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Holocaust memorial defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti for second time

A New Jersey synagogue’s Holocaust memorial was vandalized for the second time in a few months.

By: AP and World Israel News Staff

A New Jersey synagogue’s Holocaust memorial has been vandalized for the second time in less than a year.

Lakewood police say someone spray-painted several anti-Semitic words and phrases — some misspelled — on the memorial at Congregation Sons of Israel. Similar graffiti was also found on the synagogue, while a swastika was spray-painted on a pickup truck parked outside the building.

The vandalism was reported around 11:45 a.m. Saturday and apparently occurred sometime during the previous evening.

No one has claimed responsibility for the vandalism. No arrests have been made.

A similar act occurred at the site last July, when vandals posted a banner containing an anti-Jewish slur on the Holocaust memorial.

New Jersey authorities previously offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.

The year 2017 witnessed the largest single-year increase on record in anti-Semitic incidents in the US, a recent Anti-Defamation League (ADL) report showed.

The number of anti-Semitic incidents was nearly 60 percent higher in 2017 than 2016, the largest single-year increase on record and the second highest number reported since the ADL started tracking incidents in 1979.

There were 952 incidents of vandalism, up 86 percent from 2016.