ROCKVILLE, Md. — Police are searching for the person responsible for defacing a sign outside of a synagogue in Rockville.
For years, a sign outside of Temple Beth Ami said 'We Stand with Israel', but that has now been altered. Before opening for their Sunday school program on Sunday staff discovered the sign was defaced with red spray paint to replace 'Israel' with 'Palestine.'
The temple shared a photo of the sign on their Facebook page, stating that vandalism is not free speech, it's a crime and an attempt to intimidate their congregation. An attempt that they said has already failed.
The temple adds that it will have a new sign up as soon as possible.
The complete Facebook statement from the temple can be read here:
"For years, Temple Beth Ami has proudly displayed a roadside sign stating: We Stand With Israel. This morning, before opening our Machane/Sunday School program, our staff discovered that for the very first time, our sign had been defaced with red spray paint in an attempt to replace “Israel” with “Palestine.”
We are grateful to live in a nation which enshrines free speech. Free speech, by definition, must include the right to assemble for peaceful protests, and for passionate public disagreements. Those who defaced our signs are not interested in dialogue or debate. If they were, they would know, that like them, we also mourn for every innocent life lost – Palestinian and Israeli. If they were, they would know that we also seek peace, a lasting and secure peace for Israelis and Palestinians; and they would know that we support a two-state solution. They do not know, because they don’t want debate – they want to shout us down.
Vandalism is not free speech, it is a crime, and an attempt to intimidate our congregation. It has already failed. We will have a new sign up as soon as possible, and we will continue to unashamedly articulate the values of our congregation, which include our commitment to Zionism – the desire and indeed the right of the Jewish people to live free in our ancient homeland, in peace with her neighbors."
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