Rabbi Seymour Weller, whose B’nai Jacob synagogue was smeared with swastikas and burglarized on April 15, today told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that it was generally agreed by police and community leaders that the vandalism was not the work of pranksters.
The sum of $300 which was stolen from the synagogue office, was made up by a contribution of Christian, the rabbi revealed. He said that letters have been received from all parts of the United States, mainly from non-Jews, expressing sympathy to the congregation. At the suggestion of Dr. Elmer E. Voelkel, pastor of the Plymouth Congregational Church, a group of Christian ministers helped to clean up the swastikas as a gesture of brotherhood and sympathy.
Rabbi Weller said that while no arrests had been made in the case, police had informed him some clues had been found. He stressed that he had not asked for police protection for the synagogue. In amplifying his statement that the vandalism might have been the work of an organized group, the rabbi said that no fingerprints had been found and no paint drippings. “It was a carefully executed job. It dos not look like a prank,” he declared.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
