Voices Joined Against Hate Vandalism : Glendale officials were right to take a timely stand against temple desecration

The effect of hate crimes is enhanced when they are allowed to occur without significant public condemnation. Silence can be perceived as disinterest, and perhaps even as a tacit approval of the act involved. Ignoring the problem can even embolden the perpetrators.

That was the point that Rabbi Carole Meyers made after anti-Armenian slogans were spray-painted on the Glendale headquarters of an Armenian youth scouting organization, Homenetmen Ararat, last May.

“We have to speak out and say, ‘This (hate) is not what Glendale stands for; we welcome these people in our community,’ ” Meyers said last month in urging the Glendale City Council to form a hate crimes response team.

So, when Meyers’ Temple Sinai, the only synagogue in Glendale, was recently marred by six spray-painted swastikas, it was gratifying to see that much of the city’s elected and appointed leadership had decided that the matter could not be ignored.

Glendale Mayor Eileen Givens, Police Chief James Anthony, the city manager, and City Council members Larry Zarian, Sheldon Baker, and Mary Ann Plumley were among those who appeared publicly at the temple with Rabbi Meyers to denounce the vandalism and to help cover it up with fresh coats of paint.

“I can’t even imagine why somebody would do something like this. This is not a rational act. It’s hard to make sense of it,” said Mayor Givens after using a paint roller to cover a swastika.

Well, the important thing is not necessarily to try to make sense of what is most likely a senseless act. The thing to do is to demonstrate that such acts can neither be condoned nor tolerated. One way is to officially express that sentiment through the words and deeds of as many prominent people as possible. Glendale’s local leadership is to be commended for doing exactly that.