Amid Racial Turmoil, Kenosha Synagogue Defaced With ‘Free Palestine’ Graffiti
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by Algemeiner Staff
Police officers stand behind shields during a protest, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Aug. 25, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Brendan McDermid.
An unidentified individual was recorded on Wednesday night vandalizing a Jewish synagogue in a southern Wisconsin city that has seen several days of racial unrest following a shooting there of a Black man by a white police officer.
Julio Rosas — a reporter for the conservative media outlet Townhall — tweeted footage of the incident, claiming, “Someone from the BLM crowd spray-painted ‘Free Palestine’ in the driveway of the Beth Hillel Temple in Kenosha.”
Someone from the BLM crowd spray-painted “Free Palestine” in the driveway of the Beth Hillel Temple in Kenosha. pic.twitter.com/sJACaqZlai
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) August 27, 2020
It could not be determined definitively from the video, however, what, if any, group the vandal was associated with.
According to Rosas, a sign in front of a Kenosha church was also defaced.
Beth Hillel is a Reform shul located in downtown Kenosha. Its building was constructed in 1927.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) tweeted, “This is antisemitism. Full stop. If you don’t understand why, you need to educate yourself. If you try to justify or explain this in any way, you are part of the problem.”
This is antisemitism. Full stop. If you don’t understand why, you need to educate yourself. If you try to justify or explain this in any way, you are part of the problem.https://t.co/UHqhWhlO1g
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) August 27, 2020
A similar spray-painting incident occurred at a Los Angeles synagogue in May.
The police shooting on Sunday of Jacob Blake — who was left paralyzed — sparked four nights of protests in Kenosha.
On Tuesday night, two people were killed by a 17-year-old white gunman, who, according to Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes “decided to be a vigilante and take the law into his own hands and mow down innocent protesters.”
The suspect, Kyle Rittenhouse, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder.
