Police opened at hate crime investigation after antisemitic graffiti was spray-painted on a wall outside Los Angeles' famous Canter's Deli.
The messages were painted below a mural depicting Jewish history in Los Angeles. The legendary Fairfax District deli is one of the oldest in California and a third- and fourth-generation family-run business that opened in 1931.
Officers responded to the location in the 400 block of North Fairfax Avenue at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. Messages also were painted on plywood at Chabad-Atara's Judaica, City News Service reported.
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No arrests were reported. Police asked anyone with information about graffiti at 213-473-0476.
The California chapter of the Anti-Defamation League posted a statement to X from Regional Director Jeffrey Abrams.
"Vandalizing and targeting synagogues, Jewish neighborhoods and a mural about local Jewish history on the wall of the iconic Canter's Deli on Fairfax (Avenue) is heinous and antisemitic," Abrams said. "The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating these incidents as hate crimes. If anyone has information that will help ensure the people who committed this crime are brought to justice, please contact law enforcement."
Richard Hirschhaut, Los Angeles Director for the American Jewish Committee, said hate crimes against the Jewish community increased drastically following the terrorist attack last month and the start of the Israel-Hamas War.
"Words have power. Words have consequences," he said. "And those who engage in such vandalism need to be held to account."
LAPD released new data collected over the past several weeks that showed 21 anti-Jewish hate crimes were reported compared with seven during the same time period in 2022. Eleven anti-Jewish hate incidents were reported, compared with six during the same time period from last year.
