Early Tuesday morning, the storefronts of Jewish-owned businesses throughout the Pico-Robertson neighborhood were shattered in an apparent wave of targeted vandalism.
While the Los Angeles Police Department has yet to classify the incidents as hate crimes, officials noted that only Jewish businesses were struck, fueling concerns of antisemitism in the area.
In addition to the vandalism, gang members reportedly spraypainted an antisemitic slur outside a Jewish residence in West LA, while a swastika was discovered on a trash can in Crescent Bay Park in Santa Monica.
Despite the troubling rise in antisemitic acts, Pico-Robertson’s Jewish community remains defiant. Local residents expressed that these attacks have only strengthened their Jewish identity and resolve. "The attacks have made us prouder to be Jewish, and we won’t be intimidated," stated several community members.
Jeffrey L. Abrams, the Anti-Defamation League’s Regional Director in Los Angeles, confirmed that the ADL is closely monitoring the situation, saying, “We are aware that several businesses in Pico-Robertson have been vandalized. It appears that the majority of these businesses are Jewish-owned, and the ADL is in contact with LA police.”
* Arutz 7 contributed to this article.
