Jewish community center after hate symbol painted on exterior: It won't 'define us'

A Jewish community center in Royal Oak targeted by an act of antisemitism over the weekend said it won't let "hate define us."

The Royal Oak Police Department received a report about a swastika spray painted on the exterior of Woodward Avenue Shul, a Jewish community center on Woodward Avenue, around 4 p.m. Friday.

Rabbi Mendel Polter of the Woodward Avenue Shul said the department arranged for the graffiti to be cleaned from the building, but he said the community is still "somewhat shaken" by the incident. Officials estimate it happened between noon and 4 p.m. Friday. Police continue to search for suspects.

"The Jewish Sabbath was beginning shortly afterwards and the community was somewhat shaken, but we're standing very steadfast in our sense of devotion," Polter said. "We do not want to let the hate define us. As much as we need to do everything possible to prevent such things from happening, which we will, we don't want the fear to be instilled in our hearts."

In addition to the swastika were the letters "AZOV," according to a release from the Police Department.

"What exactly that stands for is debatable … if you put it into Google the first thing that comes up is a pro-Nazi Ukrainian militia … I'm assuming that that's correct," Polter said. "In Hebrew, that word 'azov' would mean leave."

"I cannot say this is a shock. The Jewish people have been struggling with this since the beginning. ... We've always had opponents, we've always had haters," Polter said. "The last few years it seems to have been a little more present ... I don't know why."

Antisemitism rose in the U.S. in 2022 according to a report released by Tel Aviv University's Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry and the U.S.-based Anti-Defamation League.

The ADL found antisemitic incidents increased by more than 35%, from 2,721 in 2021 to 3,697 in 2022. Antisemitic and white supremacist propaganda in the United States also hit new levels, the organization said.

Last year's report found that 2021 set a new high for antisemitic incidents, with the coronavirus pandemic fueling a worldwide rise in antisemitism. This year the researchers said that “2022 did not mark a universal reversal of the trend, and in some countries, most alarmingly the United States, it intensified.”

Royal Oak police said a detective will review videos from the Jewish community center and surrounding businesses Monday to look for the person who spray painted the synagogue.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Royal Oak Police Department at (248) 246-3456.

mjohnson@detroitnews.com