A new permanent mural in Culver City, made up of the 'kidnapped' posters that anti-Israel protesters have been tearing down, is evoking both compassion and anti-Semitism.
The mural, created by Artists 4 Israel, says 'Bring them home' with images of the hostages still being held by Hamas.
Ari Mark, who owns the building on Washington Boulevard, told KNX News reporter Emily Valdez, "Somehow, the idea of innocent people being taken against their will and held kidnapped has become politicized, and obviously, I feel pretty strongly that it's not a political issue."
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Unfortunately, displaying one's beliefs in such a public manner comes with the potential for negative attention. In this case, it came in the form of anti-Semitism aimed at the mural and a passerby.
On Monday, Dina was walking by with her dog when she said a man got out of his car and started trying to rip the permanent display off the wall.
"I asked him what he was doing, and he started screaming and yelling at me that I'm a Jew, that I need to die, that he wanted to kill me, kill my dog, and proceeded to just yell profanities at me," Dina said.
Ari said, "Yeah, there was some Jew hate. We're expecting a lot more, and I think that's obviously the biggest risk for me as a business owner, making sure that we have safety for all the people who work here."
Dina said there were witnesses, she has video of the man's car and has made a police report. Ari said the mural isn't going anywhere.
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