Portsmouth, New Hampshire's peace was disturbed by an act of vandalism that has shaken the local Jewish community. Two historic lamps adorning Temple Israel were deliberately smashed on Monday night, an aggression captured on camera and now under police investigation. According to NBC Boston, the synagogue regarded the act as a "deliberate desecration of our sacred space and a bigoted attack on our faith community."
These weren't just any lamps; they were more than a century old, part of the synagogue since a renovation back in 1921, as Doug Tilton, a board member of Temple Israel, told Seacoast Online. In what the Portsmouth Police Department have denounced as criminal mischief, the still-unidentified person is reported to have used a hammer to destroy the two lamps, each graced with the Star of David, around 8:30 p.m. that evening.
In response to the incident, Rabbi Ron Fish, interim regional director of the Anti-Defamation League of New England, stated that antisemitic acts have surged more than 300% since the previous October, declaring the Jewish community as "the largest target of religious bigotry in the US." He stressed that this vandalism is a reflection of a wider issue, with New Hampshire witnessing a rise in similar acts, as NBC Boston quoted.
The local community has previously shown resilience in the face of such bigotry. Following a spree of hateful graffiti last year, community organizers, led by Assistant Mayor Joanna Kelley, rallied in support of the temple and other affected places with a "Love Blooms Here" event. Mayor Deaglan McEachern echoed this spirit, expecting the community to "rise up against this," as he expressed to Seacoast Online. He found the attack, not just on the symbolism but also on the historical significance of the sconces to the city, particularly troubling.
With the perpetrator still at large, the Portsmouth Police are urging the public to assist in identifying them. Anyone with information regarding the incident or the suspect is encouraged to reach out to Police Captain David Keaveny. The community, meanwhile, is seeking an estimate for the restoration and reinstatement of the lamps, maintaining hope to preserve both the physical and communal integrity that has, for so long, withstood the test of time and hatred alike.
