Jewish War Veterans offering reward in Monroe synagogue vandalism
MONROE – The rabbi at Congregation Etz Chaim - Monroe Township Jewish Center is urging people to speak up if they see suspicious behavior in the community after the synagogue was spraypainted with "repulsive messages" earlier this week.
In a Facebook post Thursday, Rabbi Shmuel Polin said the synagogue on Cornell Avenue was targeted in an act of vandalism with a bias incident on Wednesday night with spray paint on the exterior doors.
Polin said Monroe Township police reported the incident to the congregation at 1 a.m. following their regular surveillance of the building and attempted to clean the doors.
"This morning, firefighters washed the messages from the synagogue to make them unreadable. Two of the messages were written on reflective tape and were easily removed," Monroe Mayor Stephen Dalina said in a post on the Monroe Township Police Department's Facebook page.
"We must proclaim that vandalism, of any sort, is completely unacceptable in our community and will not be tolerated," Dalina said in the post. "This is a raw time; the world is very small at the moment. Again, we must proclaim that any offensive/hateful vandalism is completely unacceptable in our community."
Dalina added Monroe police are investigating the incident. Polin said the mayor's office has assured him the motivation, suspects and incident are being fully investigated and that police will continue to step up surveillance around the building.
Crime: Jan. 6 suspect Gregory Yetman in custody after two-day search
In addition, the temple is working alongside the Jewish Federation to assure the safety and security of the house of worship and the incident also has been reported to the Anti-Defamation League, said Polin, who added on Friday that the congregation also is working with the governor's office and the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.
Members of the local chapter of Jewish War Veterans are offering a $500 reward to information that leads to the apprehension of the persons responsible, Polin said.
"Coping with an incident like the one of this past week is difficult for our community. Many congregants are afraid because of the continued incidents going on both in Israel and domestically." Polin said. "The climate of anti-Semitism and xenophobia are extremely high right now. From college campuses, synagogues and online we are facing a new wave of incidents and we must remain vigilant of acts of bias and hate.”
Police believe the vandalism was done by juveniles and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Jake O’Brien at 732-521-0222 ext. 124.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Jewish War Veterans offering reward in NJ synagogue vandalism
