Terry White is a regular contributor. He is also the author of the Better Minneapolis newsletter and podcast. He lives in Field.
Temple Israel was defaced for the second time in less than a year — this time around 2:30 a.m. Oct. 8 by two people on bicycles, police said.
The previous incident occurred Dec. 16, 2024, at about 7:19 a.m., when someone in a silver Honda Civic was seen defacing the synagogue. In both cases, police said they have leads, but no arrests have been made.
Authorities described the latest attack as more brazen and possibly timed to coincide with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken.
On Oct. 13, 2025, the final 20 hostages still alive were released to the Red Cross as part of a cease-fire brokered by the Trump administration. The bodies of some of those killed were also returned. The two-year conflict left an
estimated 67,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
It is unclear whether the defacement would have occurred had the cease-fire been completed a week earlier. The graffiti included messages such as “Watch out Zionists,” the phrase “Al-Aqsa Flood” — Hamas’s code name for its Oct. 7 attack — and multiple inverted red triangles, a symbol used by Hamas that observers say has become a modern equivalent of a swastika.
Community Leaders Condemn Second Defacement
Temple Israel Senior Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman said in a statement, “Seeing hateful words and symbols on our sacred space is deeply painful, especially as we mark the second anniversary of Oct. 7.”
A full video of the press conference about the incident is available on YouTube. City, state and federal leaders condemned the act. Statements from the Minneapolis Police Department, the FBI and the mayor’s office emphasized that Minneapolis “will not tolerate these hate crimes.”
One notable exception was U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, whose office has as of yet not released a public statement about the incident.
The Minneapolis Police Department has increased patrols around all houses of worship, and the FBI’s Behavioral Threat Team is leading the hate crime investigation.
Park Board District 4 Commissioner Elizabeth Shaffer, candidate for the Ward 7 City Council seat, said in a statement, “Temple Israel and our Ward 7 Jewish community were brazenly threatened this morning by antisemitic graffiti running the length of the Temple along 24th Street. I was onsite as police collected information, and residents believe the style is similar to antisemitic graffiti that appeared on the Lake of the Isles west channel bridge a few days ago. Hate speech in our public spaces cannot be tolerated, and the Park Board has a 24-hour rule for removal, which we strictly followed with the bridge defacement.”
Photos of the graffiti posted by Shaffer on Instagram received about 50,000 views within one day, reflecting widespread concern about antisemitic crimes locally and nationwide.
Ward 7 City Council Member Katie Cashman also condemned the incident, saying, “We cannot and will not tolerate this criminal and hateful activity in our community. I was in touch with the Police Department immediately to ensure they launched an investigation. I’ve also been in contact with Temple Israel staff and clergy to show my support and thank them for their steadfast leadership.”
Cashman’s campaign noted that she co-authored a resolution establishing the Hate Crime Prevention Program in Minneapolis, in partnership with Jewish Community Action.
The Southern Poverty Law Center lists 20 active hate groups in Minnesota, including neo-Nazi and white nationalist organizations such as the Aryan Freedom Network, Folkish Active Clubs and Patriot Front.
Rabbi Zimmerman said the graffiti was not a political statement but an act of intimidation. “These images are not expressions of political opinion — they are symbols of terror and antisemitism,” she said.
Police continue to review surveillance footage and urge anyone with information to contact investigators.
