Anti-Semitic slur carved into door of California synagogue

A California synagogue was defaced this weekend when a Star of David and the word “Jude” were carved into its wooden door, The Jewish Journal reported.

Rabbi Gabriel Botnick of Temple Mishkon Tephilo in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice told the paper that police called him to inform him that someone had been seen etching the anti-Semitic graffiti into the door on Saturday.

“It’s somewhat typical in [Nazi] Germany and what people would do to Jewish businesses,” he said of the incident. “Seeing ‘Jude’ written on there as clearly a neo-Nazi-type term… that was very upsetting to me. That’s not anything I’ve ever encountered in this neighborhood.”

The term Jude, which is German for Jew, has pejorative connotations and is frequently used as a racial slur.

It was daubed on Jewish businesses by the Nazis as part of their economic boycott of their country’s Jewish community in the 1930s.

Botnick said he was in touch with the police, ADL and other groups and is seeking advice on protecting his synagogue.