Rabbi of Young Israel of Century City holding half of the cinderblock that was thrown through the synagogue window
Young Israel of Century City (YICC) is reeling from a May 28 incident involving an unidentified individual throwing a cinderblock at its synagogue’s window.
The incident occurred around 1 a.m. on May 28, according to a YICC representative. Law enforcement authorities are investigating.
Security camera footage captured an individual throwing the object at the synagogue—located at Pico boulevard and Rexford drive–but the synagogue’s leadership was not able to identify the person.
The object did not cause any damage to the synagogue window because the windows are shatterproof.
The individual also threw an object at Pat’s Restaurant, located one block away at Pico and Glenville drive. On Friday, one of the windows of the kosher restaurant was boarded up. Pat’s Restaurant is currently closed, with the restaurant operating in a parking lot across the street due to the pandemic.
On Friday, a few hours before Shabbat, YICC held a press conference at the synagogue with YICC Rabbi Elazar Muskin and Simon Wiesenthal Center Rabbi Marvin Hier, among others, attending.
The synagogue’s leadership believe the incident, which occurred amidst a spike in hate incidents targeting Jews across the country, was a hate crime.
According to the YICC spokesperson, the individual targeted Pat’s first, then went westbound down an alley behind YICC before throwing another object at YICC. The individual brought along the cinderblock object, which he threw and bounced off the window, the YICC representative said.
“There is an epidemic of antisemitism in America today and Los Angeles is among its epicenter,” American Jewish Committee Regional Director Richard Hirschhaut said in a statement. “A cinder block hurled at the window of a synagogue and a brick thrown through the window of a kosher restaurant, captured on video, are irrefutably crimes motivated by hate. We call upon the LAPD to fully investigate these cowardly acts and further elevate its protection of an understandably anxious community. The perpetrators of antisemitic hate crime must know that they cannot act with impunity.”