Photo: Anatoly Smolkin
BERKELEY — A disbarred lawyer with a history of arrests for harassment was arrested for a hate crime last weekend. The unemployed man interrupted a service at a synagogue and next tried to barge into a Jewish community center.
Anatoly Smolkin, 37, whose last known address was in Lafayette, allegedly made anti-Semitic remarks at Congregation Netivot Shalom. After leaving the synagogue at 1316 University Avenue, Smolkin who seem agitated was refused entry at nearby Chabad House Berkeley.
The police were summoned. Smolkin was located and arrested on August 7, a short distance away from Chabad, outside an electronics store at 1734 University Avenue.
He was booked on suspicion of violation of civil rights by force or threat 422.6(A). He was also booked for fighting or challenging a fight at a school 415.5(A) (1). He has since been released from Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.
Smolkin was disbarred in July 2017 from practicing law in California by order of the California Supreme Court. This action followed numerous instances of stalking and threatening former professional colleagues and other persons.
He has prior arrests for threatening judges in Solano County. These incidents occurred in 2017. In addition, Smolkin has been arrested several times for violating terms of parole stemming from a criminal conviction.
Since April 2016, Smolkin has been arrested 15 times, including his most recent arrest. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case for filing potential hate crime charges against him.
