Iowa synagogue daubed with New Testament hate reference
An Iowa synagogue was defaced with antisemitic graffiti on the first night of Chanukah, 10th December.
The phrase “John 8:44” was daubed near the entrance to Temple Emanuel in Davenport, Iowa. This is a New Testament verse stating: “You belong to your father the devil and you want to carry out your father’s desires.” It implies that Jews are the spawn of the devil, explained the congregation’s Rabbi Linda Bertenthal.
Rabbi Bertenthal said that she knew that “Christian and Muslim friends” and “atheist friends” in the region were united against acts of hate, but it was “still deeply upsetting.”
An investigation by Davenport Police is continuing.
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