May 1, 2008 5:48 pm US/Eastern
Swastikas Removed From Parkland Synagogue
Broward County Crimestoppers: 954-493-TIPS
Synagogue Is Located At: 7170 Loxahatchee Rd.
PARKLAND (CBS4) ―
Broward Sheriff's deputies went door-to-door on Thursday in one Parkland community, handing out flyers, talking with home and business owners to see if they saw anything that could lead to the arrest of the person, or persons, who scrawled swastikas over parts of the Chabad Hebrew School.
Located at 7170 Loxahatchee Rd., the school is affiliated with the Chabad Jewish Center on Miami Beach, which was damaged last week in a fire.
Workers also removed the anti-Semitic symbols from the walls of the structure.
Along with swastikas, the words "Stop for Hitler" were painted on a stop sign on the street in front of the school.
The vandalism comes as Jews begin observing the Days of Remembrance of the Holocaust.
"This represents Nazi Germany and what they did to the Jewish people in general," said Rabbi Josef Biston.
Beth Agami told CBS4 Ted Scouten, "Our families have been murdered at the hands of the Nazis."
Beth and Itzhak recently lost their son to the fighting in Iraq.
Itzhak added, "Our son died for this country to protect the people who have the rights to live in this country-–not the rights to do that."
Rabbi Mendy Gutnick said, "You feel angry, like why is such a thing happening. What sort of people would do such a thing like this."
Broward County Sherriff Al Llamberti said, "It just shows you, people who preach hate will go anywhere, we all have to be on guard."
FBI Director Robert Mueller has informed U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz that his agency will investigate several fires that damaged Miami Beach synagogues in the past six months as hate crimes.
The FBI has jurisdiction over hate crimes motivated by intolerance of a person's race, religion, or national origin.
CBS4 was told by the rabbi of the Miami Beach center that he believed a fire was intentionally set inside. The Torah, a religious scroll of Jewish laws and customs, a centerpiece of its religion, was taken. Pieces of the Torah were found outside. Its value is more than $40,000.
Click on Chabad House on Wheels to learn more and if you could help.
Congregation members have posted a $1,000 reward for information to find who might be responsible.
Police ask anyone with information on the vandalism at Parkland Chabad to call Broward Crimestoppers at (954) 493-TIPS.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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