Recent incidents of vandalism and neo Nazi activity in the Los Angeles area have put the Jewish community on guard during, the Yom Kippur holiday which begins Friday night. Community leaders in the Eastern Region of the Jewish Federation-Council of Greater Los Angeles have called for “calm but continued vigilance” following the vandalization of Temple Beth Torah of Alhambra just before Rosh Hashanah last week.
Indications are that the incidents were the work of neo-Nazi groups in the area. A swastika was burned into the synagogue lawn in the early morning Sept. II, shortly before Rash Hashanah services began. Three glass doors and windows in the synagogue were broken Sept. 6.
In addition, cards were found scattered around the synagogue parking lot bearing words: “The only way: White Collar Movement” and a swastika prominently stamped in red.
Another incident occurred at the Pan Andreas Theater in West Hollywood where Sholom Aleichem’s play. “It’s Hard to be a Jew,” was scheduled to open last Friday. Early in the morning of Sept. 8, vandals painted four large swastikas on the 75-year-old theater which is located in a predominantly Jewish section of Los Angeles.
Later in the day, George Pan Andreas, part owner and artistic director of the theater, said he received an anonymous telephone call from a man who asked what he thought of the swastikas. When he said the symbols would be painted over, the caller threatened that if they were, the theater would be blown up, Pan Andreas said.
The play opened on schedule in the 99-seat theater without incident. According to a report in the B’nai B’rith Messenger, 25 people attended the first performance.
Sheriff’s Department deputies in the area have received a thorough briefing in this case and are calling for increased patrols. But police say they have no leads because there were no eye witnesses to the vandalization. Meanwhile, Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley synagogues have been requested to be on guard over Yom Kippur. They have requested police patrols.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
