Vandals strike Chicago synagogue, businesses

On Sunday, a Chicago synagogue and its affiliated Jewish school were vandalized with images of swastikas and antisemitic graffiti.

The vandalism occurred at the FREE Synagogue and Hanna Sacks Bais Yaakov High School, in addition to more at a synagogue in Lincolnwood, a suburb of Chicago, according to The Associated Press.

“We’ll get through it,” Rabbi Levi Notik told WFLD-TV, a local Fox affiliate. “I want to thank law enforcement, they did a tremendous job. They were here very quick, had detectives here in minutes.”

Notik also told the outlet that a man was physically and verbally assaulted on his way to the synagogue.

“A young Jewish male was on his way to evening services last night and somebody jumped him and used some racial slurs. So he came into the synagogue very shaken up. We got him the help he needed,” the rabbi said.

Windows were broken Saturday at a Chicago bakery and a kosher food store, according to the Concerned Citizens League, a Jewish group in the city.

“No official pronouncement has been made on a possible motive, but these have all the hallmarks of hate-based crimes,” said Debra Silverstein, a Chicago City Council member, the AP added.

Earlier this month, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security warned in a letter that faith-based groups are likely to remain targets of violence. 

That letter came shortly after several hostages were held for hours at Congregation Beth Israel, a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. 

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said that his agency would work alongside Congress to increase funding to allow faith-based groups to better security measures and provide more protection against terrorism, hate crimes and targeted violence.