Dylan Brogan
On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the first of the Jewish High Holy Days, swastikas were found spray painted in red on a stone monument outside of Gates of Heaven, located in James Madison Park. The synagogue building, one of the oldest in the country, is slated to host holiday services Wednesday evening and Thursday.
“Trump Rules” and “Antifa Sucks” were also scrawled across the plaque. The monument commemorates the Wisconsin men in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade who volunteered to fight against General Francisco Franco's fascist forces in the Spanish Civil War. Madison police spokesperson Joel DeSpain says officers were called to the scene around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. A city worker was power-washing the graffiti off the monument at around 9:45 a.m.
“We are still investigating the incident. We don’t have any suspects or persons of interest at the moment,” DeSpain says. “Whether this has something to do with the Gates of Heaven building or the Spanish Civil War — we just don’t know.”
DeSpain says there aren’t any surveillance cameras in the area. Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel released a statement pledging support from the Department of Justice "to investigate the source of this hatred."
"All graffiti is criminal, but not all graffiti invokes this type of emotion and I am outraged to see two examples of targeted vandalism in Madison within the last week," Schimel writes. "I am asking all Wisconsinites to join me in calling for an end to these incidents."
Parks superintendent Eric Knepp writes in a statement that the graffiti was removed by 10:15 a.m.
“The work was completed by our talented staff team who have professional experience in safely removing graffiti from monuments in a manner that does not damage the base materials,” writes Knepp.
Rabbi Paula Jayne Winnig, with the Jewish Federation of Madison, writes in a statement that she is saddened by the news of “hateful graffiti outside of the historic Gates of Heaven Synagogue.”
“While it is unknown who is behind this display of bigotry and hate, or what their intentions were, we unequivocally condemn the use of hate speech and symbols of hate,” Winnig writes. “We are grateful for the support of our local law enforcement officials for their well orchestrated response today.”
Gates of Heaven, erected in 1863, is the eighth-oldest synagogue still standing in the United States. It was moved from its original location at 241 W. Washington Ave. to James Madison Park in 1971. Built by Madison’s first Jewish community, the building was also the first Unitarian Society Meeting House.
Now a city park facility, the building is rented out for weddings, concerts and other events.
This story was updated to include comments from Rabbi Paula Jayne Winnig, Attorney General Brad Schimel and Supt. Eric Knepp.