Possible arson attack destroys rabbi’s car in Los Angeles

A car belonging to a Chabad rabbi in Los Angeles was set on fire, burning prayer books and tefillin inside.

Security cameras at the Chabad of Mt. Oympus, located in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, captured footage of two people vandalizing the car at about 2 a.m. June 24, the Jewish Journal reported. Nothing was stolen from the car, Rabbi Sholom Rodal told the Journal.

The Rodal family was home at the time of the attack on the car, which was parked on the street in front of the house.

The fire is being investigated by the Los Angeles Fire Department’s arson division, according to Chabad.org. Police also have increased patrols in the area.

Rodal and his wife, Rochela, initiated a mitzvah campaign called “Fighting Fire With Fire,” asking Jewish women and girls to light Sabbath candles last Shabbat in response to the attack.