Royal Oak police said they arrested a woman in connection to antisemitic graffiti that was painted on a building over the weekend.
According to police, the 35-year-old Clinton Township woman was taken into custody by the Farmington Hills Directed Patrol Unit on Monday.
In Royal Oak, a swastika and the letters AZOV were spray painted on the front of the Woodward Avenue Shul.
There was a separate incident in Oak Park where swastikas were drawn on a person's car and on a stroller. It's not clear if the woman arrested is connected to that graffiti.
“The swift apprehension of the suspect is a perfect example of how our relationships with the community and collaboration with our law enforcement partners bring incidents like these to a close. I’m proud of our continued partnership with the Jewish Community Security and the tireless efforts of our detectives and law enforcement partners who were critical to this investigation,” Royal Oak Police Chief Michael Moore said in a statement.
Tamar and Shaul Anthony were the victims of the stroller vandalism and say it's an unfortunate reality that their Jewish faith makes them the target of hate.
"In my hometown, I've had people yell things out the window," Tamar said.
But words turned to action this weekend when a Nazi symbol was sprayed on their child’s stroller.
"Immediately I put AZOV into Google. The top search item that came up was a pro-Nazi Ukrainian militia," Rabbi Mendel Polter said.
Mendel Polter, who is the Rabbi at Woodward Avenue Schul, also adds that AZOV means 'leave' in Hebrew.
"I have ancestors who went through the holocaust. I have relatives who were killed by the Nazis. The swastika represents everything that in the last century was the greatest antithesis of Judaism," Rabbi Polter said.
The recent spike in anti-Semitic attacks in metro Detroit is on trend with a nationwide uptick which saw a 36% increase in 2022.
"They're trying to instill fear. They're trying to channel our energies into fighting them and we have so much better to do," the rabbi said.
