The home of U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel in Michigan was defaced over the weekend with anti-Semitic graffiti declaring one of the region’s most prominent Jewish politicians a “Nazi.”
“This is what was scrawled on the fence outside @RahmEmanuel’s Michigan home,” said former Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod. Posted on Monday morning to Xshared an image of black graffiti with the word “NAZIS” written on it.
“It’s despicable. It’s disgusting. Just another flash of red light,” Axelrod fumed. “Stop the hate. Stop the anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. We know where it leads!”
Emanuel, former President Barack Obama’s powerful chief of staff and former Chicago mayor, was in the Windy City when the vandalism struck on Sunday.
he He told the Chicago Sun-Times. His “family is extremely proud that our friends, neighbors, and community have rallied to support us in our unique voices in denouncing hate and bigotry.”
He also expressed gratitude for the “diligence, promptness and seriousness of local law enforcement in dealing with the crime.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray warned at a Congressional hearing last month that anti-Semitism was reaching “historic levels” in the United States following the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
Wray also warned of recent assassination attempts by Iranian-backed terrorist groups against “current and former U.S. government officials.”
More than 1,200 Israelis, most of them civilians, were massacred by Hamas during the invasion, along with 33 Americans. Approximately 240 civilians, including Americans, were taken back to the Gaza Strip as hostages, after which Israeli forces launched air and ground attacks there.
The two countries are reportedly close to a five-day cessation of fighting in exchange for the release of 70 abducted women and children.
The Sun-Times reported that the graffiti on Emanuel’s home was discovered by the head of a homeowners organization in a housing community in southwest Michigan.
According to the Sun-Times, Tom McNulty, president of the Gordon Beach Homeowners Association, said in a message to residents that “a hate crime has occurred against one of our neighbors and anti-Semitic language has been used. It was spray painted on the property.”
County police later confirmed there was no property damage or evidence of anyone breaking or entering the home. The graffiti has been removed.
“We at Gordon Beach condemn not only this hate crime, but the growing number of intolerance, bigotry and hate-based criminal acts across the country,” McNulty said.
“Gordon Beach does not tolerate bigotry, bigotry, racism, hatred or violence. We encourage anyone who experiences hateful acts to contact the Berrien County Police Department.”
The Department of State did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on Monday, nor did representatives from the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office or the Gordon Beach Homeowners Association.
Emanuel served as an Illinois Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009 and briefly served as President Obama’s chief of staff from 2009 to 2010. He served as mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019.
He was selected by President Biden to be the U.S. ambassador to Japan and confirmed by a Senate vote in 2022.
