Jerusalem Synagogue Vandalized with Spray Painted Crosses
Image by Israel Police
JERUSALEM — A Jerusalem synagogue was vandalized with black crosses spray painted on its outside walls.
The vandal attack occurred on Sunday night at a synagogue in the Katamon neighborhood in southern Jerusalem.
The synagogue notified police of the possible hate crime on Monday morning. Police have opened an investigation into the incident. A police spokesman told Israeli media there were no suspects or known motives.
The crosses were spray painted on the wall and on the windows of the synagogue. Synagogues in other cities throughout Israel also have been vandalized in recent months, including in Petah Tikvah and Safed, where Jews were believed to be the perpetrators, and in Tel Aviv.
Several attacks also have been made on church property in the Jerusalem area and northern Israel, and mosques in the West Bank in recent years.
In the past, houses of worship have been vandalized as part of what is called “price-tag” attacks. Such attacks are usually attributed to far right Jews and target Palestinians or Israeli Arabs. Other attacks have targeted synagogues and have also been blamed on extremist Jews, alhtough the exact motives for the attacks are often murky.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
