North Hollywood : Ohr Torah Offices Burgled, Vandalized
Aswastika and the words “white power” were emblazoned in black spray paint on the walls of the Ohr Torah congregation’s offices over the weekend, a synagogue official said.
Computer equipment and other office machines were taken after intruders jimmied the office door, Rabbi Mordecai Finley said.
The thefts clouded theories about the motive for the attack, making it unclear whether the incident was a hate crime or a burglary. Finley discovered the swastika on Sunday when he dropped by the North Hollywood office.
“It’s certainly a burglary because they took all of our office equipment,” Finley said. “But they did a very unusual thing for burglars. They left a swastika.
“But on the other hand they didn’t ax things or slash things,” Finley said. “If they would have just come in with a hammer and smashed things, it would have been an unadulterated hate crime.”
Police declined to comment, saying the incident was under investigation.
The congregation, which meets in a Baptist church in West Los Angeles, numbers 200.
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