In the wake of a Christmas Eve incident of anti-Semitic vandalism on Congregation B’nai Israel, synagogue president Avi Stern refuses to overact, he said in a January interview.
“That’s the game any anti-Semite wants to bait us into playing and I refuse to let a small-minded individual with a can of spray paint dictate the spiritual health or optimistic attitude of our membership…. [A]s far as I’m concerned, we’ve moved on already.”
An as yet unidentified vandal (or vandals) spray-painted two swastikas on the synagogue building and a “J” on its foundation stone. Algoma Methodist Church, kitty corner from the synagogue, was similarly vandalized. The synagogue was last targeted about a decade ago, Stern said.
Stern’s message? The congregation will not be intimidated by such acts of anti-Semitism, a declaration that in many ways mirrors Israel’s response to terrorism: if you are afraid then they have already won.
Instead of focusing on the isolated act of anti-Semitism, Stern would rather emphasize the outpouring of support of the non-Jews in the area, including the person who reported the vandalism and the dozen “Christians and Muslims in the area who have called or sent e-mails of support.” He added, “I am proud to call these people our neighbors.”
Efforts to track down the vandal (most likely a single teenage offender, according to the reporting officer) are also in progress, with no arrests yet made.
Clean up is ongoing and the last of the vandalism will be removed pending warmer weather.
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