Squirrel Hill business damaged by vandal, Pittsburgh police investigating
“Violent and malicious swings” is how Michael Jacobs describes a woman’s attack on his business.
“To me, it’s deeply concerning that we’ve reached a level of let’s now damage someone’s physical property because they are Jewish,” Jacobs said.
Pittsburgh police said surveillance video shows the woman taking a hammer to the front windows. Despite her force, the glass was only scratched. Police say she also ripped the “Support Israel” sign off the building and shattered a work truck window. This all happened on the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht.
“It was when Germans went after Jews in Germany and destroyed all their private businesses and synagogues and threw all their wears into the street,” Jacobs said.
While police investigate the act of vandalism, Jacobs isn’t letting it take his show of support.
“The answer was we are putting two signs up to replace the one that went down and the bottom line is, we live in the United States of America. It’s 2023. We have the right to put up a sign that says we support Israel,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs said violence isn’t the answer. That’s exactly how Carnegie Mellon University students hosting a vigil to support Gaza feel, too.
“People are scared to grieve in public because we’ve been called terrorists, human animals. When that’s being told and yelled at us on campus, you don’t feel safe to grieve in public,” said Farida Abdelmoneum, who’s a CMU senior.
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