Rockland Synagogue Reports Holocaust Display Vandalized

From Congregation Sons of Israel:

This morning when our staff arrived at our synagogue-Congregation Sons of Israel, Nyack, on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, they were met with an incredible shock. Our Yom Hashoah display, consisting of a large banner reading “Holocaust Awareness Day. Each flag represents 10,000 killed in the Holocaust” was desecrated. This display which our synagogue puts up every year commemorating Yom Hashoah, was set up on Tuesday with help from our Hebrew School children who placed over 1000 flags representing the millions of Jews, Soviets, Poles, Gypsies, Disabled, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Homosexuals killed in the Holocaust.

Last night CSI members had gathered as a community to commemorate Yom Hashoah by lighting memorial candles and holding a special service. Synagogue President, Sandy Abrahams said, “Last night was truly lovely coming together as a community to mark this solemn occasion—to remember all those we lost in the Holocaust. To hear this morning that our memorial was desecrated and destroyed pained me greatly. To have hate on a day where we say “Never again” is chilling.”

Synagogue Leaders believe the sign was destroyed sometime between 10pm last night when our security guard left and 9am this morning when it was found. A police report was filed with the Clarkstown Police.

Synagogue leadership decided to mend the sign—so our intended impact of remembering all those who were murdered by the Nazis is still seen by those driving by on North Broadway today.

Rabbi Ariel Russo said, “This is a startling wake up call to our community. Hateful speech on the internet and acts of vandalism in our town are not acceptable. We had a beautiful ceremony on Tuesday, where our children got emotional when discussing the Holocaust. We ended the ceremony with the hopeful words of Hatikvah, and now we have to teach them that we are not free from anti-Semitism in our own backyard.”

Congregation Sons of Israel (CSI) is a diverse, egalitarian Conservative Jewish community of 200 families, located in the heart of Nyack, NY along the Hudson River. As a “Big Tent” synagogue, it embraces the diversity of American Jewry today in all its forms. CSI’s small size and location foster meaningful connections across members, generations, and the local community.

PHOTOS: BEFORE AND AFTER/Congregation Sons of Israel