Natan Sharansky Visits Vandalized Reform Synagogue in Israel
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Josefin Dolsten November 30, 2016
— Natan Sharansky, the chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, visited a Reform synagogue in Israel that was vandalized and received death threats last week.
On Wednesday, Sharansky visited Beit Samueli, Kehillat Raanan in Raanana, meeting with representatives from the synagogue in central Israel and Israel’s Reform movement.
“It goes without saying that we must not tolerate acts of violence and vandalism in our society,” he said, according to a statement. “As we forcefully condemn the attack on this synagogue, we also recognize the tremendous service that this community and other Reform and Conservative synagogues in Israel provide in making Judaism accessible to hundreds of thousands of Israelis throughout the year.”
The vandalism, which was discovered Nov. 24, included hate graffiti on the walls of the synagogue and death threats in envelopes held down by a knife at its doorstep. The threats were addressed to prominent Reform leaders.
A similar attack occurred in January, though it did not include death threats.
The synagogue of 80 families has been in Raanana for 18 years. Three preschools reportedly operate out of the building.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack.
“Such acts have no place in our free society,” he said in in a statement issued by his office.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
