When Melissa Levy, executive director of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, learned that a community mural on the congregation's fire-damaged campus had been defaced with antisemitic graffiti on July 24, she said her initial response was compassion for the vandal.
"I just remember thinking, 'Wow, I really feel bad for this person who has so much hate in them that they will deface a beautiful mural about rebuilding in Altadena after thousands of people lost their homes,'" Levy said.
"All they've done is make the entire community sad," She added.
The graffiti, spray-painted in black, read "Zionzim is not welcome," Misspelling "Zionism," And included several swastikas, one crudely drawn backward, Levy said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is investigating the incident as a hate crime. Capt. Ethan Marquez of the department's Altadena Station said the office "condemn[s] this act of antisemitic vandalism in the strongest possible terms" And is "committed to conducting a thorough investigation, holding those responsible accountable, and standing with our Jewish community, all faith communities and every resident against all forms of hatred and intolerance."
The synagogue has performed an "initial scrubbing" To remove the graffiti, though the mural has not been fully restored, Levy said.
The mural was painted on the only major exterior wall remaining after the synagogue's campus was destroyed in the Eaton Fire of January 2025. It was commissioned after the same wall was vandalized in January with antisemitic graffiti. The project was organized by the Sparks of Kindness Youth Fund, scenic artist Miriam Hellmann, the Art over Hate Collective, synagogue youth and community volunteers.
The mural features a California poppy as "a symbol of regrowth after the fire," A peacock, and the Hebrew phrase Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Bazeh, loosely translated to "all in the community are responsible for each other."
It reflects "a message that, after the fire, we've all rallied together," Levy said. "We've helped each other financially, we've helped clothe each other, we've helped house each other, we've helped each other share resources and so we are all responsible for one another."
Targeting the mural is an "extra type of cruel," She said, questioning why someone would deface a synagogue that "burned down in a fire" And "has done nothing but try to lift up after tragedy."
Despite recent antisemitic incidents elsewhere, the community is "mostly really determined to be very, very Jewish," Levy said. "The message that we've been receiving from people, not just Jews, all over the country is that we're not alone."
The synagogue is in the "quiet phase of a capital campaign" To raise funds for rebuilding, with groundbreaking expected "sometime early next calendar year," Levy said. "We are Jews," She noted. "We know that when something is broken, you repair it."
Levy acknowledged that distinctions can exist between antisemitism and anti-Zionism, but said the vandalism crossed a line. "You can criticize any government for their actions," She said. "But in this case, they can bring those comments elsewhere because there were swastikas on an American synagogue next to the word Zionism."
A neighbor was "ready to wipe those swastikas off because they were just as appalled," Levy said, noting that tragedy sometimes brings unexpected unity.
Levy said Jewish institutions across Southern California have experienced a rise in antisemitic incidents since October 7, 2023. "My network of colleagues, other executive directors all around Southern California - we're all noticing the uptick," She said. "We're all feeling like we have to increase our security budgets."
The synagogue regularly receives threatening phone calls. After the Eaton Fire, "we got more than one message saying it's a shame nobody died inside, saying that people should put gasoline on the fire to make it burn more," Levy said.
While threats are intended to intimidate, they have strengthened resolve instead. "It's terrifying, and that's the whole point: to try and scare us," She said. "But at the same time, it definitely hardens our resolve."