The Jewish Museum’s Israeli flag on Independence Mall was defaced with red paint
The museum's west-facing wall was vandalized with red paint about 4:45 a.m. Monday, according to Philadelphia police. Cleanup was underway.
An Israeli flag on the west-facing wall of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History was vandalized with red paint early Monday morning, officials said.
The museum on the corner of South Independence Mall East and Market Street was defaced about 4:45 a.m. Monday, according to a Philadelphia police spokesperson. The paint was splattered across the flag and a banner that reads, “The Weitzman Stands with Israel.”
The investigation is ongoing, the police spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for the museum said in an email Thursday that cleanup was underway. On Thursday afternoon, a lone window washer was power-washing and scrubbing streaks of paint off the building. But a cloudy red stain remained.
The museum declined to comment further. The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia declined to comment on the vandalism.
Nationwide last year, there were more than 9,300 incidents — including 465 in Pennsylvania — of antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and assault, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The prominent Jewish advocacy group reported that a majority of those incidents were fueled by anti-Zionist and anti-Israel sentiments.
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