El Paso Jewish community is 'being targeted,' rabbi claims after two synagogues vandalized

B'nai Zion synagogue and Temple Mount Sinai were spraypainted with red swastikas entwined with Magen Davids.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF FEBRUARY 7, 2025 03:00 Updated: FEBRUARY 7, 2025 03:08

El Paso Police Department. (photo credit: REUTERS/Justin Hamel)

El Paso’s law enforcement have begun investigating a possible antisemitic incident after two local synagogues were graffitied with Nazi symbols on Thursday, according to local media reports.

B'nai Zion synagogue and Temple Mount Sinai were spraypainted with red swastikas entwined with Magen Davids, according to images circulating online.

El Paso, TX – A swastika intertwined with a Star of David was spray-painted on a synagogue. Are we back in 1930s Germany?This blatant act of antisemitic intimidation must be investigated immediately, @ElPasoTXGov.Congregation B'nai Zion pic.twitter.com/Bj8AT0kYZm

— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) February 6, 2025

Community reactions to the vandalism

Rabbi Benjamin Zeidman from Mt. Sinai told KFOX14, "So graffitied on one of our retaining walls in the front of our building was something about Israelis being Nazis. I think it’s pretty clear this is something that was thought through, that the Jewish community in El Paso is being targeted, and that’s scary. So sadly, we live in this time where people feel that they have permission to express their hatred in ways that are destructive."

Graffiti comparing Israelis to Nazis was discovered on the last night of Hanukkah in Oakland. (illustrative) (credit: SCREENSHOT/X/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)

Bill Carvajal, the president of the congregation at B’nai Zion, told the community, “We had an incident at our facility today where antisemitic graffiti was placed on our exit sign. The incident was reported to the El Paso Police Department and FBI who are investigating. We have been in contact with the ADL and Secure Communities Network and are coordinating with them,” KTSM reported.

“The security of our Congregation is of paramount importance, and we have had heightened security measures in place for over a year. As we get more information, we will share it with the Congregation,” Carvajal promised.

The graffiti at B'nai Zion synagogue was cleaned off in the hours after its discovery, according to CBS4.

Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation are supporting the El Paso Police Department’s investigation.