Police officers are investigating an anti-Semitic vandalism at a synagogue in Irvine, California on Wednesday morning. The hate crime occurred less than a week after the deadly shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In a post on Facebook, the Irvine Police Department said someone spray painted the exterior wall of Beth Jacob Synagogue with an anti-Semitic comment. The graffiti reads “F*** Jews.”
A surveillance-camera video showed that person who committed the vandalism was wearing a hoodie.
Based upon the preliminary investigation, it appears the vandalism at Beth Jacob Synagogue occurred during the early morning hours of October 31. Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Irvine PD Detective Dave Tran at 949-724-7098. https://t.co/HSRHYWeIpQ pic.twitter.com/wjuVhVN6zR
— IPD (@IrvinePolice) October 31, 2018
The Irvine Police Department is working closely with the leadership of Beth Jacob Synagogue to investigate the hate crime. It also increased the number of officers patrolling around Jewish facilities in the city.
Anti-Semitism incidents are “enraging and unacceptable”
Irvine Mayor Don Wagner condemned the vandalism at the synagogue and a similar anti-Semitic incident at Irvine Valley College. He called both incidents “enraging and unacceptable.”
