Synagogue in North Miami Beach Vandalized
More: Synagogue in North Miami Beach Vandalized - WSVN-TV - 7NEWS Miami Ft. Lauderdale News, Weather, Deco
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — Authorities are searching for the vandals who spray painted anti-Semitic messages on a South Florida synagogue.
Residents who voluntarily patrol the area discovered swastikas and the word, “Hamas” spray painted in red on columns on the Congregation Torah V’Emunah at 1000 NE 175th St, early Monday morning.
“I saw this and then I stopped and I said, ‘Wait a minute. What am I seeing here?’ and then I backed up again and I looked again and I immediately sent a text to the two supervisors,” said resident and neighborhood watchman Yona Lunger.
Residents are now trying to figure out who would want to desecrate their place of worship. “Absolute hate and why are you doing this, what have we done to you? We want to live at peace over here, we’re not fighting with you, we want to get along,” said Lunger. “We don’t go to any mosques, we don’t go spraying, anything like that. All we want to do is get along.”
Some residents are even concerned about their safety.
“I mean honestly it makes you question if it’s safe to walk around, wearing your yamaka, like how safe you really are in America,” said neighbor Josh Rosenberg.
Pictures of the defaced columns were posted on Facebook and many people around the world are reacting. “It’s like disgusting,” said Yossi Rosenberg.
The vandalism has since been removed.
This incident comes a day after a Miami Beach family’s vehicles were egged and defaced with the words, “Jew” and “Hamas” smeared on the windshields.
This is a few blocks from where my youngest daughter lives.