Following antisemitic attacks at Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia in late October, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia held a press conference on Oct. 30 with leaders of other faith and minority communities in the city to show solidarity among at-risk communities.
“We wanted to say that Philadelphia is not a city that will stand for any form of hate,” said Jason Holtzman, director of the Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council.
Representatives of both the Federation and Mikveh Israel spoke at the press conference, as well as leaders of other local communities. Holtzman said these kind words of assurance and unity were a highlight.
Speakers from other communities included Suhag Shukla, executive director and co-founder of the Hindu American Foundation, Bishop J Louis Felton, the president of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia, and Bishop Wilfred Speakes, the director of faith-based initiatives for the City of Philadelphia.
“All three of them made really powerful remarks that said out loud that our allies will not stand for any sort of attack on the Jewish community or any sort of hate in the city of Philadelphia,” Holtzman said.
On Oct. 22, three separate incidents occurred at Mikveh Israel, which is the longest continuously operating synagogue in the country.
The first was a dumpster fire outside the synagogue, discovered around 2:15 a.m. that morning and now considered an arson by police. That was followed by a break-in attempt by two people around 6:30 a.m. Also that night, “an unknown offender damaged a religious statue with a marker writing a profanity on it,” according to police, per a report from NBC10.
Rabbi Yosef Zarnighian of Mikveh Israel said that this was a clear attempt to scare the congregation.
“There are people who are pretty shaken up by it and it’s upsetting them. But I think the general sense is these are a bunch of good-for-nothing, evil people who are trying to intimidate and scare us. They’re obviously failing,” he said.
Rep. Brendan Boyle, who represents Northeast Philadelphia and some portions of Center City, said in a statement that this act of antisemitism came at a strenuous time for the Jewish community.
“I am appalled by the disgraceful vandalism and arson of the historic Congregation Mikveh Israel synagogue. I hope the perpetrator is quickly brought to justice and urge anyone with information to submit a tip to the Philadelphia Police Department,” he said. “Philadelphia stands united against hatred and antisemitism, and we all have a responsibility to combat the unacceptable rise in antisemitism that our Jewish community has faced over the past year.”
All of the offenders are believed to be men. Surveillance video captured each incident. Footage showed that the fire damaged just a window, while the duo that attempted to break in did not gain entry. Holtzman said that local and federal law enforcement are investigating the incident, as they have done with past antisemitic attacks in the city.
“Unfortunately, many of our congregations have been targets of vandalism and harassment over the past year,” Holtzman said.
Anyone with information can call or text the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-8477.
Holtzman said that the intentions of these three vandals are clear, but they will not succeed.
“Their goal is to scare the Jewish community. Their goal is to drive fear into our hearts and keep us scared away from our synagogues,” he said. “These incidents have the opposite effect. It only makes us stronger. It only makes us want to come to synagogue more and continue to live out our Jewish identities as much as we can.”
This is nothing new for Philadelphia Jews — or Jews anywhere, he said.
“To the cowards who did this with masks over their face in the middle of the night, I just want them to know that they’re failing. We’re a strong Jewish community, and we’re a vibrant Jewish community. We’ve faced attacks like this before, many times over, and it won’t stop us from being who we are,” Holtzman said.
