Jerusalem
– A Jerusalem synagogue situated in the central neighborhood of Nachlaot was
the target of a hate crime on Wednesday morning, local police reported.
Police
were alerted to the scene, and upon arriving at the synagogue they discovered
four swastikas spray-painted on the walls as well as three charred Torah books
that the vandals had presumably tried to set ablaze.
Evidence
was gathered at the scene and police have launched an investigation into the
case in order to track down the perpetrators.
This
is not the first time Israel has been struck by such a hate crime. Similar
incidents also plagued major Israeli cities such as Petah Tikva, that was the
target of an act of vandalism this April. During the Passover holiday,
residents of the city spotted Nazi-affiliated emblems not far from one of the
city’s biggest synagogue.
UPDATE: A police spokesperson reported Wednesday afternoon that authorities had taken a 38-year old man into custody hours after members of the Lelov-Nikolsburg Hasidic sect found that their synagogue in Mekor Baruch had been vandalized.
“Police units in Jerusalem arrested a man, age 38, suspected of being behind the incidents in Jerusalem this morning when graffiti and damage was caused to synagogue books,” the spokesperson said.
“The suspect is being questioned by police as part of an ongoing investigation when graffiti was found in two different areas of the city.”
