Two swastikas were spray-painted outside the entrance of the Minneapolis Temple Israel synagogue on Monday.
The symbols were found on a door and pillar on the temple’s Emerson Avenues South entrance, according to Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman. The temple is the largest in Minnesota and home to one of the 10 largest Jewish congregations in the country.
“It is heartbreaking to see such a hateful image directly underneath the words emblazoned above our doors, words that have guided us for generations: ‘My house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples,'” Zimmerman said in a letter to Temple Israel members. “Temple has always been a sacred space, a welcoming place to all who enter with a spirit of community and peace.”
Zimmerman said the Temple’s security is on alert and the Minneapolis police are reviewing the Temple’s security footage.
Minneapolis police said a suspect was seen on surveillance video spray-painting swastikas on the door and a pillar that faces Emerson Avenue South. Authorities say the suspect left in a silver Honda Civic.
“Hate crimes and crimes against our houses of worship are particularly troubling because they can result in real widespread fear and can contribute to potential division among our residents,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a statement. “MPD has no tolerance for these types of crime and will be investigating this as a bias-based crime.”
Several Minneapolis and Minnesota politicians condemned the graffiti.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who attends the temple and is the second Jewish mayor to serve in Minneapolis, said in a statement that the antisemitic graffiti has no place in Minnesota.
“When hate is embraced or tolerated, it is emboldened and spreads. I’ve seen blatant antisemitism increase dramatically over the last year, yet too few have had the courage to speak out against it, opting for the safety of silence,” Frey said. “These nazi symbols were placed on my synagogue, where Minneapolis Jews congregate and deserve to feel safe. We don’t back down to fear. We stand strong, proud of who we are, and I know that Minneapolis — a city of inclusivity and love — stands with us.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that his office is monitoring the situation and called the vandalism a direct threat to Jewish Minnesotans.
“Minnesotans of every faith deserve to live and worship with dignity, safety, and respect — no exceptions,” Ellison said in a statement. “These are not just my values as Attorney General, they are the values of countless Minnesotans — the vast majority — in every corner of our state. Painting swastikas on a synagogue is an appalling act of hate that no one should tolerate.”
