Boichik Bagels in Berkeley was targeted with antisemitic graffiti last Wednesday, said founder and CEO Emily Winston.
Winston, who is Jewish, said she was walking in front of the store when she saw the graffiti on three parts of the sidewalk, reading “Israel Baby Killer.”
She said the store’s manager, Heather Little, left at 3 p.m. that day and was unaware of the graffiti until Winston messaged her. Winston said she believes this incident occurred sometime between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Once she saw the graffiti, Winston said she and her friend began cleaning the paint off the sidewalks with products they had available. Eventually, they went to The Home Depot to get heavy-duty cleaning products, which allowed them to scrub and power wash off the paint.
Berkeley Police Department public information officer Jessica Perry said she had no information to provide about the incident at the moment.
“I found it very concerning, especially in light of what has been going on at Cal,” Winston said in an email. “This is the first physical antisemitism I have received (ever in my life, and I am 46).”
This incident follows a trend of other antisemitic reports in Berkeley over the past few weeks.
On Feb. 26, UCPD responded to a protest at an event featuring Ran Bar-Yoshafat, an attorney who formerly served in the Israel Defense Forces.
Attendees of the event reported that they were subjected to overt antisemitic expression and physical battery. These allegations are currently being investigated as hate crimes.
Two days later on Feb. 28, Berkeley public schools received a federal complaint which alleged antisemitic bullying and harassment, especially as the events of the Israel-Hamas war continue to escalate.
This complaint was the first of its kind related to antisemitism against a K-12 school district that has reached the U.S. Department of Education since Oct. 7.
In light of other recent antisemitic reports, Winston described her concerns toward the incident at Boichik Bagels and said the company continues to work against hate.
“Yes, the politics right now are terrible and complicated, but there is a difference between that and racism,” Winston said in the email. “I am very proud to have a staff of over 120 people now, diverse in ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender and religion. We value inclusion and community, and are against hate toward any.”