Vandals hit Northshore Jewish Congregation on North Causeway Approach in Mandeville.
Rebecca Slifkin was working in her office at the Northshore Jewish Congregation on Wednesday morning when two young neighbors, shaken and concerned, asked if she was aware of the graffiti sprayed on the back of the Mandeville synagogue.
What she saw outside shocked her: Red and black spray paint marred the wall with hate slogans and swastikas. "Synagogue of Satan," one phrase said, and "Burn."
"It felt like an assault to me," Slifkin said.
Mandeville police are investigating the vandalism of the synagogue as a potential hate crime, Police Chief Gerald Sticker said.
Detectives have confirmed through regional law enforcement agencies that there have been no similar incidents at other area synagogues.
"It could have been bored kids that did something stupid, although still patently offensive, or it could have been someone with a more devious motive," Sticker said.
Northshore Jewish Congregation, a Reform congregation, was established in 1995 and has about 100 families. It is one of the few synagogues in the area and the only one in St. Tammany Parish.
On Wednesday, police took photographs and looked for spray-paint cans and other evidence on the property. The congregation does not have video cameras, and police said cameras at nearby businesses didn't appear to have captured anything related to the incident.
Members of the synagogue are now weighing how to address the messages of hate that appeared just days before Rosh Hoshanah, the Jewish New Year.
Teri Gross, a 20-year member of the congregation who was acting as spokeswoman Thursday, said that while she is outraged by the anti-Semitic graffiti, the incident offers an opportunity for the community to come together and stand up against hatred.
"They knew what they were doing," she said. "They were trying to send a message. But they are not going to make us afraid. ... The congregation will be stronger after this."
Congregational leaders, police and representatives of the Anti-Defamation League planned to meet Thursday night to determine their next steps.
Aaron Ahlquist, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said there has been a rise in anti-Semitic incidents, which last year were up by 77 percent nationally. The ADL is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
The vandalism brought wide condemnation.
The Anti-Defamation League, the New Orleans Clergy Council and the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans called it a "despicable and cowardly act" and asked others to join them in denouncing the defacement.
U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, whose district includes Mandeville, also denounced the vandalism. "Hatred and bigotry have no place in our society," he said in a statement.
Gross said the congregation plans to increase security to make sure children feel safe there. It is also considering adding cameras.
The parking lot behind the congregation is used by commuters, and none of them reported seeing anything early Wednesday morning. The teenagers who use the back parking lot as a shortcut for cycling told Slifkin about the graffiti at about 2 p.m., she said. The paint was still tacky.
Gross, who worked for the Anti-Defamation League in Washington, D.C., years ago, said the graffiti offered clues that those responsible were well-versed in anti-Semitic terminology.
The message included a numeric statement that has significance among hate groups: 14/88.
The number 14 is code for the white supremacist slogan "14 words," which says, "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." The number 88 is code for Heil Hitler, she said, because the letter h is the eighth in the alphabet.
Gross said that when the congregation first moved from the strip mall where it had been meeting to its present location on North Causeway Approach, some members wondered whether they should put up a sign drawing attention to the synagogue.
"My husband and I were of the opinion that if you can't have a sign that says Northshore Jewish Congregation here, there's no point in having a congregation," Gross said.
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