Police are investigating antisemitic graffiti discovered outside Congregation Beth Israel, a 150-year-old Reform synagogue located on Shoal Creek Boulevard in Austin, Texas, on April 23.
The vandalism, which was spray-painted on a retaining wall near the synagogue’s parking lot, included a swastika and the phrase “Death to Israel,” according to local authorities and StandWithUs.
Senior Rabbi Brian Leiken and Jake Cohen, executive director of the synagogue, stated that “Congregation Beth Israel was the victim of hate.”
“We’ve faced hate before, and every time we’ve responded the same way by showing up, by staying together and by refusing to let fear define us,” Cohen said. “That’s who we are. That’s who Congregation Beth Israel has always been.”
Cohen said Austin police documented the scene and assisted in removing the markings, sharing a video of officers helping scrub away the green paint. The department continues to investigate.
“Our security is the most important thing we do, and it never stops,” he said, pointing to an increased security presence and cooperation with police.
Leiken said when he first considered working at the congregation, he learned about an October 2021 arson attack on the Beth Israel sanctuary and was moved by the community’s response. The suspect in that case was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2023.
“Across this country and around the world, Jewish communities are experiencing a rise in antisemitism that is impossible to ignore,” Leiken said. “What happened on our wall yesterday is not an isolated incident. It’s part of a broader tide that is testing Jewish communities everywhere. We see it, we name it and we refuse to normalize it.”
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) wrote in response to JNS reporting that she is “deeply disturbed by this antisemitic act of hate targeting Congregation Beth Israel in Austin, Texas.”
“This is a hate crime meant to intimidate and silence the local Jewish community, but it won’t work,” she stated. “As a former synagogue president, I know how important federal security funding is to protect our places of worship from hateful and violent acts.”
