Vandals targeted one of the oldest synagogues in the U.S. vandals three times Tuesday, including by attempted arson, officials said.
Congregation Mikveh Israel, which was founded in the 1740s in Philadelphia, was damaged after a dumpster was set ablaze around 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Philadelphia police said a man torched the dumpster directly next to the synagogue in Center City, damaging a window.
The fire marshal deemed the incident to have been an act of arson. No one has been arrested, police told NBC News.
Police described a person who was caught on video as a “white male, thin build with facial hair, wearing a blue hat, gray sweatshirt, blue jeans, gray sneakers and a backpack.”
Just a few hours later, at about 6:30 a.m., security video recorded caught two people trying to break into the synagogue. Police said they damaged a fence and a door but did not enter the building.
Law enforcement officials described the men as white and did not connect them to the earlier arson attempt.
At about 12:10 p.m., police again responded to a report of vandalism at the synagogue. Officers found a religious statue with profanity written across it in marker. Police have not yet described a possible attacker, and the investigation continues.
Local Jewish leaders said Tuesday’s incidents were only the latest in a trend of antisemitism in the city.
“Over the past several months, Congregation Mikveh Israel, one of the nation’s most historic synagogues, has been repeatedly targeted by acts of anti-Semitic vandalism. Yesterday, these hateful attacks escalated into attempted arson,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia said in a statement Wednesday.
The group, which says it provides support for Jewish people and organizations in need, said the incidents Tuesday were “a vile expression of Jew hatred that threatens not only the Jewish community, but also the very fabric of our American society.”
The synagogue, which refers to itself as the “Synagogue of the American Revolution,” is the oldest continuously operated synagogue in the U.S., with “deep ties to Philadelphia’s and our nation’s founding,” the statement said.
The federation called on public officials to stand united in condemning “this abhorrent hatred.”
“To those who seek to harm us: know that we will not stand idly by, shaken or fearful,” the statement said.
Police asked that anyone with information about the three acts of vandalism come forward.
