NJ Cops Investigate Swastika Sticker Placed at Local Synagogue on Last Day of Hanukkah
The offending sticker placed at a synagogue in Mount Laurel, NJ. Photo: Twitter
Police in New Jersey are investigating the discovery on Sunday of a sticker adorned with a Nazi swastika and the words “We Are Everywhere” at a synagogue in the township of Mount Laurel.
The sticker was found at Adath Emanu-El Synagogue on Elbo Lane. Its message was immediately condemned by local officials and Jewish community groups.
“It’s disgusting,” Mount Laurel’s Mayor, Stephen Steglik, told local news outlet the Courier Post on Monday.
“There’s no other word for it, especially as our neighbors and friends and families are wrapping up the holiday season for Hanukkah,” the mayor added.
“There are more people who denounce hate than there are who promote it,” Steglik commented, referring to the sticker’s message that Nazis are “everywhere.”
The synagogue’s rabbi, Benjamin David, said the incident was a reminder “of the darkness that still exists in our world.”
But he praised congregants for attending an outdoor menorah lighting for the last night of Hanukkah on Sunday, where a strong police presence was observed.
The turnout was as “an inspiring show of support and community,” Rabbi David said.
The district’s Democratic Party congressional representative, Andy Kim, urged his constituents to stand up to racist and antisemitic hatred.
“A sixth grader just found this disgusting hate at a synagogue in my community,” Kim tweeted alongside an image of the offending sticker. “We must all stand united against threats to Adath Emanu-el and all communities. As we reach the end of Hanukkah, I ask that you join me to show that love and unity are everywhere, not hate.”