Muslims, Jews tell stories of being victims of hate as Middle East war rages

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The ongoing Israel-Hamas war is fueling increased tensions in the Bay Area. Symbols promoting peace have now become targets for acts of evil. This comes as the country and culture struggle with violent clashes of free speech.

"What happened last night was outrageous," said Rabbi David Labkowski, of Chabad Jewish Center of Oakland. 

He said early Wednesday morning, someone desecrated a nine-foot metal Menorah that had been erected at Oakland’s Lake Merrit.

"There were pieces everywhere. It seems it was burnt up. Chopped up. There were parts of it twisted, and most of it was found in the lake," said Labkowski. 

The incident with the menorah was not the only attack this week. On Tuesday, representatives of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR released video of a man armed with a knife confronting its volunteers. He then vandalized a Palestinian sign calling for another Gaza cease-fire.

The sign incident happened Sunday. One of the people who hung the sign at the Park Avenue over-crossing of I-880 declined to provide their name, for fear of their safety.

"There were two moments where I thought he was going to pull out a gun, other than when he pulled out the knife. When he pulled out the knife, we were intimidated, afraid, and definitely scared," the person said.

San Jose police said they’re investigating the sign incident on the over-crossing, and they have referred the case to the Santa Clara County district attorney, for prosecution as a hate crime. Oakland police are searching for the person or persons who tried to burn the menorah. And state officials say calls related to similar, alleged, incidents have flooded the ‘California vs. Hate’ phone hotline.

 "It makes me angry that such hate crimes can happen here in Oakland," said Labkowski.

After the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel, posters of Israeli hostages who were taken during the killing spree were put up globally. Similar to what happened on the San Jose over-crossing, those hostage posters have been defaced and/or removed.

CAIR officials said this week, that a suspect in Monterey vandalized a Muslim man’s car for no apparent reason other than he was dressed in traditional Muslim clothing.

"People should be able to advocate for peace without fear of themselves facing violence," said Zahra Billoo, executive director of CAIR San Francisco Bay Area.

Dr. Thomas Plante, a Santa Clara University psychologist, said hate and violence can sometimes feed on themselves, and grow.

"A lot of people are frustrated. You add stress to that frustration, and you get aggression," he said. "People are looking for release. And when it gets reinforced…people can get pretty riled up." The person who was confronted while hanging the sign on the San Jose over-crossing added, "There’s been a rise in Islamophobia, as CAIR has reported. There’s been a rise in antisemitism. Both are terrible." 

Both groups said they’ll continue advocating their beliefs, even as the country and culture convulse with each new act of evil.

Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter), @JesseKTVU and on Instagram, @jessegontv