Montgomery County police are searching for whoever is responsible for defacing a sign outside a synagogue in Rockville, Maryland.
There are signs on the lawn of Temple Beth Ami and blue ribbons on the trees, but one sign is missing, a banner that had been up for some time saying, “WE STAND WITH ISRAEL.”
“And for the very first time, someone defaced that sign,” Rabbi Gary Pokras said.
Authorities believe it happened sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning, when the vandalism was discovered and the sign taken down.
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“I’m really grateful to live in a country that enshrines free speech, and that includes the right to protest passionately and that includes public discourse,” Pokras said. “Whoever did this doesn’t want public discourse; they want to shut us down.”
Police are investigating the incident.
“We look to every life as being worthy of being lived in peace and with dignity. We want that for Palestinians; we want that for Israelis,” Pokras said.
