Posted on 01/11/2009 2:15:48 PM PST by SJackson
Vandals struck four Chicago-area synagogues early Saturday morning, shattering glass doors and windows with bricks and rocks and spray-painting anti-Israel graffiti.
The caretakers at Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation in the normally quiet village of Lincolnwood just outside Chicago woke up to the sound of shattering glass and saw two adults running through the synagogue's parking lot in ski masks. Four bricks were thrown through the building's front doors, but the vandals were unable to gain entry.
"Death to Israel Free Palestine," was the message left behind on the walls in bright orange spray paint.
Similar incidents occurred around the same time not far away at three synagogues and schools in Chicago's West Rogers Park, a neighborhood dominated by Orthodox Jews. Two windows were shattered at Young Israel of West Rogers Park, "Death to Israel" was spray-painted on the wall of Congregation Anshe Motele and rocks broke a glass window at the Lubavitch Mesivta school.
Lubavitch Mesivta's Rabbi Moshe Perlstein told the Chicago Sun-Times that cameras captured video of the men damaging his school at around 4:40 a.m. The footage shows one man spray-painting the side of the building while the other ran around to the front and threw rocks at the front door, breaking a glass window, he said. The video has been turned over to police.
Lincolnwood and Chicago police and the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force will check whether there was a connection between Saturday's incidents and the December 29 throwing of a Molotov cocktail into Temple Sholom, one of Chicago's oldest and most ornate synagogues, in the Lakeview neighborhood.
The city's Ida Crown Jewish Academy high school received a mailed bomb threat two weeks ago that warned of attacks at other Chicago-area Jewish institutions, including day schools.
A pro-Israel rally was held at Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation on Sunday afternoon to respond to the spate of hate crimes and support Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. The synagogue's rabbi, Joel Lehrfield, called the perpetrators of the hate crime "cowardly thugs who support Hamas."
"We're more worried about Israel than we are about ourselves," Lehrfield said.
Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago executive vice president Michael Kotzin said it was ironic that he was on a solidarity mission in southern Israel when he heard about the attacks back home.
"I wouldn't say that we're in the front lines in Chicago like here, but there are people who are hostile to and hate Jews here and there, and we have to address it," Kotzin said. "It's important that law enforcement takes it seriously. But we won't be frightened or intimidated, just like the people of Israel. Their behavior strengthens us."
That’s true, though I suspect Daley won’t flinch at prosecutions here. The Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved in the investigation, my guess the CPD called them in.
Agree completely about the Catholic and Mormon attacks. On those threads I noted that prosecutions were needed, despite the bad publicity it might bring the institutions, or things would get worse. But apparently none of the institutions involved were anxious to bring charges, or I haven’t read about it. I made the same comment regarding the planned nationwide disruptions to Jewish services last weekend, which don’t appear to have happened. And vandalism and attempted arson tend to draw more attention than verbally disrupting services, also a crime, but not one anyone is anxious to pursue. Unfortunately one will lead to the other. We’ll see how this works out from a criminal perspective, but my guess if the perps are caught, they won’t be dealt with lightly.
Expect more of the same under the Reign of the Obamas.
Is this a practice run for a coming Chicago Kristallnacht?
That's true, including a shooting spree a decade ago in the same neighborhoods.
Don't know. In general I'd say it's not a Presidential issue, but he did interfere with a minor labor issue in Chicago post-election, so a comment wouldn't be completely inappropriate.
Perhaps you should reread my comment. I did not say that nor intimate that in any way, shape or form.
I hate the firebombing in Chicago and never referred to that nor did I know about it. My point was, and is, Jews in Chicago, NY and around the country keep voting Democrat even though Democrats are not Israel supporters, and not really Jewish supporters, IMHO.
Netanyaho lost elections before because, in my opinion, too many Jews in Israel believed they could achieve peace through capitulation, as in giving land for peace. It has not worked and does not work.. Bibi realizes Israel must have strength before anything else. I agree with him and I have supported him since the mid 60's. In my opinion, Israeli Jews and American Jews have followed a horrible policy and left a legacy that helped create the current situation in Israel.
But, I do not need to defend myself or my views. Israel will be okay IF conservative Jews can regain power and destroy radical Muslims.
My personal opinion is there will never be peace in Israel until Israel totally controls Jerusalem and the entire West Bank and Gaza is eliminated or allowed to become a real country minus Hamas, and by extension Iran, Syria and Hezbollah. If you agree with "can't we all just get along" you are wrong and that has not worked in my lifetime. So, yes, I am unconditionally and un-apologetically pro-Israel. What I oppose are Israeli and American Jews who cannot accept reality.
Let’s hope they are caught, or else this lunacy will continue..
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.