Presence

On Friday night August 5, Shomrei Emunah was vandalized. On Shabbos morning, congregants were greeted with the word "FACK" spray-painted in big red letters on the front of the shul. The FACKer is either really bad at spelling, or is attempting to make some sort of statement about Emil Fackenheim. Word is Larry Soltz has secured a sniping position in the Wach attic, should he return. Consider yourself warned, FACKer.

Shomrei is equipped with a state-of-the-art video surveillance system, and I was able to review the video surveillance tapes from the night in question. At 3:37 AM, a young male approached Shomrei from the north. He spent less than one minute in front of the shul, his act of vandalism clearly recorded by the video camera mounted just outside the main entrance. The video does not have a clear shot of his face, but a partial profile is visible; we've got the boys down at the crime lab working in shifts (in all seriousness, I have no idea if the police are actively investigating the matter). Of note, the perpertrator is left-handed. After completing his vandalism, he continued south along Greenspring Ave. I may be able to get a hold of a copy of the security video, and if I can, I'll post it. In the mean time, I've posted some photos of the graffiti.

As far as I know, Shomrei has never been vandalized in the past. I would speculate that the current climate appears to be weakening the stigma of, for now, covert expressions of latent anti-semitism.