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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