ALBANY — A recent surge in anti-Israel graffiti has been met with condemnation from the city’s mayor who said the “hateful and violent” rhetoric creates an unsafe community for both Jewish and non-Jewish residents.

In a statement titled “Condemnation of Antisemitic Acts in Albany,” Mayor Robin López said multiple instances of graffiti targeting Jewish people were “plastered in and around the University Village student-family housing complex.”

“I unequivocally would like to see that justice is pursued for the destruction of city property and I fully denounce this disgustingly vile attempt to normalize hate as an acceptable form of public expression. It’s not acceptable and will not be tolerated,” López said in the statement published Monday.

Photos shared with this news organization show the phrase “burn Israel down” was scrawled along the facade of The Habit Burger & Grill on Monroe Street. Additional photos showed the same phrase written on a sign attached to a fence and “f— Israel” written along a traffic pole.

Exactly how many similar instances of vandalism have occurred in the small city of just more than 19,000 residents is hard to say, López said. The mayor himself has reported nearly a dozen similar tags in the city, most of which were at University Village, which is owned by the University of California, Berkeley.

“The graffiti became so frequent and repetitive, that city staff was more or less put on alert mode to identify and remove,” López said.

Lopez said in the statement to the community that more coordination seems to be required to remove vandalism on UC Berkeley property. The university has been proactive once informed, López said.

Councilmembers, Albany Unified School District officials and the Albany Police Department were alerted to the vandalism in an email from the Jewish Parent Engagement Group, which advocates for Jewish and interfaith families in the city.

In the email, Jewish Parent Engagement Group Coordinator Yafit Shriki Megidish called the vandalism “troubling” and “hostile, inflammatory, and clearly intended to intimidate.” Many Israeli and Jewish families in the city now feel unsafe in their community and reconsider wearing items that may reveal themselves to be Jewish, Megidish said.

The vandalism isn’t a new phenomenon in the city, Megidish told this news organization Tuesday. Community spaces have been dotted with similar graffiti since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on Oct. 7, 2023.

But the graffiti has definitely spiked in the last three weeks, Megidish said. Once increasingly violent tags calling to “kill all Zionists” began popping up about three days ago, Megidish said community members became even more alarmed and began messaging the advocacy group.

Megidish called the messages hate speech and shared doubts someone who wants to hurt a Zionist, someone who believes in the creation of a Jewish nation state, would stop to differentiate between a Zionist-Jewish person or a non-Zionist. Regardless of whether someone supports the existence of Israel, Megidish said people should be able to criticize a country and its actions without leaping to violence.

“Our concern is not only about vandalism. These messages signal a dangerous shift in the public atmosphere — one that fosters fear, division, and the potential for targeted harm,” said Megidish, who also serves as chief Jewish learning officer with the Jewish Community Center East Bay, a nonprofit providing educational and community programming in Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

In addition to requesting officials issue a statement, Megidish also asked that the graffiti be swiftly removed, additional attention by law enforcement be deployed to deter further incidents and the city consider establishing an antisemitism committee.

The incidents are under investigation, López said. The Albany Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for additional information.

Representatives with UC Berkeley also did not immediately respond to specific questions from this news organization about the incidents but shared a message sent to University Village residents that the graffiti had been removed and reported to the university’s Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination.

López acknowledged that a statement by the mayor may have a limited impact but shared hope that swift action by city staff would also send a message of condemnation toward acts of hate speech.

“To those feeling harmed or unsafe, I want to remind you that this is our community, which includes you,” López said. “The vibrant diversity of experiences, lived truths, and identities is what makes our little city move with such a big heart. We will not be intimidated with fear and violence.”

Community members who see any evidence of hate speech are asked to contact the Albany Police Department Dispatch Center at 510-525-7300.