(JTA) — A large white swastika was spray-painted on the car of a Dallas rabbi who is being sued by the city over a synagogue he runs in his home.
Rabbi Yaakov Rich discovered the swastika on his car on March 11, the local media reported over the weekend. He runs the small Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim from his home; services have continued there.
Rich said in a statement that he feels “completely violated.”
“As a Jew, the swastika is the most offensive symbol that there is,” he said. “They didn’t just attack me; they attacked every Jew in the City of Dallas.”
Last month, the city of Dallas sued Rich and the congregation, demanding some $200,000 in improvements to bring the home up to city code for a place of worship.
In early February, a neighbor sued Rich, seeking $50,000 in compensatory damages, claiming the synagogue lowered his property values.
The mezuzah has been ripped from Rich’s door in the past, the CBS affiliate in Dallas reported.
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