Rabbi Jonah Layman was surprised to receive an 8 a.m. phone call from a Maryland state senator asking whether he was okay. Graffiti, he’d learn, had been spray-painted on the synagogue in Olney where Layman has served as rabbi since 1994.
Layman rushed over to Shaare Tefila Congregation early Tuesday, where the signs had been defaced with a swastika and acronym AZAB, which Layman said is an abbreviation for “all Zionists are bastards.” Garbage was also found under one of the signs, he said.
“When I saw it, I was angry that our signs had been vandalized, and confused,” Layman, 63, said in an interview Thursday. “I was just upset that we, the synagogue, have just become another link in this long chain of antisemitic acts, locally and globally. It’s disgusting, and I wish that there was some way to stem this tide.”
Upon seeing the defaced sign, Layman called Montgomery County police. He also reported the incident to JShield, a North American Jewish community security network.
No arrests had been made as of early Thursday.
It was state Sen. Craig Zucker (D) who broke the news to Layman. Zucker’s son had attended preschool at the synagogue when he was younger. On Tuesday, Layman said, Zucker’s son was on a bus heading to school when he looked out the window and saw the vandalism. The boy called his father, who contacted Layman.
“Today, my synagogue was subjected to vandalism with anti Jewish hate,” Zucker wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. “This does not define our community or our future.”
Incidents of antisemitism have risen in recent years, including after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and the resulting war. A Washington Post poll last year found that nearly half of U.S. Jews say there is “a lot” of antisemitism in the country, similar to the number who said it in 2020.
For Shaare Tefila, the recent vandalism comes four decades after an incident in 1982when its synagogue, then located in Silver Spring, was defaced with swastikas and antisemitic slogans on its walls.
The congregation filed a lawsuit to recover damages from people who defaced the synagogue — a case that made its way to the Supreme Court. Justices ruledin 1987 that the 1866 Civil Rights Act was clearly intended to protect people who are “subjected to intentional discrimination solely because of their ancestry or ethnic characteristics.”
Two men were convicted in connection with the 1982 defacing, and three others on related offenses.
The synagogue relocated to Olney in 2011.
Layman said that around seven to eight months ago, the synagogue’s “We Support Israel” sign was defaced with a message in red spray paint that read “Free Gaza.” That sign, he said, was replaced. Layman said that as far as he knows, no one was arrested in that case.
On Thursday, after the latest incident, Layman said he does not know who would have defaced the signs.
Montgomery County police said the signs were painted sometime during the overnight hours between Monday and Tuesday. Police were canvassing the area and reviewing neighborhood surveillance footage. The 4th District increased its patrol in the area to ensure the safety and security of the community, police said.
Layman said that although the synagogue has security cameras, they are not around the entire perimeter of the property and there is no footage of the signs.
Layman said the synagogue is now working on placing security cameras around the entire perimeter.
Since the incident, local interfaith clergy, local Jewish clergy, elected officials and strangers have offered their prayers and support, Layman said. Among those also offering support were Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D).
Moore said in a post on X Tuesday that his administration is in close contact with authorities in Montgomery County and remains “committed to stomping out antisemitism in all its wicked forms.”
“I unequivocally condemn the antisemitic and anti-Israel message spray-painted outside of Shaare Tefila Congregation in Olney,” Moore added.
Jerry Kiewe, the synagogue’s executive director, said that he appreciated the support from the community.
“By and large, people find this kind of thing abhorrent. They don’t like seeing this kind of thing,” Kiewe said. “They’re not proud that this exists in their community. We’re grateful for everyone who has reached out to us.”
Layman said one person offered to pay for the installation of a camera at the part of the property where the sign was defaced. Another offered to pay for the replacement and cleaning of the signs.
On Thursday, Layman said, a crew was coming to power-wash the sign.
Layman said that he has not seen any hesitancy from employees coming in for work at the synagogue since the incident.
He said he expected this weekend’s Shabbat service would have a larger-than-normal attendance than its usual crowd of 60 or 70.
“We will not cower in fear. We are proud of who we are,” Layman said. “We stand up for the sign that says ‘Hate has no home here’ and we firmly believe that.”
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