Article
and Video Courtesy of Channel 7 News Miami
By Katrina Bush
Published March 30, 2021
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NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE - Vandals marked a car that
belongs to a Holocaust survivor in Hallandale Beach with two swastikas
and spray-painted an anti-Semitic message on the wall of an auto center
in Miami, just before the start of Passover.
According to the website StopAntiSemitism.org, the
disturbing discovery in Hallandale Beach was made Friday.
Evan Nierman, a member of the Jewish community and the CEO of the South
Florida public relations firm Red Banyan, addressed the vandalism.
“It’s a terrible occurrence anytime, but that’s especially so on the eve
of a Jewish holiday,” he said. “It’s just really sad that, in this day
and age, Jewish people are still finding themselves under assault and
under attack.”
StopAntiSemitism.org, part of a nonprofit foundation,
shared a picture of the marked vehicle on Twitter. The symbols appeared
to have been traced by hand on the car owner’s fogged up rear
windshield. |
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“It’s particularly sad that this happened to someone who endured the
ultimate anti-Semitic act, which was the Holocaust,” said Nierman.
7News rewached out to some members of the Jewish community in South
Florida who said this act is “sickening.” In observance of the Sabbath,
they declined to go on camera.
Nierman said Red Banyan represents many Jewish clients.
“Unfortunately, what we saw in South Florida over the last day or two
has been a continuation of something that Jewish people have had to
endure for literally thousands of years,” he said.
The incident in Hallandale Beach was not isolated.
The phrase “Communism is Judaism” was spray-painted on the wall of an
auto center in Miami. By Saturday morning, it had been painted over.
“The person who did this, they seem to be conflating Judaism with
communism, but in truth, they seem to know the most about vandalism,”
said Nierman.
Passers-by in Northeast Miami-Dade were disheartened by both acts of
vandalism.
“It’s very disappointing that, in this day and age, you still have that
much hatred and people putting these things up. It’s disgusting,” said
Vin Gandhi, who is visiting from New York.
“It would be nice to think that after this year, there would be a better
place in this world, but there are still, unfortunately, a lot of people
showing their true colors,” said Jen Gandhi.
Building security is reviewing surveillance footage of the incident in
Hallandale Beach.
Police are investigating both incidents.
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