update desk

Police in Beverly Hills investigate anti-Semitic fliers blaming Jews for COVID-19

Patrols in the city are to be increased during the holiday of Hanukkah.

Beverly Hills Police Department cruiser. Credit: Elliott Cowand Jr/Shutterstock.
Beverly Hills Police Department cruiser. Credit: Elliott Cowand Jr/Shutterstock.

The Beverly Hills Police Department is investigating the appearance of anti-Semitic fliers left outside of homes in the California city on Sunday morning.

“Every single aspect of the COVID agenda is Jewish,” read the flier before listing the names and titles of more than a dozen people with the word “Jewish” next to them, including Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.

It also said: “Were literally Shabbos Goy carrying out the will of the Jews, wittingly or unwittingly.”

The printed papers contained the logo and a link to the website of GoyimTV, which the Anti-Defamation League says is run by the Goyim Defense League. Just last month, that group, which is virulently anti-Semitic, hung banners over a highway overpass in Austin, Texas, that read “Vax the Jews,” and came amid a spate of anti-Semitic incidents there.

The fliers in California were found around 6 a.m. on Nov. 28. Police were immediately notified; they plan to beef up patrols in the city during the eight-day holiday of Hanukkah.

In a statement, the Beverly Hills Police Department said that officers “surveyed the area and discovered that the fliers, enclosed in plastic bags containing rice (for weight), were distributed to homes in several blocks in the northeast area of the city. The flier, a single 8½ x 11 sheet of paper, contains propaganda-style hate speech related to the COVID pandemic and the Jewish people. Police and public works personnel canvassed the area and collected the fliers. Police are continuing to investigate and attempt to identify the persons responsible for this disturbing act.”

Beverly Hills City Council member John Mirisch posted an image of the flier on his Twitter page, saying: “Today, in one of the only Jewish-majority cities outside of Israel, this screed was distributed on residents’ doorsteps. The world’s oldest extant form of racism rears its ugly head on Erev Hanukkah. The response to this hatred is simple but unmistakable: ‘Am Yisrael Chai.’ ”

You have read 3 articles this month.
Register to receive full access to JNS.

Just before you scroll on...

Israel is at war.

JNS is combating the stream of misinformation on Israel with real, honest and factual reporting. In order to deliver this in-depth, unbiased coverage of Israel and the Jewish world, we rely on readers like you.

The support you provide allows our journalists to deliver the truth, free from bias and hidden agendas. Can we count on your support?

Every contribution, big or small, helps JNS.org remain a trusted source of news you can rely on.

Become a part of our mission by donating today
Topics
Comments
Thank you. You are a loyal JNS Reader.
You have read more than 10 articles this month.
Please register for full access to continue reading and post comments.
Never miss a thing
Get the best stories faster with JNS breaking news updates