Jerusalem Reform synagogue vandalized on Yom Kippur, in third attack in a month
Assailants damage Kol HaNeshama days after youths pelted worshipers with eggs; Reform movement says recent incidents cannot be treated as isolated
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A Reform synagogue in Jerusalem was vandalized overnight Sunday, during the holy day of Yom Kippur, the third attack on the congregation in about a month and the fourth targeting a Reform synagogue during that period.
Unidentified assailants tore through a window screen at Kol HaNeshama in Jerusalem’s Baka neighborhood and threw a glass plate into the building, where it shattered, Haaretz reported.
The synagogue’s caretaker discovered the damage on Monday morning, and a complaint was subsequently filed with police.
Police said an investigation had been opened to identify those responsible, but declined to provide further details.
The latest vandalism came a week after Jewish youths threw eggs at congregants outside Kol HaNeshama during Rosh Hashanah, in an incident captured by the synagogue’s security cameras.
According to the congregation, the youths, who appeared from their clothing to be religious Jews, initially approached worshipers and asked friendly questions before making remarks that Kol HaNeshama Rabbi Debi Shoua-Haim said “bordered on sexual harassment.”
התנכלות שלישית בחודש האחרון לבית הכנסת הרפורמי 'כל הנשמה' בשכונת בקעה בירושלים.
הלילה נפרץ תא שירותים בבית הכנסת הרפורמי 'כל הנשמה' בשכונת בקעה בירושלים. נתלשה הרשת בחלון של שרותי גברים ונזרקה צלחת פנימה שנשברה לרסיסים. אב הבית מצא את הנזק ב-8 בבוקר והוגשה תלונה למשטרה.
זהו… pic.twitter.com/3NqaH3VWZ5— Yael Freidson יעל פרידסון (@YaelFreidson) September 20, 2026
The youths then left, with security footage showing they entered a building opposite the synagogue, then returned with eggs that they threw at congregants as they arrived at the synagogue, Shoua-Haim said.
Last month, assailants broke into the synagogue and tore down a gay pride flag that was hanging in the entrance hall.
Security cameras captured the faces of the alleged perpetrators in that incident and the Rosh Hashanah attack, and footage was handed over to police, but no suspects were apprehended.
Days after the first Kol HaNeshama incident, the Darchei Noam synagogue in Ramat Hasharon was also vandalized, with assailants throwing rocks at the building and smashing a window at its entrance.
The incidents have prompted Reform leaders to warn of escalating hostility toward their communities.
“This is the third act of vandalism within a month against the Kol HaNeshama community in Jerusalem, and it follows the attack on the synagogue of the Darchei Noam community in Ramat Hasharon last month,” Anna Kislanski, CEO of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, told Haaretz following the latest incident.
“This series of attacks cannot be treated as isolated incidents,” she said. “When incitement and hateful rhetoric against Reform Judaism are legitimized, the distance between them and violence and the vandalism of synagogues grows shorter.”
Kislanski called on police and other authorities to treat the attacks seriously and protect Reform communities, while vowing that the movement would not be intimidated.
“Our synagogues will remain open to everyone, and egalitarian, tolerant and inclusive prayer will continue,” she said.
The Times of Israel Community.