The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia was vandalized with red paint for the second time within two weeks on Monday morning, Aug. 25.
Philadelphia police said the Israeli flag displayed on the museum’s exterior was defaced around 4:45 a.m., according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. A spokesperson for the museum told CBS Philadelphia that the building had been vandalized last week, as well.
In both incidents, the vandal used red paint to cover the banner’s message, “The Weitzman stands with Israel.”
The vandalism is under investigation, with cleanup underway, the spokesperson told JNS.
“Appallingly, vandalizing Jewish institutions has become a daily occurrence in America,” Dan Tadmor, the president and CEO of the Weitzman, said in an Aug. 26 statement. “The ADL reported over 9,000 cases of antisemitism just this past year. Unfortunately, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History has become part of that statistic.”
He said this incident wouldn’t deter the museum’s mission, adding that the Weitzman will soon switch out the Israeli flag with a large sign calling for the release of the hostages still in captivity in Gaza.
“We are saddened and outraged by the repeated vandalism at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia; American Jewish Committee Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey; Anti-Defamation League, Philadelphia; and StandWithUs, Mid-Atlantic Region wrote in a joint statement emailed to Philadelphia Jewish Exponent. “Acts of hate like this have no place in Greater Philadelphia or anywhere in the region. We are grateful to law enforcement for their swift response and coordination, and we are committed to supporting the Weitzman as it moves through this painful moment.”
The statement added that the Weitzman is more than a museum; it is a national institution that “preserves and shares the story of Jewish life in America, inspires pride in Jewish heritage and welcomes visitors of all backgrounds to learn and connect.”
“An attack on the Weitzman is not only an attack on the Jewish community but also on the values of education, inclusion and cultural understanding that strengthen our society,” the statement read.
In recent months, other Jewish institutions across the world have faced similar vandalism. In late July, the Oregon Jewish Museum in Portland found blue swastikas spray-painted on its doors. A man in New York wrote the word “Gaza” on a Jewish art museum in May. Two synagogues and a Holocaust memorial in Paris were vandalized with green paint that same month.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro condemned the most recent incident of vandalism.
“The Weitzman Museum is literally steps away from the birthplace of democracy and a symbol of liberty and justice for all,” Shapiro said in a statement to the Forward. “Antisemitic vandalism has no place there — or anywhere in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania – and must be universally condemned. Expressing views through acts of hate doesn’t further a cause.”
What are they going to do about this constant issue??