Antisemitic graffiti on a mural outside the Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center. Photo: Facebook/PJTC

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger introduced a motion Tuesday to offer a $20,000 reward for information leading to the identification, apprehension, and conviction of those responsible for two antisemitic attacks targeting the Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center (PJTC).

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on the motion next week. It comes days after vandals spray-painted swastikas and the message “Zionzim [sic] is not welcome” on a mural erected at the synagogue’s fire-ravaged campus. The graffiti, discovered July 24, marked the second act of antisemitic vandalism at the site since the Eaton Fire destroyed the campus in January 2025.

“An attack motivated by hate against one community is an attack against us all,” Barger said. “They should not have to face hateful acts intended to intimidate them. Those responsible must be held fully accountable.”

The mural was unveiled in May and created by Jewish artist Miriam Hellman following the fire and an earlier act of antisemitism. It features a large orange California poppy, a peacock, a butterfly, and the phrase “We are all responsible for each other.”

Created with the Art Over Hate Collective, the Sparks of Kindness Youth Fund, religious school students, volunteers, and other community members, the mural became “a symbol of hope, resilience, and solidarity — not just for PJTC, but for the entire Altadena community,” the synagogue said.

“We are deeply saddened and outraged by this act, but we refuse to let it define our community,” PJTC said following the latest vandalism. “We are working closely with law enforcement and our security partners as the incident is investigated and as we determine the next steps to restore the mural.”

Hellman said Monday that she was “shocked and appalled” by the attack and had contacted the synagogue and the Art Over Hate Collective to help repair the artwork.

“Now that the graffiti has been removed to the extent it can, I will repaint over any marks that are still there,” she said.

The synagogue was previously vandalized on Jan. 11, 2026, when someone spray-painted antisemitic graffiti, including the message “f—k Zionizm [sic],” on one of the campus’s surviving walls. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating both incidents as hate crimes.

If approved, Barger’s motion would reestablish and increase to $20,000 a previously authorized reward covering both attacks. Anyone with information would be encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Department or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers.

PJTC’s congregation has been gathering at First United Methodist Church of Pasadena while working to rebuild the synagogue at its original location. Its religious school is meeting at a local K-12 school. Founded as Temple B’nai Israel in 1921, the institution adopted its current name around 1956.

Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo said the vandals’ apparent attempt to divide the community would instead inspire solidarity.

“I have no doubt that the intended purpose of the vandals, to sow division and distrust, will backfire,” he said.

Gordo described the mural as a representation of the community’s strength and ability to overcome recent hardships, adding that it was “distressing and disturbing” to see a symbol of hope desecrated with hateful messages.