Berkley police ask for doorbell videos after antisemitic flyers left on lawns
Police officials asked residents Sunday for doorbell video that may have shown someone placing packages containing corn and anti-Semitic flyers on residents’ lawns overnight.
Police said they increased patrols following the distribution of the materials, which authorities said likely occurred before 6 a.m. Sunday.
“On May 16… Berkley (the Department of Public Safety) was notified that pamphlets containing anti-Semitic content had been distributed in the area from Coolidge to Woodward and between 11 Mile and 12 Mile,” Berkley police officials said in a Facebook post Sunday.
About 100 packages were found in Henley, Oxford, Cass and Wiltshire streets, police said.
“We are asking anyone providing home security who wishes to voluntarily submit video for review to (submit it to an online evidence portal),” police said. “We are increasing our patrols in the area.”
The Jewish Federation of Detroit said it was “outraged” by the incident, which it called “another targeted act aimed at spreading hatred and intimidating Jewish residents.”
“This is clearly a hate crime against members of our community, intended to make us feel unwanted in our neighborhoods and homes,” the federation said in a statement. “We commend law enforcement for their quick action.”
The Michigan chapter of the Anti Defamation League has offered to submit video footage to residents who are hesitant to contact police directly.
The distribution of these flyers marks the second recent anti-Semitic incident in Oakland County. On April 28, Birmingham’s Beverly Elementary School’s multicultural night was marred by offensive material, Birmingham Public Schools Superintendent Embekka Roberson said in a letter to parents.
“During the event, a table in one room had inappropriate and offensive stickers on it, including a sticker with an image of a gun and a sticker reading ‘(expletive) Zionism,'” the letter said. “These materials were not on display during the superintendent’s visit prior to the event, and they do not reflect the values of our district.”
According to an audit released this month by the Anti-Defamation League, “2025 was the third highest year on record for anti-Semitic incidents since the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) began tracking them in 1979.”
The audit found that anti-Semitic incidents declined in 2025 compared to 2024, “but levels remained much higher than in years before 2023,” the report said.
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This article originally appeared in The Detroit News: Anti-Semitic flyers left on Berkley lawns; police looking for doorbell videos
