Swastika Painted on Car of Dallas Rabbi
A large white swastika was spray-painted on the car of a Dallas rabbi who is being sued by the city over a synagogue he runs in his home.
Rabbi Yaakov Rich discovered the swastika on his car on March 11, the local media reported over the weekend. He runs the small Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim from his home; services have continued there.
Rich said in a statement that he feels “completely violated.”
“As a Jew, the swastika is the most offensive symbol that there is,” he said. “They didn’t just attack me; they attacked every Jew in the City of Dallas.”
Last month, the city of Dallas sued Rich and the congregation, demanding some $200,000 in improvements to bring the home up to city code for a place of worship.
In early February, a neighbor sued Rich, seeking $50,000 in compensatory damages, claiming the synagogue lowered his property values.
The mezuzah has been ripped from Rich’s door in the past, the CBS affiliate in Dallas reported.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
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.