A California jury found David William Denton, 45, guilty of arson on Tuesday after using a pocket torch to burn a mezuzah scroll affixed to the entrance of Berkeley Hillel, a Jewish student center near the University of California, Berkeley, according to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
The mezuzah, which contains a parchment scroll with passages from the Torah and is traditionally placed on the doorposts of Jewish homes and institutions, was damaged in the incident that occurred during a Shabbat gathering in February.
Denton faces up to three years in state prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 3.
“Targeting and burning a sacred religious symbol is an act that can cause harm far beyond the physical damage itself,” Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson stated. “People of every faith should be able to practice their religion and gather in their communities without fear of intimidation.”
