Clermont, FL – Clermont police are searching for a person of interest after a Jewish school was vandalized earlier this month.
Police said Thursday the vandalism happened at Simchat Torah Beit Midrash at 183 US Highway 27.
In a case report, police explained they were called to the school around 4:57 p.m., where they learned that a Simchat Torah Beit sign had been broken and glass shattered.
A Star of David was tipped over on the ground, and a menorah was reported as possibly damaged, the report states.
Using security footage, detectives found that a man had been responsible for the damage, using a golf club to shatter the sign, according to the report.
Investigators released images of the vandal in a news release, asking for help to locate him.
He was seen wearing no shirt, black pants, white shoes, and had a dog with him on a red leash, police said.
Chad Jones, who works security for the school, told News 6 about the response to the vandalism.
“We just kind of limited access to the building because you don’t know if people are trying to come see your layout, and people were emboldened after the war started…” he said. “Some people might think this is a very small thing, but it does impact people when you have a war going on.”
Meanwhile, Regional Director Hope Medina said she was “disappointed” by the incident.
“We hope that it’s not antisemitism,” Medina said. “Obviously, we’re all aware that antisemitism on the rise in America and around the world.”
