State Human Rights Commissioner Douglas White called the recent arson fires at two Brooklyn synagogues “the vilest of acts that can be directed against a people.
“The desecration of a house of worship demeans all of us, no matter what our religious beliefs, “White said. “It strikes at the very underprinnings of our pluralistic society and the free exercise of religion.”
White’s statement came following arson fires at two Brooklyn synagogues last week. One, at the Mapleton Park Jewish Center early last Wednesday morning, gutted the entire synagogue, destroying nine sacred Torah scrolls. On Thursday evening, an arson fire signed the front door of Congregation Talmud Torah. Both synagogues are in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn.
“These two incidents, for the moment, have focussed public attention on the anti-Semitism that plagues our society,” White said. “But we must never forget that acts of violence and desecration are the symptoms of racial and religious hatred that must be confronted on an on-going basis.”
The Human Rights Commissioner stressed that he is confident that law enforcement authorities will “move quickly to apprehend the perpetrators in these two incidents and bring the full force of law to bear on them.”
New York City Police Commissioner Benjamin Ward has formed a 20-man task force to investigate both incidents. The New York Jewish Community Relations Council has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those found guilty in the arson attack at the Mapleton Park Jewish Center.
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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.
