Swastika, ethnic slur painted on door at Tucson synagogue | Arizona News

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TUCSON, AZ (KOLD news 13) – Another synagogue in Tucson was hit by vandals over the weekend.

It’s made two in the past few weeks, and it’s made rabbis and the community nervous.

Chabad on River members started their week with a very disturbing and anti-Semitic message sprayed all over their door.

A member found the message, which contained a swastika and an ethnic insult, around 8 a.m. Monday while they were going to a class. Jewish community leaders said they would not be deterred by this.

“Our message to fellow Jews is: do not be afraid of your Judaism,” said Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin from Chabad Tucson. “This is not the time to give in, this is not the time to be afraid, this is not the time to be ashamed of who you are.”

Center director Rabbi Ram Bigelman said whoever did this also cut a hole in the fence behind the synagogue.

“It’s very disturbing, we feel insecure and really not sure what is going on here,” said Bigelman.

Bigelman said this is not the first time his synagogue has been attacked and estimates that something similar has happened at least ten more times in the past few years. Only a few weeks ago a stone was thrown through a glass door in the municipality of Chaverim in May.

“Unfortunately it is a new reality that we are living. We have seen this surge across America, ”said Ceitlin. “Unfortunately we are still one.”

The Anti-Defamation League reports a sharp rise in anti-Semitism after tensions arose between Hamas and Israel. Between May 7 and May 14, they report 17,000 tweets in which variations of the sentence “Hitler was right” were used. The organization also said anti-Semitic incidents rose from 131 reports in the week before the conflict to 193 in the week after the crisis began.

That Jewish Federation and Southern Arizona Jewish Community Foundation jointly published a statement that said in part: “Horrific anti-Semitic acts will not be tolerated and hatred has no place in our community.”

“We call on our allies, neighbors and Tucsonans to stand by us in combating hideous intimidation, hatred and anti-Semitism. The right to gather and worship in peace and security are cornerstones of American democracy. Working with the community in southern Arizona to prevent and eradicate hate in all its forms will continue to be a priority for the Federation and the Foundation and all of our partners, “said Graham Hoffman, President and CEO of the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona in an emailed statement.

Tucson police said they are investigating the incident as vandalism involving Ceitlin, which clearly constitutes a hate crime. The TPD is looking for links to other crimes in the region and asks the public for assistance. The synagogue said the FBI had also come forward.

“The person who did this, or the people who do such things, are motivated by very strong feelings of hatred, obviously ignorance as well. My question is what happens next and that’s what I’m really worried about, ”said Ceitlin.

The synagogue said it would increase security, as did others in the city.

Several others tweeted about the incident. Arizona Governor Goug Ducey tweeted, “This is awful. Anti-Semitism has NO place in Arizona and this behavior cannot be tolerated. We are making sure the authorities are aware of this hateful act. Those responsible must be held accountable. Arizona stands with those of the Jewish faith. “

Meghan McCain retweeted Arizona Governor and Representative Alma Hernandez, who said in part, “If it happens to one, it will happen to all of us. The amount of anti-Semitism is not shocking. The silence is. This is NOT my #Tucson. “

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero also tweeted about the incident, saying it was an absolutely disgusting display of hatred and anti-Semitism. This is not tolerated in our diverse and welcoming city. I ask all Tucsonans to join me and raise awareness of anti-Semitism in all its forms. “

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