Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on December 16, 2019

A prominent Beverly Hills synagogue was trashed early Saturday in what city officials are calling a cowardly act and police are classifying a hate crime, according to news reports.

An employee at Nessah Synagogue discovered the damage Saturday morning when police said he found an open door and items ransacked inside, Beverly Hills police said in a press release.

Police said the suspected culprit, who was caught on security camera video, is believed to have committed a series of minor acts of vandalism in the area before entering the synagogue at 2 a.m.

The suspect disrupted the furnishing and contents of the synagogue by overturning furniture and distributing brochures and materials throughout the interior, the police release said. The suspect damaged several Jewish relics, but fortunately the synagogues main scrolls survived unscathed.

Images of the vandalism published by Jewish Journal show scrolls and literature are strewn about. One photo shows dozens of tallises on the floor and another shows pamphlets thrown about.

Police said no items appear to have been stolen. They are classifying the vandalism as a hate crime.

This cowardly act hits at the heart of who we are as a community, Beverly Hills Mayor John Mirisch said. It is not just an attack on the Jewish community of Beverly Hills. Its an attack on all of us.

The entire city stands in solidarity behind Nessah, its members and congregants, Mirisch said. We are committed to catching the criminal who desecrated a holy place on Shabbat of all days and bringing him to justice.

The synagogue was founded by Iranian Jews fleeing the Middle East nations 1979 revolution.

There is a term in law, the thing speaks for itself,' Richard Hirschhaut, regional director of the American Jewish Committee, told the Jewish Journal. And we believe, and we concur, this indeed is a grotesque act of hate and we look forward to the perpetrator bring brought to justice.

The rest is here:

Vandal trashes Nessah Synagogue in Beverly Hills - New York Post

Category: Synagogue
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