Residents in a Beverly Hills, California, neighborhood were shocked to wake up to antisemitic flyers left on their front yards on Sunday in what the local Police Department says it is now investigating as a hate crime, local media reports.
The Beverly Hills Police Department said the flyers, which contained "propaganda-style hate speech related to the COVID pandemic and the Jewish people," were distributed to homes in several blocks in the northeast area of “The Flats,” neighborhood of Beverly Hills.
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Sunday is the first day of Hanukkah, the famous Jewish holiday celebrated near the Christmas season. It is celebrated every winter over the course of eight days and is among the most prominent holidays in Jewish American life – since 1979, a menorah has been erected annually on the White House Ellipse. More than two-thirds (68%) of American Jews think Hanukkah – which isn’t even mentioned in the Hebrew Bible – is one of the three most important Jewish holidays, whereas just 38% of Israeli Jews do, according to a 2018 survey by the JJPI (The Jewish People Policy Institute).
"Police and Public Works personnel canvassed the area and collected the flyers," the Police said, adding that additional patrols are being dispatched around the city to ensure a safe holiday season. "Police are continuing to investigate and attempt to identify the persons responsible for this disturbing act."