The building of the Beth Jacob Shul in Irvine, California was vandalized in the late hours of Tuesday, Oct. 30, according to Kim Mohr, a spokesperson for Irvine police.
Mohr said a passerby noticed the “(Expletive) Jews” graffiti at the synagogue, located at 3900 Michelson Dr., on Wednesday morning at around 9 a.m.
Beth Jacob in Irvine released the following statement:
Dear Friends,
I’m very sorry to report that last night Beth Jacob was a target of a cowardly act by an individual who spray-painted an anti-Semitic message on the front wall of our synagogue facing Michelson Drive. The hateful graffiti was discovered by our staff this morning, at which point Irvine Police Department was notified and a full investigation is underway.
I am deeply troubled by the anti-Semitic vandalism at Beth Jacob Synagogue in Irvine. I strongly condemn these actions of hate and terror & stand with our Jewish community both in Orange County & throughout the country. Those responsible must be brought to justice immediately.
— Mimi Walters (@RepMimiWalters) October 31, 2018
Here is what we know so far based on our camera footage. At about 1:18 AM, an individual wearing a hoodie, sunglasses and a surgical facemask jumped our fence at the pedestrian entrance on Michelson Drive. The suspect proceeded towards the wall where the Beth Jacob of Irvine sign is facing the street and began to spray-paint his hateful message. After he was done, the suspect left the premises on a bicycle he apparently stolen from our premises.
The Irvine Police Department and our own security have done a full sweep of the entire facility and nothing was found other than the graffiti.
We are continuing to do everything we can to make our campus more secure, and we will continue to promote the message that we are stronger than hate.
Sincerely,
Allen Berezovsky, Rabbi Ciner, Beth Jacob Board of Directors and Our Security Team
1/2 Last night, Beth Jacob synagogue in Irvine was vandalized with offensive and anti-Semitic messages. That is unacceptable. Anti-semitism in any way, shape, or form will not be tolerated in our community. No one in America should be attacked for their religious beliefs.
— Katie Porter (@katieporteroc) October 31, 2018
2/2 Houses of worship—of all faiths—must be protected. Our leaders can no longer afford to sit idle as white supremacists in our country grow bolder and more violent. And the rhetoric from Washington that emboldens these criminals must stop immediately.
— Katie Porter (@katieporteroc) October 31, 2018
In other hate-related news, ABCNY is reporting swastikas and a racial slur were painting onto a building on Garden Place in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn sometime between 9:30 p.m. and 10:50 p.m. Tuesday night.
Five other addresses also had similar chalk graffiti.
(Yossi Taub – YWN)
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3 Responses
Please correct your headline. Irvine is a city in Orange County CA, it is not in Los Angeles.
@amil Zola
Apparently the moderator doesn’t read/screen posts before allowing it through 🙂
Although one cannot condone the language used in this graffiti, its urging of Jews to procreate is surely one we can all accept? (8-)