The menorah at Lake Merritt in Oakland was relit on Dec. 13, 2023, after it was dismantled and thrown in the lake — an act the Jewish community called "devastating" and "unacceptable." (Photo courtesy JCRC Bay Area/Twitter)

Local groups are speaking out against the destruction of a menorah at Lake Merritt in Oakland last week that is being investigated as a hate crime.  

After the sun went down Wednesday morning last week, hundreds from all backgrounds and religions gathered at the spot and re-lit the menorah as a sign of unity. 

Police were sent to the area of 12th Street and Lake Merritt Boulevard at about 1:30 a.m. after someone reported the vandalism. The menorah had been dismantled and then thrown into the lake. The base on which the menorah had been placed was also spray-painted and written on with profanity and a threat that read, “We’re gonna find you, you’re on f-ing alert.” 

The desecration comes during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah and amid rising tensions in the United States and internationally following the Hamas invasion of Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel’s subsequent and ongoing siege and invasion of the Gaza Strip, from which the Hamas attack was launched. 

The Bay Area-based Jewish Community Relations Council said in a statement that the vandalism “is just the latest example of rampant antisemitism tearing apart the Bay Area.” 

The group said, “This is devastating to the local Jewish community, which lights Hanukkah menorahs as a public celebration of this holiday commemorating Jewish survival. There’s no room for debate; this vicious act unequivocally deserves condemnation. Jews in this country should not have to live in fear.” 

Zahra Billoo, executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called the destruction of the Jewish symbol an act of hate.  

“We are profoundly saddened and outraged by the vandalism of the Lake Merritt menorah,” said Billoo in a statement released by CAIR. “Such an act is not only an attack on the Jewish community but an affront to all who stand for religious freedom.” 

‘We feel the pain’

The group Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area released a statement Wednesday afternoon.  

“This attack on our community is unacceptable,” said the group. “As Jews, we feel the pain of antisemitism in our daily lives, and grieve for those harmed and killed by antisemitic violence in all corners of the globe. As Jews who support Palestinian liberation, we stand united with all progressive communities in opposition to antisemitism.” 

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said the act was just an attack on the Jewish community, but the entire city and its shared values.

Note to readers: An earlier version of this story was missing its final word — “values”. We regret the error.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.