MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee Jewish temple is cleaning up after someone badly damaged the property ahead of services this weekend.

On Monday, restoration crews were working to repair glass windows that had been smashed at Temple Menorah off 76th Street on Milwaukee’s far northwest side.

What You Need To Know

  • Milwaukee Police arrested a man for vandalizing Temple Menorah in Milwaukee

  • The temple saw damage to windows and other property outside the building

  • Rabbi Gil-Ezer Lerer is concerned about the rise in antisemitism in Wisconsin and around the United States

Rabbi Gil-Ezer Lerer, who leads Temple Menorah, was troubled by the damage, especially when acts of antisemitism are on the rise in Wisconsin and nationally.

“It is heartbreaking to see the kind of evilness that is here, and the hatred. The antisemitism, it is out of control,” Rabbi Gil-Ezer Lerer told Spectrum News.

Milwaukee Police said a 59-year-old man was arrested for causing the damage.

Lerer said Temple Menorah has had previous interactions with the suspect. The man was removed from the property once before. Lerer said recently the suspect’s threats against the temple have become increasingly serious.

“(The suspect) just went crazy on the building, smashing whatever he possibly could. Doing damage to some of our items outside of the building. Everything is replaceable, everything will be fixed and taken care of as soon as it is possible,” said Lerer.

The Milwaukee Jewish Federation tracks acts of antisemitism around Wisconsin, including acts of vandalism and violence at places of worship.

Roberta Clark, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, said there have been other examples locally and nationally of temples and synagogues being vandalized with hateful or threatening rhetoric.

“We have seen bomb threats, have learned about bomb threats, hateful or threatening emails to Jewish organizations. It is sadly very common and sometimes it is hard to trace and to track. We are grateful for the hard work of law enforcement who take all of these incidents seriously,” said Clark.

Clark pointed to several high-profile incidents which have targeted Jews in the United States in recent months. Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, Clark expressed concern that acts of antisemitism rise when people are angry about things individual people have no control over.

“Blaming Jews in the United States for things people aren’t happy with in Israel and Iran and Gaza. To blame any Jew in Milwaukee or Wisconsin or the United States for an action they have no control over first and foremost feeds into (antisemitism) and secondly creates a very dangerous, as we are seeing, environment for the community,” said Clark.

As cleanup work continues at Temple Menorah, Lerer said his congregation will work to move forward from this act of vandalism, even though it is challenging.

“We are going to continue. We are a very resilient people, been through a lot throughout the history of the world, and we will continue to be here,” said Lerer.