Minneapolis will increase patrols around all houses of worship in the city after Temple Israel, the state’s largest Jewish house of worship, was tagged with hateful graffiti Wednesday.
Mayor Jacob Frey, who is Jewish, posted photos of the graffiti on X, which showed threatening language about Zionism and a direct reference to the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel. Tuesday was the two-year anniversary of the attack.
“This morning, Temple Israel woke up to anti-Semitic threats — a reminder that hate still tries to find a foothold,“ Frey wrote on X on Wednesday. “It won’t find one here. Minneapolis stands with our Jewish neighbors. Hiding behind hate to spread fear against any religion is cowardly and unacceptable in our city.”
At a news conference late Wednesday afternoon, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara and acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said the incident was being investigated as a hate crime.
In anticipation of the terrorist attack’s anniversary, O’Hara said patrols were already directed to focus on all houses of worship. He said more resources would be invested “for the foreseeable future.”
“An attack on any house of worship is an attack on all of us who believe in peace and community, regardless of anyone’s religion,” O’Hara said.
Joining him at the news conference was Temple Israel Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman. She said she first heard of the vandalism while driving to a monthly interfaith breakfast with Christians and Muslims.
“We can work together beyond our differences,” she said. “As a Jewish community specifically, we will continue to feel pride of being Jewish.”
