Montgomery County Police responded to a report of a vandalism at the Temple Beth Ami in Rockville on Sunday, April 28.
According to police, “At approximately 8:56 a.m., 1st District officers responded to the 14330 block of Travilah Rd., for a vandalism that occurred overnight. Suspect(s) damaged a banner in front of the synagogue. There are no suspects in custody at this time. This is an active and ongoing investigation.”
Temple Beth Ami posted the following on its Facebook account Sunday morning: “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.”
We will provide an update if additional information becomes available.