Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger Tuesday condemned an act of antisemitic vandalism found on the remains of a temple destroyed in last year’s Eaton Fire.
Anti-Zionist graffiti and an apparent reference to the Minnesota shooting of a woman by a federal agent were scrawled in black paint across several feet of the exterior wall at the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center at 1434 N. Altadena Drive, according to The New York Times, which first reported the vandalism.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was investigating the vandalism as a possible hate crime, according to the report.
“I am deeply disturbed by the vandalism and anti-Jewish graffiti discovered at the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center,” Fifth District County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said. “This despicable hate crime targets a community that is still healing and rebuilding after last year’s devastating Eaton Fire and has no place in Los Angeles County.”
Barger said she is monitoring the investigation and stands “ready to support law enforcement and community partners in any way necessary.”
Last week, members of the congregation gathered to mark the one-year anniversary of the Eaton Fire, which destroyed the century-old temple and its campus near Altadena Drive.
The synagogue and a related school have been operating temporarily at alternate locations as the community continues recovery efforts, the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center said.