A historic Old City synagogue faced vandalism, arson, and an attempted break-in all in one day

A historic synagogue near Old City was the target of arson and vandalism on Tuesday, and police are asking for the public’s help in apprehending those who committed the crimes.

Congregation Mikveh Israel, which was founded in 1740 and bills itself as the synagogue of the American Revolution, was vandalized at least twice in acts that synagogue officials called antisemitic and that Jewish leaders in the city decried as hateful.

Around 2 a.m. Tuesday, a man wearing a blue hat, a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans, gray sneakers, and a backpack set fire to a dumpster behind the synagogue on North Fourth Street, police said. The heat from the fire caused a nearby glass door to shatter, said Rabbi Yosef Zarnighian.

And later that night, around 11 p.m., someone defaced a memorial sculpture in front of the building by scrawling profanity on it, said Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore.

The sculpture was a tribute to Israeli military commander Yonatan Netanyahu, the brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who led — and was killed during — the daring raid on Entebbe that rescued more than 100 hostages being held by terrorists at an airport in Uganda in 1976. Both brothers, Zarnighian said, were congregants at Mikveh Israel.

There was also an attempted break-in at the synagogue on Tuesday around 6:30 a.m., the rabbi said. Surveillance video captured two people trying to gain entry to the building with a crowbar, but they were startled and ran off, he said.

Police on Wednesday released images and video footage of the two men attempting to break through a fence at the synagogue. One of the suspects was described as wearing glasses around his neck, a dark hat, a white T-shirt, tan pants, dark shoes, and a backpack. The other suspect was wearing all dark clothing and riding a small scooter, police said.

The department also released images and video of the man they say lit the fire in the dumpster, and they are investigating whether the incidents of vandalism and the attempted break-in are connected. The arson task force of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is also investigating, a spokesperson for the agency confirmed.

While police said the profanity written on the memorial statue was not antisemitic, the synagogue has been beset by acts of antisemitic vandalism over recent months, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia said in a statement.

“Let us be unequivocal: these are acts of antisemitism, a vile expression of Jew hatred that threatens not only the Jewish community but the very fabric of our American society,” the statement said.

There have been 36 antisemitic incidents in Philadelphia this year, according to data compiled by the Anti-Defamation League.

The American Jewish Committee condemned the vandalism at Mikveh Israel, noting that it was one of the oldest Jewish houses of worship in North America. “We are grateful for the authorities who responded swiftly and are committed to investigating this vile act of hate,” the group said.

Zarnighian, too, thanked police for their work investigating the incidents and said the congregation was grateful to the community for its support.

He said authorities are investigating whether the incidents were connected.

“It was a tragic set of coincidences,” he said. “All these attacks occurred back to back.”

Congregants, meanwhile, gathered for morning services at the synagogue on Wednesday, undeterred by the incidents. Continuing with worship at such times is important, the rabbi said: “We don’t let these acts of fear and intimidation stop the traditions we’ve been carrying for three thousand years.”