Pro-Palestinian graffiti has been daubed on the Holland Road synagogue in Hove.
The words Free Gaza were sprayed onto the wall of the Hove Hebrew Congregation’s home in the early hours of last Saturday morning.
The graffiti was examined by Sussex Police forensic officers who are investigating the crime.
Dr Winston Pickett, security officer and board member of the Hove Hebrew Congregation, said: “The leap from anti-Zionism to anti-Semitism is short.
“While the slogan daubed on a Brighton and Hove Synagogue was not in itself anti-Semitic, its location suggests otherwise.
“This was a hostile, aggressive act and one which has deeply upset the community.
“To blame local Jews for what is happening in Israel’s efforts to protect itself is a form of Antisemitism — something that Sussex Police have taken very seriously and have been brilliant in responding to.”
@BHcitynews @SussexFriends my great grandfather #frankel built the synagogue ,such a shame that idiots desecrate history
— Ian Cohen (@Ian_Coh) August 9, 2014
The graffiti was gone by the end of the weekend after a painter and decorator who passed by the synagogue was shocked by what he saw offered to paint it over.
Alan Bloomfield, of Obsessive Compulsive Decorators, was on his way home to Lansdowne Road at 3.3am after night fishing on the beach when he saw the slogans.
He said: “I was going past and I saw the graffiti. My dad’s Jewish, and I was very upset at what I saw – not just one slogan, but two.
“I called up the synagogue and said I’m a painter and decorator and I want to paint over it straight away.
“I waited for the forensics to clear and I did the first coat on Saturday afternoon, and then another on Sunday morning, when I cleaned the security cameras which had been painted over too.”
Sussex Police said no similar reports had been made in the city. No arrests have been made.
disgusting . im not jewish . but i never encountered anything but kindness from the jews i have met . leave them alone.
disgusting . im not jewish . but i never encountered anything but kindness from the jews i have met . leave them alone.
Bullying non-Israeli people who happen to be Jewish is just not a way forward for Gaza. How exactly does the person who sprayed this message expect the synagogue to ‘free Gaza’ as demanded? This grafitti is just extremely ugly, spiteful behaviour. I do not want to think of Palestinians or their supporters as being like that.
And by the way this building is not valued only by its users. A 1938 building from Edward Lewis, it has status within the BHCC Local List of Brighton and Hove Heritage Assets.
Bullying non-Israeli people who happen to be Jewish is just not a way forward for Gaza. How exactly does the person who sprayed this message expect the synagogue to ‘free Gaza’ as demanded? This grafitti is just extremely ugly, spiteful behaviour. I do not want to think of Palestinians or their supporters as being like that.
And by the way this building is not valued only by its users. A 1938 building from Edward Lewis, it has status within the BHCC Local List of Brighton and Hove Heritage Assets.
If such swift and robust action was taken against all the other graffiti and tagging all over the city, Brighton & Hove might not look like such a dump.
If such swift and robust action was taken against all the other graffiti and tagging all over the city, Brighton & Hove might not look like such a dump.
I have every confidence that Unite Against Fascism will be out demonstrating against this wicked, spiteful act.
Won’t they?
I blame all the people stirring up hatred against Israel and of course it is the same ones who don’t have the courage to speak out about ISIS, answer this then, why can you be so vocal about Israel yet so silent about 200,000 dead in Syria or Ethnic cleansing in Iraq?
Unsurprising – police should ask around amongst anti-Soda Stream demonstrators and see if they might have any clue as to who amongst the Brighton anti-Israeli mob is so virulently ‘anti-Zionist’…
At least the folks here are brave and honest enough to own a sense of shame for bad actions. Makes one feel a bit better considering the absolutely disgusting displays elsewhere in the UK.
For Britain, which knows the feeling of having a sworn enemy rain down rockets upon its citizens, to display animosity re: Israel for defending itself against terror is immensely hypocritical.
To all with voices of reason we say Bravo! Let freedom and justice be done.
Israel does not instigate war. It has been the target of war from the day it was declared a State.
It appears to be an increasing trend to pick on Jews. I find this attack disgusting and I hope the suspect(s) are caught. If this attack was against a mosque it would be headline news and the world was against them.
Have we forgotten about the holocaust?.
I’m concerned ISIS will try and cause serious issues in this country.