MAY 11 • 2023 | 21
paramilitary and political
organizations based in
Ukraine. The battalion has a
history of neo-Nazi leanings.
MORE IN OAK PARK
Another incident took place on
an Oak Park family’s property
on the evening of April 25,
when resident Shaul Anthony
found a swastika drawn on
a baby stroller. Anthony
called the Oak Park Police
Department the next day and
made a report. An investiga-
tion is currently ongoing.
That same day, Anthony
received a call from someone
who said the same thing hap-
pened to them in the parking
lot of a Kollel (advanced Jewish
study institute) down the street
— a swastika was drawn on
their car window.
In court on May 3, the sus-
pect in the Woodward Avenue
Shul vandalism admitted to
drawing those swastikas.
“She said she planned to do
as many hate crimes as possible
and blame them on AZOV
,”
Royal Oak Detective Dan
Pelletier testified before bond
was set for Nord at $75,000
cash. The judge also told Nord
she was not allowed to contact
Rabbi Mendel Polter or the
Woodward Avenue Shul.
The Jewish Community
Relations Council/AJC issued
a statement saying the recent
acts of blatant antisemitism
throughout Metro Detroit are
not only disturbing and dis-
heartening, but also completely
unacceptable.
“Our entire community —
Jewish and non-Jewish — must
condemn these actions of
hatred and intolerance,” said
Rabbi Asher Lopatin, execu-
tive director of the JCRC/AJC.
“Intolerance against one of us
is intolerance against all of us.
“We thank law enforce-
ment for their swift response
in investigating these mat-
ters,” the organization said.
“Whether it’s physical, verbal
or written antisemitism —
any sort of tolerance allows it
to fester into a disease of hate
against the Jewish people.
JCRC/AJC is here to make
sure that never happens.”
The 2022 Audit of
Antisemitic Incidents issued
March 23 by the Anti-
Defamation League (ADL)
showed antisemitic incidents
in Michigan remain at an
alarming number, mirroring
even more troubling nation-
wide figures.
Antisemitic incidents once
again reached an all-time high
in the United States in 2022,
with a total of 3,697 incidents
of assault, harassment and van-
dalism reported to the ADL, a
36% year-over-year increase.
As has been the case for
several years, Michigan placed
in the group of states rank-
ing highest in the nation for
incidents of antisemitism —
ranking ninth overall with 111
incidents in 2022.
Michigan data also showed
more incidents of vandalism in
2022 than the previous year.
A swastika was painted on a
stroller in Oak Park on April 25.
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