Neo-Nazi Vandals Attack Haifa Synagogue*

by Hana Levi Julian

(IsraelNN.com) Anti-Semitic attacks are continuing throughout the
country despite efforts by law enforcement officials to track down and
eliminate neo-Nazi cells that are behind the incidents.

Arsonists over the Sabbath attacked a synagogue in Haifa, torching its
sukkah (holiday booth) and burning it to the ground.

The attackers defaced at least one of the synagogue’s Torah scrolls,
scrawling swastikas on it. Several of the synagogue's Torah scrolls were
recovered not far from the site. Police are investigating.

Less than 24 hours later, residents of Ramat Hasharon discovered two
swastikas spray-painted on the wall of a garbage chute on Bereishit
Street. The Sunday morning vandalism has been added to the list of
anti-Semitic incidents being tracked in the center of the country.

Neo-Nazis have attacked a number of Jewish religious sites over the past
two and a half weeks, since the beginning of the Hebrew holiday-laden
month of Tishrei, which fell on the evening of September 12 of the
Gregorian calendar.

B'nei Brak residents awoke last week to find to swastikas and pro-Hitler
graffiti on the walls of a local synagogue. The building is located on
Kahanoman Street in the almost exclusively hareidi religious city in the
Tel Aviv region.

Also last week, residents of an Allenby Street apartment building in
Haifa reported finding anti-Semitic grafitti on the walls of their
stairwell. The graffiti included anti-Semitic slogans and at least one
swastika.

Among the first Nazi spray-painting in this wave of attacks were two
swastikas found on the walls of a Dimona synagogue on the second day of
Rosh Hashanah. The swastikas were found on the building's wall and on
the fence surrounding it.

Dimona Mayor Meir Cohen, who was among those who discovered the
swastikas, promised a reward from his own pocket to anyone who would
provide information on the perpetrators.

Neo-Nazis attacked a 70-year-old woman who was walking on the bridge
connecting the Meridian Hotel and the Neveh David neighborhood in Haifa,
September 17.

"Two gang members beat" her, said the victim, one kicking her, causing
her injuries, and the other snapping to a Nazi salute and shouting out
"Heil Hitler." She was able to escape when a street sweeper stepped in
to help her. The Nazi-youth beat him, too.

Haifa Radio reported that not far from the scene of that attack,
neo-Nazis victimized a family from Neveh Yosef the same day.

The family woke up to find their car's tires had been slit and that a
huge swastika on top of a Star of David had been painted on the vehicle.

Police arrested a neo-Nazi gang in Petach Tikva one month before the
first of these attacks.