$5,000 reward for info on who repeatedly affixed swastika stickers to doors and walls of the Alaska Jewish Museum.
The umbrella organization for Alaska’s museums expressed solidarity on Tuesday with the Alaska Jewish Museum (AJM), which has been the target of antisemitic vandalism this year.
In a statement to the Anchorage Press, Museums Alaska noted that Leslie Fried, the AJM’s curator, has twice discovered swastika stickers affixed to the doors and walls of the museum.
The AJM and the advocacy group StandWithUs’ Northwest division are offering a $5,000 reward for information on the perpetrators of the vandalism.
Museums Alaska Director Dixie Clough stated, “Alaskan museums are appalled by the attacks, and they are eager to show support for the Alaska Jewish Museum and the Alaska Jewish Campus as they seek to address these crimes and ensure the safety of their facilities and community.”
“There has been an increase in antisemitic behavior in Anchorage over the past few months, and we saw a role for museums as community educators to stand up against these hateful acts,” she said.
Clough added, “We want to ensure that the museum attacker is brought to justice, and that the Alaska Jewish community knows that they are not alone. They have support across the state.”
At least 40 institutions signed onto a statement in support of the AJM, saying, “History reveals that malicious acts increase during uncertain times, and they flourish when encouraged or ignored by people in leadership positions. We will not ignore this spiteful act and we will work with the Alaska Jewish Museum to combat bigotry and prejudice in all its forms.”
Alaska is home to approximately 6,000 Jews. Located in Anchorage, the AJM was established in 2004 in order “to provide the people of Alaska with a way to explore its Jewish history and culture and, by doing so, to honor the significant Jewish contributions to that state and the greater United States.”