SAN FRANCISCO (Press Release) — The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has announced a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible for defacing a billboard image of Omri Casspi, the Israeli-born Sacramento Kings forward, with a swastika.
The swastika, painted on the forehead of Casspi’s likeness, was reported on September 8, the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Dan Sandman, Director of ADL’s Central Pacific Region, which includes Sacramento, on Tuesday issued the following statement:
“The defacement of Omri Casspi’s likeness with a swastika – an ugly symbol of hate – is disturbing and an affront to the Jewish community and the Sacramento community at large, which has welcomed Israeli-born Casspi with open arms.
“ADL is in contact with the Sacramento Police Department, which is appropriately investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. We urge anyone with information relevant to the case to contact the Sacramento Citizen’s Crime Alert Program at (916) 443-4357 or to text 274637.
“We applaud the Sacramento Kings for condemning this anti-Semitic act, and we hope they will continue to lend their voices to the fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry.”
ADL’s 2009 Audit of Anti-Semitic incidents showed that anti-Semitic hate crimes and incidents continued to be a serious problem in California and nationwide.
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Preceding provided by the Anti-Defamation League