Police are investigating incidents of arson, vandalism and attempted burglary at a historic Philadelphia synagogue that occurred within hours of each other on Tuesday.
Detectives have not said whether they believe the incidents at Congregation Mikveh Israel in Center City — which was founded in 1740 and is the oldest surviving synagogue in the United States — are related, but the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia called them “acts of anti-Semitism.”
The first incident occurred around 2 a.m., when a man set fire to a dumpster next to the building, damaging a window, according to a Philadelphia police press release.
Surveillance footage released by police shows the suspect standing in the dumpster, then smoke billowing from the dumpster before it burst into flames.
Two men then attempted to enter the synagogue around 6:30 a.m., police said. Damage was done to a fence and a door, but the men were unable to get inside, according to a police press release.
The suspects are seen on security video looking over the burned dumpster before approaching a fence, and both are later seen walking in an alley.
Later, around 12:10 p.m., a statue outside the synagogue was vandalized when a man wrote profanities on it with a marker, police told affiliate KYW.
Philadelphia police are asking the public for help identifying the suspects in the arson and attempted burglary. FactsTimes has reached out to the department for comment.
The investigation into the synagogue comes during a period of Jewish holidays — Sukkot and Simchat Torah — which this year runs from Oct. 16 to 25. Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel last year occurred during the same holiday.
Since the war between Hamas and Israel began, the United States has seen a surge in reports of hate crimes and bias incidents targeting Jews, Muslims and Arabs. According to preliminary data from the Anti-Defamation League, more than 10,000 anti-Semitic incidents were reported in the U.S. between Oct. 7, 2023, and September 2024, three times as many as the previous year. In April, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it had received 8,061 reports of anti-Muslim bias in 2023, the highest number in the group’s 28 years of tracking hate.
“We, the Jewish community, call on government officials and our community partners to stand united in condemning this abhorrent hatred,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia said in a statement. The synagogue, which calls itself the “Synagogue of the American Revolution,” has “deep ties to the founding of Philadelphia and our nation,” the statement said.
“With the assistance of local law enforcement, we are confident that the perpetrators of these despicable crimes will be brought to justice and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” the organization said.
Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania said he was “appalled” by what he called the “outrageous” arson and vandalism, adding that “Philadelphia stands united against hatred and anti-Semitism.”
“I hope the perpetrator is brought to justice quickly and urge anyone with information to submit a tip to the Philadelphia Police Department,” Boyle said in a statement Wednesday.