American Flag Desecrated with Anti-Semitic Slurs Dumped at Florida Synagogue

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
— An American flag was desecrated with anti-Semitic messages and then thrown in front of a synagogue in Tampa, Florida.
Messages on the flag, discovered on a wall in front of Congregation Schaarai Zedek in south Tampa, blamed Jews for media bias and immigration policies, WTSP, the Tampa-area CBS affiliate, reported.
The flag was discovered on Saturday afternoon in front of the more than 100-year-old Reform synagogue, which has a membership of 1,100 families.
“There’s a lot going on in the world and a lot of different opinions and people become frustrated and I think this was a voice of frustration,” the congregation’s rabbi, Richard Birnholz, told WTSP.
Tampa police are investigating the incident. They told local media they are not releasing a photo of the flag or the exact words written on it, in order to help the investigation.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
