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On Thursday, a day after Holocaust Remembrance Day, members of the Reform community in Netanya discovered the hateful graffiti "F*** Reform Jews" scrawled on the back wall of their synagogue on Dr. Beckman Street. Additionally, the synagogue’s fence was breached, Israeli flags were torn down, and stickers expressing solidarity with the families of Hamas hostages were ripped off.
The Reform community in Netanya, led by Rabbi Edgar Nof, was deeply shocked not only by the vandalism itself but also by its timing, which allegedly occurred on Holocaust Remembrance Day. "We thought that after October 7, this would no longer happen to us!" members of the Netanya community shared. "But once again, we have experienced a hate crime."
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Although the perpetrator did not cause physical harm to individuals or significant property damage—aside from breaching the fence—community members spoke of a profound emotional impact. "The meaning of this act isn’t just vandalism; it’s an attempt to harm our dignity and our religious rights," the community wrote. "The criminal didn’t stop at breaking the fence and spreading hateful and inciting messages but also tore down stickers supporting the hostages and the Israeli flags in the garden, which were a symbol of our solidarity with the hostages’ families."
The community filed a complaint with the police on Thursday and stated, "The police responded to our complaint with understanding and consideration, and we hope they will be able to investigate it, even though we are aware of the heavy workload they are facing."