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