Hateful message written by menorah at Oakland's Lake Merritt

A hateful message was written on a concrete slab near a menorah on the last night of Hanukkah along Oakland's Lake Merritt – the second time in as many years.

OAKLAND, Calif. - A hateful message was written on a concrete slab near a menorah on the last night of Hanukkah along Oakland's Lake Merritt – the second time in as many years.

"Israelis are the new Nazis" was scrawled on the concrete base of the Jewish symbol on Wednesday night, the Jewish Community Relations Council first reported in a video on social media.

Last year, another menorah was also vandalized on the sixth day of Hanukkah. It was torn apart and some of its pieces were thrown in the water.

Anti-Israel and antisemitic messages were also found spray-painted in the area.

The menorahs belong to Chabad Jewish Center of Oakland, an outreach organization located on Lakeshore Avenue. The center serves all Jewish people, regardless of their background or affiliation.

Chabad Rabbi Dovid Labkowski and JCRC executive director Tyler Gregory both called Oakland "ground zero" for Bay Area antisemitism.

"Every week, we have graffiti praising Hamas or praising Sinwar," Labkowski said on Thursday, referring to Hamas' leader, Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar who was killed in October. "It's very alarming."

Labkowski realizes many people do not agree with the current war between Israel in Hamas and the innocent Palestinians who have been killed in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.

"Obviously," he said. "I think that every person has the right to express themselves in demonstrations."

But a menorah, he emphasized, is a symbol of religion, which Americans should be able to freely express.

"The menorah symbolized the light of Hanukkah," he said. "It's not political."