Police in Northwest Washington are asking the public to help identify a person accused of scrawling antisemitic remarks on the grounds of Adas Israel Congregation, a synagogue in the 2800 block of Quebec Street. Security footage reportedly shows the suspect writing the remarks before calmly walking away from the property.
According to DC News Now, the Metropolitan Police Department said the incident took place on October 10, just before 3 p.m., with the suspect caught on security footage writing the hateful remarks on the synagogue's property before walking away. A separate police release distributed through EIN Presswire gives a different timeline, stating the suspect wrote derogatory remarks on a building in the 2800 block of Quebec Street, Northwest, on October 14 at approximately 2:50 p.m. before fleeing on foot. The discrepancy between the two accounts has not been resolved.
What Investigators Are Asking For
Anyone who recognizes the person seen in the footage, or who has other information about the incident, is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099. The same police release carried by EIN Presswire adds that tips can also be sent by text to the department's TEXT TIP LINE at 50411. MPD also noted that it currently offers a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest and indictment in connection with a crime committed in the District.
A Broader Pattern Across the Region
The vandalism at Adas Israel comes against a backdrop of elevated antisemitic activity in the nation's capital. The Anti-Defamation League's Washington, D.C. office reported 124 antisemitic incidents in the city in 2025, a decline from 151 the year before, according to ADL Washington, D.C. Even with that drop, the organization said incidents across the region remained higher than 2022 levels, and noted that antisemitic incidents in the District have climbed 188 percent since 2020, when the city recorded 43 incidents. The ADL released those figures in a regional audit published in May.
The trend isn't confined to Washington. Statistics Canada data cited by CBC News found that 70 percent of police-reported hate crimes targeting religious groups in 2024 were directed at the Jewish community. Houses of worship across the country are being advised to create security committees, per a report from CBS News Minnesota.
Similar Cases in Other Cities
Synagogues elsewhere have faced comparable attacks in recent months, though nothing in the available record ties those incidents to the one at Adas Israel. In south Minneapolis, Temple Israel was vandalized with red spray-painted antisemitic messages, including the phrase “watch out Zionists,” according to CBS News Minnesota. Police there released surveillance photos of two people believed to be connected to that vandalism and asked nearby residents to check their own camera footage for clearer images.
In Saskatoon, police released a surveillance image of a man suspected of vandalizing Congregation Agudas Israel by throwing eggs at vehicles and sections of the building during a prayer service in August, the same CBC News report states. That suspect reportedly arrived around 11:30 a.m. local time on a Saturday carrying a carton of eggs, and was described as having a dark-coloured beard and short brown hair, wearing a black cap and a black T-shirt printed with the word “boo” and a white ghost. Saskatoon police asked anyone with information to call their department directly or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers.
No arrests have been announced in the Adas Israel case, and police have not released a description of the suspect caught on the synagogue's security footage. The investigation remains open as Metropolitan Police continue to seek tips from the public.
