
Correction: This post originally said Albany, NY. It was Albany, California.
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