BEVERLY HILLS—On Wednesday, October 25, employees of Bedford Manor Apartments located at 470 S. Bedford Drive reported antisemitic vandalism spray painted onto the outer wall of one of the apartments close to Olympic Boulevard. Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) officers responded to the scene.
Multiple reports indicate that a good portion of the tenants residing at Bedford Manor are of Jewish descent. The vandalism discovered was outside the home of Ms. Klara Firestone. She told ABC7 how scared she was. Firestone indicated that her mother, who is a 99-year-old holocaust survivor also resides at the complex.
“It’s just terribly emotional and it’s frightening. It’s frightening to know that it’s happening in my home, literally in my home. That’s really what stings, that the world has not learned the lessons and has not changed one iota. There are still those that would relish my demise and dance on my grave. I think that this global conflict now, in the Middle East, certainly has polarized everybody. It’s a civil society issue,” Firestone told ABC7.
Canyon News reached out to Lt. and Executive Officer Reginald Evans of the BHPD who indicated the following details of antisemitic acts in the area:
On October 25, at approximately 1:39 in the 400 block of S. Bedford Drive.
“Circumstances: Officers were dispatched to a report of antisemitic vandalism. During the on-scene investigation, it was determined the vandalism depicted hate speech with the use of spray paint. The time of occurrence was unknown.”
On October 25, at approximately 2:05 p.m. in the 300 block of S. Palm Drive
“Circumstances: Officers were dispatched to a report of antisemitic vandalism. An unknown suspect used spray paint to spray antisemitic hate speech on the back of a residence during an unknown period. Beverly Hills Public Works responded for removal at the request of the victim.
The suspect(s) in both cases appear to be related based on verbiage, style and color of the spray paint.
The BHPD are investigating these crimes as hate crimes.
Anyone having information about any of these incidents or others should call the BHPD at (310) 285-2125. To remain anonymous text BEVHILLSPD followed by the tip information to 888777.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has reported a dramatic increase in what they referred to as “antisemitic” hate crimes since the Hamas massacre that occurred on October 7th.
The ADL Center on Extremism reported on their website that, “Incidents of harassment, vandalism, and assault have increased by 388 percent over the same period last year.”
By Sharon