‘An act of terrorism’: Spokane County Human Rights Task Force denounces hate crime at Temple Beth Shalom

February 10, 2021 1:32 PM

Erin Robinson,

Posted: February 10, 2021 1:32 PM

Updated: February 10, 2021 1:40 PM

by Erin Robinson

SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane County Human Rights Task Force has called for community action in response to the recent hate crime at Temple Beth Shalom.

The temple was spray painted with swastikas and anti-Semitic grafitti on Monday and police have yet to identify a suspect.

“Vandalism would be tagging a building. This was not a simple act of vandalism. Wantonly drawing a swastika, a known anti-Semitic image, on the side of a Jewish temple and defacing a Holocaust memorial is an act of harassment, an act of terorism. This behavior cannot be ignored or tolerated in a just society,” a statement from the task force said.

The Task Force is now calling on the greater Spokane County community to stand together in actively countering displays of hatred toward others and work to resolve the issues that foster acts of hated.

“The Spokane County Human Rights Task Force stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters at Temple Beth Shalom. We stand with all others in direct defiance to an atmosphere of hate.”

Anyone with information that might lead to identifying or arrest the person responsible is urged to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.