A large menorah erected at Oakland’s Lake Merritt’s amphitheater was yesterday morning torn apart and thrown into the water, with anti-Israel and antisemitic graffiti being sprayed on the sidewalk nearby.
Someone destroyed a menorah at Oakland’s Lake Merritt last night. The Jewish religious display was ripped down and thrown into the lake. Police are on scene and city workers just recovered the parts. pic.twitter.com/jHwuYzZBNl
— Darwin BondGraham (@DarwinBondGraha) December 13, 2023
But not to worry, CAIR to the rescue!
The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today strongly condemned the vandalism of a menorah at Lake Merritt in Oakland.
The menorah, an important symbol of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, was destroyed and thrown into the water early this morning in an apparent act of hate.
In a statement, CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo said:
“We are profoundly saddened and outraged by the vandalism of the Lake Merritt menorah. Such an act is not only an attack on the Jewish community but an affront to all who stand for religious freedom.
“The incident is indicative of a broader pattern of religiously motivated hate crimes. The rise in incidents targeting both the Jewish and Muslim communities calls for a collective response against all forms of bigotry. We stand in solidarity with our Jewish neighbors against anti-Semitism, just as we fight against Islamophobia. Hatred against one community is a threat to all.”
CAIR-SFBA reiterates its commitment to combating bigotry, racism, and hate in all its forms and encourages those experiencing acts of aggression, racism, and Islamophobia to contact its Civil Rights Department at 408.986.9874.
CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
Leaving aside the fact there is a strong chance the perpetrators of this hate crime could have very likely been those likely claiming to be victims of Islamophobia, note who the press release quotes: CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo – the same person who a few years ago painted “Zionists” as the enemy of Muslims, while making clear she included synagogues in this designation:
“When we talk about Islamophobia, we think oftentimes about the vehement fascists.”
“I also want us to pay attention to the polite Zionists, the ones that say, let’s just break bread together. We oppose a Muslim ban in the United States, but we cannot support Palestinian human rights. We need to pay attention to the Anti-Defamation League. We need to pay attention to the Jewish Federation. We need to pay attention to the Zionist synagogues. We need to pay attention to the Hillel chapters on our campuses. Because just because they’re your friend today, doesn’t mean that they have your back when it comes to human rights.”
“So oppose the vehement fascists, but oppose the polite Zionist, too; they are not your friends. They will not be there for you when you need them. Because the next thing I’m going to tell you is to know your enemies. And I’m not going to sugarcoat that—they are your enemies. There are organizations and infrastructures out there who are working to harm you. Make no mistake of it. They would sell you down the line if they could. And they very often do behind your back.”
If these words don’t incite Muslims to commit hate crimes against Jewish religious institutions, I don’t know what will.
Although her recent posts, like those using antisemitic tropes of Jews as baby killers:
calling not just Israelis but also anyone who supports Israel “terrorists” – which includes the vast majority of Jews (while implying Hamas are not)
and spreading outright lies about us
could also do the trick.
Not that Billoo is alone at CAIR in this regard:
CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad at AMP Convention: I Was Happy to See the People of Gaza Break the Siege on October 7; They Were Victorious; the People of Gaza Have the Right to Self-Defense – Israel Does Not #Hamas #Gaza #Palestinians @CAIRNational @NihadAwad pic.twitter.com/WDbSRjFJo0
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) December 7, 2023
So CAIR and Billoo can take their faux condemnations of antisemitism and throw them in a lake.
