Michigan synagogue vandalized with antisemitic posters
The posters had the white supremacy logo in each corner and pictures of Adolf Hitler on one of them.
By SYDNEY DENNENAntisemitic posters found on Temple Emanuel in Grand Rapids, MI(photo credit: EDIE LANDMAN)
The Rabbi of Temple Emanuel in Grand Rapids, MI got an unwelcome surprise as he pulled up to the synagogue on Sunday morning before Hebrew school classes began. Rabbi Michael Schadick found antisemitic posters sprayed with an adhesive stuck to the glass doors of the synagogue that face the parking lot. These doors are the ones all the students walk through every week to get to their Sunday school classes.Edie Landman, the synagogue's president, said this is the first time, to her knowledge, that any antisemitic crimes have taken place there. The temple wants to reiterate that they do have, have had and always will have extensive security in place and utilize all measures available.After Schadick saw the posters, he called the police, who are investigating the incident as a hate crime. The Grand Rapids Police said they are familiar with the posters and have seen them before but didn't share where. The photos were found online but have since been taken down. The police told the congregants to continue going about their daily lives and to not give in to hate. The posters had the white supremacy logo in each corner. One had a photo of Adolf Hitler with the words, "Did you forget about me?" sprayed across it, while the other said, "A crusade against semite led subhumans." The synagogue said it plans to continue with its Sukkot celebrations as normal and did not cancel Sunday school activities."We believe this was a cowardly act done by antisemites who are afraid to show their faces," said Landman. She added that she hopes to see the Grand Rapids community rally behind the synagogue and show those who committed the crime that their community is bigger than hate. The synagogue also wrote a post on Facebook that has garnered hundreds of likes, comments and shares.
