Police investigating arson, vandalism and attempted burglary that happened hours apart at Philadelphia synagogue

By CNN Newsource

Published October 24, 2024 3:12 AM

By Dalia Faheid, CNN

(CNN) — Police are investigating incidents of arson, vandalism and attempted burglary at a historic synagogue in Philadelphia that occurred within hours of each other Tuesday.

Investigators haven’t said if they believe the incidents at the Congregation Mikveh Israel in Center City – which was founded in 1740 and is the oldest continuous synagogue in the US – are connected, but the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia called them “acts of antisemitism.”

The first incident happened around 2 a.m., when a man lit a dumpster on fire next to the building, damaging a window, according to a news release from the Philadelphia Police Department.

Surveillance footage released by police shows the suspect standing inside the dumpster, then smoke coming out of the dumpster before it’s engulfed in flames.

Then, around 6:30 a.m., two men attempted to break into the synagogue, police say. Damage was caused to a fence and a door, but the men were not able to get inside, according to a news release from police.

The suspects are seen in security video looking over the burned dumpster before approaching a fence, and both are later seen walking in an alleyway.

Later, around 12:10 p.m., a statue outside the synagogue was vandalized when a man wrote profanity on it with a marker, police told CNN affiliate KYW.

Philadelphia police are asking the public for help identifying the suspects in the arson and attempted break-in. CNN has reached out to the department for comment.

The investigation at the synagogue comes during a period of Jewish holidays – Sukkot and Simchat Torah – which runs from October 16 through October 25 this year. Last year’s October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel happened during the same holiday period.

Since the war between Hamas and Israel began, reports of hate crimes and bias incidents targeting Jews, Muslims and Arabs have surged across the United States. More than 10,000 antisemitic incidents were reported in the US between October 7, 2023, and September 2024, according to preliminary data from the Anti-Defamation League, tripling the number of reports from the year prior. In April, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it had received 8,061 reports of anti-Muslim bias in 2023, the highest number in the 28 years the group has tracked hate.

“We, the Jewish community, call on public officials and our communal partners to stand united in condemning this abhorrent hatred,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia said in a statement. The synagogue, which refers to itself as the “Synagogue of the American Revolution,” has “deep ties to Philadelphia’s and our nation’s founding,” the statement said.

“With the help of local law enforcement, we are confident that the perpetrators of these despicable crimes will be brought to justice and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” the organization said.

Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle said he is “appalled” by what he called “disgraceful” acts of arson and vandalism, adding that “Philadelphia stands united against hatred and antisemitism.”

“I hope the perpetrator is quickly brought to justice and urge anyone with information to submit a tip to the Philadelphia Police Department,” Boyle said in a statement Wednesday.

CNN’s Josh Campbell contributed to this report.