UPDATE May 3rd, 2023: Randi Lucille Nord is charged with ethnic intimidation and malicious destruction of property. If convicted, she could spend up to two years in prison for the ethnic intimidation charge; more here.
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A string of antisemitic hate crimes across Oak Park and Royal Oak is causing concern and distress in the Jewish community.
Tamar and Shaul Anthony were the victims of the swastika stroller vandalism and say it's an unfortunate reality that their Jewish faith makes them the target of hate.
"In my hometown, I've had people yell things out the window," Tamar said.
But words turned to action this weekend when a Nazi symbol was sprayed on their child’s stroller.
"It's kind of scary that someone came up to our property and were like, 'Hey Jews here. We don't like you.'"
A neighbor told Shaul that a swastika was drawn on his car this week. NGO StopAntisemitism shared the images of the two incidents on their social media platforms.
We are horrified to see a baby stroller and adjacent vehicle be tagged with swastikas in the Oak Park, MI (northwest Detroit).
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) April 27, 2023
The homeowners, and much of this area, are identifiably Jewish.
We hope this hate crime is thoroughly investigated @MayorMcClellan pic.twitter.com/q80j8C17X3
And in Royal Oak, the letters AZOV were sprayed on a synagogue.
"Immediately, I put AZOV into Google. The top search item that came up was a pro-Nazi Ukrainian militia," Rabbi Mendel Polter said.
Mendel Polter, who is the Rabbi at Woodward Avenue Schul, also adds that AZOV means 'leave' in Hebrew.
StopAntisemitism shared their outrage over the incident and shared the image with their followers on Twitter.
We are horrified to see the Woodward Avenue Synagogue in Royal Oak, MI (northern Detroit) vandalized with graffiti, including a swastika, this weekend.
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) April 30, 2023
Those responsible must be punished to the fullest extent of the law - enough is enough. pic.twitter.com/EnmYAD8tcp
"I have ancestors who went through the Holocaust. I have relatives who were killed by the Nazis. The swastika represents everything that in the last century was the greatest antithesis of Judaism," Rabbi Polter said.
"They're trying to instill fear. They're trying to channel our energies into fighting them, and we have so much better to do," the rabbi said.