October 23, 2024
Philadelphia Police/YouTube
Philadelphia police are looking this man seen on video setting a fire inside a dumpster at the Congregation Mikveh Israel synagogue in Old City on Tuesday morning.
A man is wanted for setting a fire early Tuesday in a dumpster outside the Congregation Mikveh Israel synagogue in Old City. There also was an attempted break-in at the building that morning and a statue at the synagogue was vandalized hours later on Tuesday night, police said.
Surveillance video released Wednesday shows the person inside the large blue trash bin, which appeared to be filled with construction debris, that was next to the synagogue at 44 N. Fourth St. The video captures smoke rising from the dumpster and then flames before the entire container is engulfed. Firefighters extinguished the flames shortly after 2 a.m., and the fire marshal has determined the cause to be arson. The fire damaged one of the synagogue building's windows, police said.
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Around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, synagogue officials reported to police that a religious statue had been vandalized with profanity. Police did not say if the arson and the vandalization are connected.
In another incident at the synagogue on Tuesday morning, authorities said two suspects were caught on video attempting to break into the synagogue through a locked gate around 6:30 a.m. Police said the suspects did not gain entry, but caused damage to a fence and a door on the property.
The suspected arsonist is described as a man with a thin build and facial hair. He was last seen wearing a blue hat, grey sweatshirt, jeans and carrying a backpack.
In response to the incidents, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia released a statement condemning the "vile expression of Jew hatred" at the synagogue. Congregation Mikveh Israel, established in 1740, is among the oldest synagogues in the United States.
Rabbi Yosef Zarnighian, who has led the congregation since 2021, told 6ABC he believes the incidents are likely tied to political tensions.
"People are on edge with the elections, with the war in the Middle East right now," he said. "And so for it to hit home, it's difficult."
Antisemitic hate crimes have spiked nationally, in Pennsylvania and in Philadelphia. In 2023, 27 hate crimes targeting Jewish people were reported in Philadelphia, the highest number since 1997, according to reporting by Axios earlier this year.
There also have been crimes against Muslims and Arabs in Philadelphia since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza a year ago. Last October, weeks after the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, the United Muslim Islamic Center in Point Breeze was vandalized. At the time, the FBI said it had seen an increase of reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities in the U.S.
On Tuesday, a Philadelphia man was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for making hundreds of threatening phone calls and sending hateful text messages to Jews and Muslims over a period of more than a year between August 2022 and November 2023.
“The details of this case serve as an alarming reminder of threats members of our community face because of their beliefs,” Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, said of the investigation.
In the arson investigation at Congregation Mikveh Israel, anyone with information can call Central Detectives at 215-686-3093 or submit an anonymous tip online.
