Vandals Damage 4 Synagogues in Hollywood Area
Four Orthodox Jewish temples in Hollywood were damaged late Friday night and early Saturday when vandals smashed windows and spray-painted graffiti, police said.
The temples were within a mile of each other between Fairfax and La Brea Avenues. The vandals struck between 8 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday, during the Jewish Sabbath, at Congregation Tifereth Zvi at 7561 Beverly Blvd.; Etz Jacob Synagogue at 7659 Beverly Blvd.; Congregation Kehilath Yitzchok at 7709 Beverly Blvd. and Congregation Mogen Abraham at 360 N. La Brea.
Hardest hit was Etz Jacob, which had the bottom of a stained glass window knocked out. Police estimated the damage at $8,000. “I’ve been very depressed about it all day,” said Rabbi Rubin Huttler of Etz Jacob. “I’m devastated.”
Members of Etz Jacob discovered the damage Saturday morning at 8:30. “We went through with our service,” said Bernard Abend, president of Etz Jacob’s congregation. “There was no interruption.
The vandals also sprayed the initials SXR and EVA on Etz Jacob’s exterior. On the outside of Tifereth Zvi, vandals painted the initials VR and CFP.
Police and Jewish leaders said they had no explanation for the initials. Police said they have no suspects.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
