Nov 29, 2021
Greater Miami Jewish Federation, JCRC, ADL Condemn White Supremacist Vandalism at Homestead Jewish Center
The Greater Miami Jewish Federation, its Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) are appalled and outraged by this weekend’s vandalism of the Homestead Jewish Center, where an alleged right-wing extremist scaled the synagogue fence and hung a makeshift banner that read, “The goyim know 88.”
The incident occurred early Saturday morning during Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath) and one day before the beginning of Hanukkah. Both “The goyim know” and “88” are common shorthand references to neo-Nazi, white supremacist and alt-right ideals.
The Federation, its JCRC and ADL are grateful for law enforcement’s immediate response, and we remain in close contact with them as we work in partnership to identify a suspect or suspects. Additionally, we commend the Homestead Jewish Center for their swift communication to the authorities, to us and to their constituency.
“Hate will not be tolerated in Miami-Dade County,” said Sarah Emmons, ADL Florida Regional Director. “Hate crimes may target individuals or single institutions, but are generally done to send a message of fear and intimidation to entire communities – and so entire communities must denounce these insidious acts.”
“The Jewish community will not be intimidated by such blatant attempts to frighten us into hiding our identity,” added Jacob Solomon, Federation President and CEO. “We have always been and will continue to be proudly and outwardly Jewish.”
The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and appears to be an isolated incident. The Federation, its JCRC and ADL are unaware of any additional threats to Jewish organizations in South Florida at this time. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as appropriate.
The Federation, its JCRC and ADL encourage anyone who witnesses any hateful vandalism to report it to law enforcement, to the Jewish Federation at [email protected], and ADL at adl.org/reportincident. Anyone with information about this particular incident should contact Homestead Police Department at (305) 247-1535.
