Jewish temple defaced with swastikas in Washington. ‘Disgusting act of antisemitism’
Members of Temple Beth Shalom are “angered and saddened” after an unidentified man defaced the synagogue’s walls with swastikas on Monday in Spokane, Washington.
The temple’s camera system caught the masked culprit in the act, spraying symbols of hate in red paint on one side of the building, and on a Holocaust memorial, according to Spokane police.
As of Tuesday night, no arrests have been made in the incident that police are treating as a hate crime.
“(We) also grieve that members of our society carry such hatred,” read a post on the temple’s Facebook page. But where there is anger, sadness, and grief among the Beth Shalom community, the post makes it clear they won’t be giving in to fear.
“We remain vigilant in our fight to protect everyone’s right to religious freedom and tolerance,” the post said. “We will not let these events deter us from living as Jews in our society.”
Police received a call from the temple around 9 a.m. and arrived soon after. Officers began collecting paint samples from the damaged property, and went door-to-door in the neighborhood to see who else had cameras that might have captured something useful.
“This action is reprehensible. There is no place for hate-mongering in our community,” Police Chief Craig Meidl said. “SPD takes this crime very seriously and is committed to doing everything possible to arrest the person or persons responsible. We will always stand with those who are the target of hate and bigotry.”
This is the second time the Temple Beth Shalom has been defaced, KREM reported. In 2014, a swastika was painted onto the building during a service for Yom Kippur, a Jewish holy day.
The mayor of Spokane also spoke out about the targeted vandalism Monday, outlets report, condemning the act while voicing support for the city’s Jewish community, as have a number of state and national organizations.
The Anti-Defamation League of the Pacific Northwest called the incident a “disgusting act of anti-Semitism,” promising to support law enforcement in “any” way it can.
“We cannot allow this hate to ever become normalized,” the organization said.
Police described the suspect as a white male, who was wearing blue jeans, a dark jacket, black boots and gloves, and a red mask.
Anyone with information helpful to the investigation is encouraged to call Crime Check at 509-456-2233, and reference incident #2021-20021312.
