Just hours before Trump was delivering his final superspreader campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a Jewish cemetery in the city was being vandalized with red spray paint reading “TRUMP” and “MAGA” on several headstones.
In a Facebook post, the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus were outraged.
Make no mistake, this heinous act was committed on the eve of the 2020 election to send an intimidating message to the president’s opponents, and particularly, Jewish voters. But it has failed. Grand Rapids’ Jewish community will not be cowed by this vile attack on Ahavas Israel. Instead, Jews in Grand Rapids, the State of Michigan, and across the country will head to the polls tomorrow to vote against this president and the hatred, violence, and antisemitism he so callously incites.
Noah Arbit, founder and chair of the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus, added, “The desecration at Ahavas Israel is evocative of the febrile political atmosphere our country finds itself in right now. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Time and again, the President of the United States has sided with antisemites, white supremacists, racists, and bigots of all types. Now, our country is paying the price. Tomorrow, we will end it.”
Police do not have any suspects at this time, and no evidence was left at the scene. The incident is under investigation by the Grand Rapids Police Department.
David J.B. Krishef, the congregation’s rabbi, said that it was unclear if the vandalism was an attack on the Jewish community: “It may just have been opportunistic vandalism against a cemetery which is isolated and hard to see from the road, on Halloween weekend, not an attack against the Jewish community. We don’t know.”
See MLive and The Hill