Temple Emanu-El, one of the largest Reform synagogues in the United States, was daubed with a two-foot high swastika last night, police reported today. Rabbi Julius Mark, senior rabbi of the Temple, said the desecration was the first in the history of the house of worship.
The Nazi emblem was daubed on the outer auditorium wall of the synagogue, which is located on Manhattan’s swank Fifth Avenue.
Rabbi Mark said he did not believe the vandalism was the work of an organized group. He ascribed it to the “chain reaction” started by the Christmas Eve desecration of the recently dedicated synagogue at Cologne. Germany.
Rabbi Mark said he felt it was unfortunate that the incidents were receiving such widespread publicity, and predicted that more such incidents would occur. He said he felt such vandalism should not be publicized until after the culprits had been caught.
Detectives from the East Side Manhattan Bureau examined the swastika and the scene before they removed the Nazi emblem. The Bureau declined comment on whether any clues to the vandals were found, and said the investigation would be continued.
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