Indiana synagogue vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti

A synagogue in Carmel, Indiana, was vandalized Saturday with anti-Semitic graffiti.

Police say they are investigating the incident at Congregation Shaarey Tefilla after spray-painted images of a large Nazi flag and Nazi Iron Crosses were found on the building’s shed, according to the Indy Star.

The synagogue said the vandalism did not affect Saturday morning’s Shabbat services or synagogue operations.

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Corey Freedman, the synagogue’s president, wrote on Facebook that the congregation is working with the police department and communicating with other synagogues and organizations to ensure “that they are aware of the event and can take appropriate measures.”

Debby Barton Grant, CEO and executive vice president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis, shared photos of the vandalism on Facebook, writing that she is “disgusted and furious” about the incident.

She also noted that Indiana is “one of only five states in the country that lacks a hate crime statute.”

“There can be no equivocation when it comes to rejecting Nazism, white supremacy, and antisemitism,” she wrote, quoting a past Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council statement on white supremacy. “Such bigotry in all its forms is antithetical to the principles of freedom and equality that form the cornerstone of American democracy and our pluralistic society.”

A recent report from the Anti-Defamation League found that, in 2017, anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. including harassment, vandalism and assault, increased by 57 percent from the previous year.