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Wednesday morning, security guards at Temple Israel in Minneapolis discovered the synagogue had been vandalized with what synagogue leaders are calling antisemitic rhetoric.
Police and the FBI announced Wednesday evening that they are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime. Graffiti on the building references the Hamas attack in Israel two years ago.
MPD Police Chief Brian O'Hara says the vandals spraypainted inverted red triangles — antisemitic symbols that the Nazis used during the Holocaust.
“It is certainly something that is well known in the Jewish community,” O’Hara said. “And the individual who did this knew the potential terror he could inflict largely on the community.”
The vandalism at Temple Israel comes on the heels of a break-in at Alhikmah Islamic Center in Minneapolis on Tuesday. The week prior, there was a fire at the same mosque. Police are investigating whether the two mosque incidents are connected.
O'Hara says MPD is increasing patrols at all houses of worship. He says Tuesday’s break-in at Alhikmah does not appear to be a bias-motivated crime.
For more, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Temple Israel Senior Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman and Jaylani Hussein, executive director of Minnesota’s Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Correction (Oct. 8, 2025): A previous version of this story misstated the day of the mosque break-in. The above version has been updated.
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