South Hill church vandalized with antisemitic language

A South Hill church sign was vandalized with an antisemitic message this week.

The words, “GOD BLESS ISRAEL, JAN 28, 10:00 AM, ALL WELCOME” on Plymouth Congregational Church’s message board were covered by a profane message bashing “Zionism” written in orange paint. The board is outside the church on the corner of South Walnut Street and West Eighth Avenue.

The Anti-Defamation League defines Zionism as “the movement for the self-determination and statehood for the Jewish people in their ancestral homeland, the land of Israel.”

The church’s pastor reported the vandalism Wednesday, said Spokane Police Department Officer Daniel Strassenberg, a spokesman for the department. The vandalism remained Thursday.

Strassenberg said police have no suspects.

The church could not be reached by phone or in person Thursday.

CNN reported earlier this month that antisemitism “skyrocketed” across the U.S. since the Israel-Hamas war broke out Oct. 7, according to data from the Anti-Defamation League.

The league tracked 3,283 antisemitic incidents between Oct. 7 and Jan. 7, a 361% increase compared to the 712 incidents the organization said were reported during the same period the year before.

The war sparked by Hamas has led to thousands of deaths and displaced much of Gaza’s population in the ensuing Israeli military response.