Anti-Semitic Graffiti On Wilshire Boulevard Temple Investigated As Hate Crime
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Anti-Semitic graffiti found on the historic Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Koreatown Monday is being investigated as a hate crime.
A witness called police to report someone had vandalized the building, spraying a Nazi symbol on the wall along with the words "I hate your race." Sky 2 was overhead to capture a worker cleaning up the graffiti later in the day.
Temple officials said the vandalism was a small area on the outside of the historic sanctuary, but that the rest of the campus remained secure and protected.
"On this day when we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who chose courage over fear in the face of oppression, ignorance, and violence, we stand strong in our resolve and condemn this hateful act," temple officials said in a statement. "There is no place for hate in a civil society."
Wilshire Boulevard Temple, the city's first synagogue, was founded in 1862.