Bullet Hole Discovered In Indiana Synagogue Window

(dpa) - The picture shows the emblem of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the US Justice Department at the US American embassy in Berlin, Germany, 06 September 2005. Photo by: Tim Brakemeier/picture-allia... (dpa) - The picture shows the emblem of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the US Justice Department at the US American embassy in Berlin, Germany, 06 September 2005. Photo by: Tim Brakemeier/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images MORE LESS
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The FBI is reportedly investigating a shot through the window of a synagogue in Evansville, Indiana.

Adath B’Nai Israel Temple’s office manager discovered a shot through a classroom window on Monday afternoon, the Evansville Courier & Press reported, steps away from a playground.

“Someone had to walk into a children’s playground, then look into a classroom and then fire some sort of weapon,” Rabbi Gary Mazotold told the paper. “It was to inflict damage, but I think more importantly, (the person) tried to inflict fear.”

“We’re in this climate now where acts of hate are happening everywhere,” he said.

The Evansville Police Department and the FBI were investigating the incident, the paper reported. WFIE reported, citing unnamed FBI officials, that the incident would most likely be ruled a hate crime. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the Times of Israel also reported that the FBI was investigating the incident.

The FBI has not immediately responded to TPM’s request to comment on any potential investigation.

The incident comes on the heels of a wave of anti-Semitic and otherwise xenophobic incidents nationwide. Hundreds of gravestones have been toppled at two separate cemeteries in recent weeks, and more than a hundred Jewish Community Centers have been evacuated due to bomb threats.

One Indian man was killed, and two more people were injured in a shooting in Olathe, Kansas last Thursday.

The suspect allegedly shouted “get out of my country” before opening fire and later told a bartender he had shot people he described as Iranian.

“The goal was to make us afraid, but we’re not going to let fear consume us,” Mazo told the Evansville Courier & Press of the shot through the synagogue’s window. “We’ll stand up to fear, we’ll stand up to hatred and we’ll stand together. We know this is not representative of our community. We know that we live in a community that supports each other.”

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