Rabbi Shmulik Moscowitz of the Chabad of Flagstaff in Arizona told the Journal in a March 29 phone interview that the anti-Semitic vandalism that occurred at their construction site is a “setback” for their planned building.
On March 25, swastikas were found painted on the windows of the construction site and carved onto the walls.
“They just broke a bunch of different things, smashed a bunch of tools, and put mortar and threw it all over the place and smeared equipment in the kitchen with the mortar, just made a really big mess and caused a lot of damage,” Moscowitz said.
Moscowitz added that the cost of the damages was going to be “a lot more than” the initial $1,000 estimates the police had listed.
“It’s a real setback because we’ve been in construction for 16 months,” Moscowitz said.
The Chabad has been building its Molly Blank Center, a Jewish community center that is going to be 12,500 square feet and feature a shul, library, social hall, arts and crafts center, a sukkah plaza and a playground area.
“It’s a big project, it’s something that the community is very, very proud of,” Moscowitz said.
The center was on schedule to be completed by April 26; after the vandalism occurred, Moscowitz said they’re hoping to have a grand opening happen sometime in the summer.
Moscowitz said that the Flagstaff community has been supportive of the Chabad; Jake Bacon, the chief photographer of the Arizona Daily Sun, started a campaign members of the community to create hearts made out of cardboard and put silver foil over them with messages “of love and support.” Moscowitz said the Chabad has received “hundreds” of these.
“It’s an amazing thing to see a community come together and be so positive and so supporting when something like this happens, and in general, the whole thing really reinforces us to just keep doing what we’re doing and reach out to everyone in community in love and acceptance for who they are,” Moscowitz said. “And it just makes us want to open our doors even sooner.”
People can donate to the Chabad of Flagstaff at https://www.charidy.com/beyondhate.
