An Arizona Jewish community is reeling after vandalism was discovered at a synagogue construction site, prompting police to investigate it as a potential hate crime.
Flagstaff police said vandals drew what appear to be swastikas on windows and walls of a synagogue and community center being built for the local Chabad Jewish community.
Multiple rooms at the construction site were damaged and several paint cans were smashed and dumped on the floors, the police said in a press release on Tuesday. Power tools were also damaged during the incident.
Authorities believe the vandalism occurred at some point between March 22 and March 25, when the site’s construction crew was off-duty, the Associated Press reports.
The apparent swastikas, which aren’t clearly defined in the images provided by police, appear to have been carved into the walls or drawn with black paint on the windows, the press release said.
Police have collected fingerprints and other biological evidence from the site and are treating the incident as a hate crime. Authorities have not publicly identified a suspect or suspects.
Rabbi Dovie Shapiro and his wife Chaya Shapiro are both leaders within Flagstaff’s Chabad community, a branch of Hasidic Judaism. They said they were “shocked and deeply disturbed” by the vandalism and hoped the police would handle the incident “expeditiously.”
“This incident is a sad reminder of the discrimination and anti-Semitism that still exists among some people,” the Shapiros said in a statement. “While it’s alarming and very disturbing, it will not deter us - to the contrary, this reinforces and motivates us more to do the important work we’re doing and continue teaching about unity and acceptance.”
The community center under construction is meant to serve the Chabad community in Flagstaff and at the nearby Northern Arizona University. The completed center will include a synagogue, social hall, kosher kitchen, library and other amenities. The Shapiros said they hoped to see it completed soon.
The Arizona chapter of the Anti-Defamation League announced Tuesday that it is offering a reward of $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible for the vandalism.
“Crimes like these don’t just damage and harm a construction site; they fragment entire communities and create fear,” Carlos Galindo-Elvira, regional director for ADL Arizona, said in a statement.
“The use of a hate symbol is horrifying.”