Police are investigating antisemitic fliers that were left at homes in Beverly Hills on Sunday, hours before Hanukkah began.
The Beverly Hills Police Department revealed in a statement Sunday afternoon that it is investigating a “hate incident” that occurred overnight after a resident reported finding a flyer with hate speech in their front yard.
The flyer, which was in a plastic bag with rice “for weight,” featured “propaganda style hate speech related to the COVID pandemic and the Jewish people,” according to police. It was a single 8.5 inch-by-11 inch piece of paper.
The flyers, which were discovered at a number of homes in the northeast of the city, were canvassed and collected by police and Public Works personnel, according to police.
“Police are continuing to investigate and attempt to identify the persons responsible for this disturbing act,” the department wrote in a statement.
It also said additional patrols would be dispatched throughout the city on Sunday, the first night of Hanukkah, “to ensure a safe holiday season.”
The California police department’s investigation into the antisemitic flyers comes amid a year that has seen an increased number of antisemitic incidents.
In May, the Anti-Defamation League said it had observed a 75 percent surge in antisemitic attacks in the previous two weeks, which coincided with the 11 days of violence that broke out between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza strip and eventually ended with a cease-fire.
The Senate passed a bipartisan resolution in June condemning the increase in antisemitic violence, which called on President Biden to “continue the leadership role of the United States in combating antisemitism internationally.”
The resolution also urged the Biden administration to “advance accurate Holocaust education” and fight against Holocaust deniers and misinformation.
In July, Biden nominated Holocaust historian and Emory University professor Deborah Lipstadt to serve as a special envoy to combat and monitor antisemitism.
Observers around the world celebrated the first night of Hanukkah at sundown on Sunday, marking the beginning of the festival of lights for the Jewish community.
The White House marked the celebratory evening with the National Menorah lighting ceremony, where Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. president or vice president, helped light the first candle.