Retired United Methodist Church leader caught on video writing what Jewish woman says is swastika on box outside her door

A retired leader of the United Methodist Church in the Los Angeles area was caught on video writing what a Jewish woman said was a swastika on a box outside her door late last year.

What are the details?

KCAL-TV said Leah Grossman confronted her neighbor Mark Nakagawa around 10:15 p.m. on Dec. 5 just seconds after video caught him leaning down and writing on her groceries. KCAL's video report indicates Nakagawa was listed as a pastor and senior leader in Los Angeles' United Methodist Church until last year.

Video of Grossman's confrontation with Nakagawa at first shows him appearing to deny knowledge of what happened and then denying the symbol is a swastika:

Grossman: "Is there a problem?"
Nakagawa: "What?"
Grossman: "Is there a problem?"
Nakagawa: "No."
Grossman: "Is that a Nazi symbol?"
Nakagawa: "No."
Grossman: "What is that?"
Nakagawa: "I'm just walking by here. I don't know."
Grossman: "I saw you."
Grossman: "I have a camera. Like, what is that? What did you draw there?"
Nakagawa: "I don't know."

KCAL spoke to Grossman — a single, Jewish mom raising two boys under 12 — who said after the incident she "fell to pieces" and felt "just shattered."

"Like, I've never shook like that before. My toes were shaking. I get emotional thinking about it because it reminds me of all the people I know, my family, my children," she told the station while trying to hold back tears.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Grossman noted to KCAL the confrontation with Nakagawa occurred not long after he allegedly called her a fascist in a homeowner's association meeting because she displayed an Israeli flag from her balcony after the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas sneak attacks.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

"What's going on in the world has really opened up a crevasse of anti-Semitism, and I think people feel really emboldened to push Jewish people around," Grossman added. "People just shouldn't get away with this."

Image source: YouTube screenshot

'Bad judgment on my part'

KCAL interviewed Nakagawa, and the station said he claimed Grossman called him a fascist — but he didn't deny writing the symbol.

Nakagawa told KCAL his intent in writing the symbol on a box outside Grossman's door was to educate Grossman about the symbol's history as a Buddhist symbol of love. Yet, he repeatedly insisted he didn't know how Grossman would react, the station said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

The reporter — KCAL's Laurie Perez — wasn't buying the former UMC pastor's explanation.

"You know what she was going to think about it," Perez said, according to the station's video report, which shows her conducting her own confrontation. "You put a swastika on a Jewish" person's belongings, and it seems like "you're trying to intimidate them. And it's a symbol of hate. It's recognized as a symbol of hate."

KCAL said Nakagawa at first denied the symbol was a swastika, but then Perez on the station's video called out Nakagawa's behavior, which included trying to place the symbol on the victim's belongings without being detected, then denying to Grossman that he did anything until she said she caught him on camera.

Perez then told Nakagawa his actions against Grossman on the night of Dec. 5 can't easily be interpreted as an attempt to educate a Jewish woman about the symbol's origin, either.

"In hindsight, the way I went about it was not the right away to go about it," Nakagawa told KCAL. "It was bad judgment on my part. I realize that."

The station's video report added that Nakagawa soon stepped down as HOA president and tried to apologize to Grossman at least three times.

KCAL's video report added that police called the symbol drawing a "hate incident" but not a "hate crime" since there was no property damage.

The station also said there is a movement to take back the swastika's meaning as a sacred symbol by educating people about its origin.

Jewish woman says neighbor drew swastika on her belongingsyoutu.be

Anything else?

The California-Pacific Conference of the UMC posted the following message concerning Nakagawa on its website Monday:

Our community was saddened to learn over the weekend about an incident in December involving one of our retired clergy and former District Superintendent, Mark Nakagawa. The California-Pacific Annual Conference does not condone any form of hate or discrimination. We are committed to loving our neighbors, fostering an inclusive and respectful environment for all, and nurturing interfaith relationships in our communities.

Rev. Nakagawa retired from active ministry in July 2023. He is currently in a supervisory process regarding this incident.

The conference in February 2023 announced Nakagawa's retirement as west district superintendent effective July 1, 2023.

Calling Nakagawa's "joyous and generous spirit" a "blessing," Rev. Dr. Dottie Escobedo-Frank — resident bishop of the Los Angeles area — added in the retirement announcement that she's "witnessed" Nakagawa's "kindness, strength, and mercy for God’s people."

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