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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Chicago - Anti-Semitic graffiti scrawled outside North Side synagogue

Workers cover graffiti as Police are investigating “disparaging statements” that were spray-painted overnight Tuesday on the exterior of the Anshe Emet Synagogue in the 3700 block of North Broadway in the North Side Lakeview neighborhood. Police were notified of the graffiti Wednesday,

A local Jewish leader calls the spray-painting of the words “Jews murder” outside a synagogue in the North Side Lakeview neighborhood overnight Tuesday “a sad reminder of the persistence of anti-Semitism.”
 
 
Police were notified of the graffiti on the Anshe Emet synagogue in the 3700 block of North Broadway about 6 a.m. Wednesday, News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said.
 
 
Dan Elbaum, Chicago director of the American Jewish Committee, said in a statement Wednesday morning: “Today, we have received yet another sad reminder of the persistence of anti-Semitism.
 
 
The words ‘Jews murder’ and ‘Jews kill’ are particularly galling given last week’s murder of four French Jews by an attacker claiming to be motivated by events in the Middle East.
 
 
“All words have consequences, and we should keep that in mind as we call upon all people of good faith to speak out against the vandalism,” Elbaum said, noting the vandalism occurred just over a week before the Jewish holiday of Passover.
 
 
Anshe Emet Congregation, a member of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, is one of Chicago’s oldest congregations, dating to 1873. It has called the current synagogue home since 1929.
 
 
Police are investigating what a spokesman called “disparaging comments” spray-painted outside the synagogue, but no one was in custody as of early Wednesday afternoon.

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