Swastikas Etched Into Berkeley Cars; At Least 2 Victims Are Jewish

BERKELEY, CA — Swastikas were etched into multiple vehicles in Berkeley over the weekend, and least two victims are Jewish and have relatives who were killed during the Holocaust, according to reports.

Swastikas were scrawled into three vehicles on Monterey Avenue in North Berkeley, KCBS reported. A fourth vehicle had its window smashed.

Police were reportedly investigating the swastikas as a hate crime.

The etchings happened Saturday night or Sunday morning.

Jules Kragen told KTVU his car was among those targeted.

"For me it’s very personal in that my parents were in the holocaust," Kragen said. "Eight of my aunts and uncles and three out of the four grandparents were killed. So it evoked a lot of sadness in me that this sort of racist behavior is still going on."

Since 1945, the swastika has served as "the most significant and notorious of hate symbols, anti-Semitism and white supremacy for most of the world," according to the Anti-Defamation League.

In the United States, the swastika is overwhelmingly viewed as a hate symbol, and is often spray-painted by youths who are not actually white supremacists, but simply want to use the image to shock and alarm people, the organization said.

However, the swastika is a very common symbol among white supremacists.