(JTA) — The front window of the New Mexico Holocaust Museum in downtown Albuquerque was shattered in an act of vandalism.
The incident took place during the funeral of Georgia Rep. John Lewis on July 30. The museum’s window featured a poster of a large photo of an early 1960s civil rights march.
The head of the museum does not think it is a coincidence.
Executive Director Leon Natker told the Albuquerque Journal that the vandalism “makes the point for why it’s necessary to have this museum – why now, more than ever, this kind of cultural institution is necessary in our current dialogue.”
The museum’s logo says it is “Eliminating Hate and Intolerance One Mind At A Time.”
Closed for renovations at the time of the attack, the museum is scheduled to reopen on Sept. 1.
The window will cost about $1,000 to replace. In the wake of the attack, the museum also is trying to raise $2,000 to upgrade security.
