Given the current climate, we unfortunately are not surprised by this happening,” three rabbis from Sixth & I, the historic Washington synagogue named for its downtown street address, wrote in an email to community members on Monday afternoon. ADSoon after the synagogue announced the crime to the community, D.C. police spokesman Hugh Carew told The Washington Post that police had arrested Luis Montsinos, of no fixed address. ADStaff at the synagogue building, which hosts a wide range of prayer services and communal events, showed photos of the vandalism to The Post. In emails to the synagogue community, Rabbis Shira Stutman, Aaron Potek and Jesse Paikin anticipated that some Jews would react emotionally to the damage. “In these moments, it’s important to remember that it is not a shame but an honor to be a Jew,” the rabbis wrote.

Source: Washington Post December 02, 2019 22:52 UTC