Elected officials are not immune from antisemitic vandalism.
Michelle Lazarow is the vice mayor of Hallandale Beach. Just a few weeks ago, after the cease-fire in Gaza, she planted a yard sign in front of her townhouse that read, “Bring Them Home Now!” and featured a stylized Israeli flag.
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WATCH HEREIt’s gone now, stolen in broad daylight, the theft captured clearly by her Ring doorbell camera.
“My neighbor pulls up with his vehicle, opens his car, takes the sign, puts it in the back and drives off,” Lazarow said. “I mean, I’m outraged, there are processes and avenues you can take if you’re unhappy with such a thing.”
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There’s been an epidemic nationwide of this sort of vandalism since the barbaric Hamas invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Signs of support for Israel, or pictures of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas, have been ripped down or defaced.
“You don’t have the right to come over and take somebody’s personal property, regardless of your beliefs, pick it up and take it with you, that’s theft,” Lazarow said.
It’s also a statement, and I asked her if that outrages her as well.
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“Of course it’s an outrage, I mean who’s against, or opposed, regardless of your feelings of the war, about innocent victims being released?” Lazarow responded. “So why would anybody in their right mind do such a thing?”
It happened Sunday, and Monday is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Does that strike Lazarow as ironic?
“It doesn’t, what Jewish person is surprised anymore about hate crimes?” she said.
Lazarow has another “Bring Home the Hostages” sign in her window. She wears dog tags in support of the victims, and she thinks the man who stole her yard sign is the same person who sent her text messages relaying Hamas propaganda that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Lazarow met with police and said she will press charges.
“It’s a message to our community that this will not be tolerated, Hallandale Beach will not tolerate such acts of vandalism," she said.
Her city passed an ordinance specifically targeting acts of antisemitic vandalism. Whoever stole the sign, if caught, would face a misdemeanor charge of theft, unless the state attorney upgrades it with a hate crime charge.
