OCTOBER 31 • 2019 | 25
A
planned annual family
photoshoot among the
fall foliage of the West
Bloomfield Linear Park Trail
turned out to reveal the star-
tling discovery of two swastikas
spray-painted in the pedestrian
tunnel that traverses under-
neath Long Lake Road.
According to West
Bloomfield Police reports,
Jennifer Arkin Camens of West
Bloomfield on Wednesday, Oct.
23, walked with her children
and entered the tunnel to pho-
tograph her two daughters and
their dog. It was not until she
shared the photos by text that
a friend pointed out the hateful
symbol above her daughters’
heads in the background.
Camens later returned to the
scene, documented the swas-
tikas and provided both the
WB Police and the JN with the
photos.
According to a WB Police
report, the swastikas were
spray-painted in light pink
paint. There was a second
swastika to the left also in pink
spray paint. According to the
report, Camens stated there
were more derogatory words
painted in green inside the
tunnel.
There are no witnesses or
suspects.
“Our annual walk on the
West Bloomfield trail … was
nearly ruined when I came
back and looked at the pic-
tures,
” Camens said. “While the
trees were pretty and the dog
and kids cooperated, it was the
background of the tunnel that
mortified me. My 11-year-old
daughter was smiling under
two swastika signs!”
After she was alerted to
the swastika sightings in her
photographs, Camens said her
“heart was pounding, and she
was furious.
” Another friend
contacted the Anti-Defamation
League of Michigan, and
Camens returned to the tunnel
to photograph the swastikas
and called the West Bloomfield
Police to file a report.
Camens said within one hour
of filing the police report, West
Bloomfield parks authorities
spray-painted over the swasti-
kas with black paint.
Camens said she walks this
area of the trail regularly and
never noticed the swastikas
until that day.
She said the swift action
taken by the WB Police
Department shows how seri-
ously it takes hate incidents.
Still, she is “deeply saddened at
the hatred and ignorance going
on in this world and disturbed
that something like this has
happened in my own backyard.
“It’
s time for the Jewish peo-
ple, along with other minori-
ties, to stand up for one anoth-
er,
” Camens said. “Never again
will acts of hatred be accepted.
Never again.
”
D
espite the office being
closed for the holiday
of Shemini Atzeret,
Michigan State University
Hillel’
s Executive Director
Cindy Hughey decided to drop
by the Hillel building Monday
morning, Oct. 21. She instantly
noticed the sukkah appeared to
be falling down, so she stepped
outside to take a closer look.
“I noticed that it was more
than just falling down — it
looked like it had been totally
decimated,” Hughey said. “We
began to look at the security
footage and saw two males
enter the patio area and pro-
ceed to destroy the sukkah.”
Hughey then contact-
ed the East Lansing Police
Department and filed a com-
plaint. The police asked them
to share the information and
photos on the MSU Hillel
Facebook page so students
could help identify the
vandals.
Through Facebook, Hughey
received three different names,
which she forwarded to police.
Hughey is currently waiting for
confirmation from police to
see if they have the vandals in
custody.
Although it is unclear
whether this act was pre-
meditated or not, both men
appeared to be inebriated
during the incident.
“It was just extremely dis-
appointing to see it being
destroyed — and for what pur-
pose?” Hughey said. “However,
the MSU community and
administration has been very
supportive. We’
ve had people
send their positive and kind
words to us and even offer
to come help us build a new
sukkah.”
Wendy Starr, president of
the Jewish Student Union at
MSU, hopes this incident will
educate other students on cam-
pus about Jewish holidays and
culture.
“In addition to Jewish
culture, we hope to foster
understanding for all student
populations,
” Starr said. “We
hope students will take this
opportunity to work together
and unite to combat vandalism
on this campus.”
Jews in the D
Michigan State Hillel’s
Sukkah Destroyed
Two males seen on camera vandalizing the
sukkah during the holiday.
Hateful Symbol
Swastikas found in West Bloomfi
eld.
CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER
STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PHOTO COURTESY OF MSU HILLEL’
S FACEBOOK
STACY GITTLEMAN