Parkland officials have condemned the recent vandalism of the Chabad of Parkland and vowed to ensure such incidents are not repeated.
"We will not tolerate this kind of behavior," Mayor Michael Udine said. "We are an inclusive community. This is against everything that Parkland stands for. We are against all kinds of racial or religious hate crimes. The incident is deplorable."
Rabbi Yosef Biston, who leads the Chabad of Parkland congregation, Representative Martin Kiar and former mayor Robert Marks were present when the Udine read the resolution condemning the incident. The commission members later voted unanimously in support.
The incident happened last week. On Wednesday, a Jewish schoolboy was the first to see three swastikas spray-painted on the synagogue building on Loxahatchee Road. Someone also had spray painted "4 Hitler" on a nearby stop sign.
In a release, Sheriff's Office officials called the Parkland incident an "offensive hate crime of malicious vandalism" that probably occurred Tuesday night.
"We're looking at everything," said Broward Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Alesia Russell. "We're not ruling anything out."
The FBI is investigating the incident. For details, read this report. Recently, the Chabad of Miami Beach in South Beach burned to the ground. The FBI is treating the Miami Beach fire as a possible hate crime.
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PHOTO: Rabbi Yossie Biston, left, meets with a law enforcement officer following the anti-Semitic vandalism of the Chabad of Parkland. The act took place on Yom HaShoah, the day when the Jewish community remembers the Holocaust. Submitted photo
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