Recent findings from a debate in the Knesset shed new light on the extent of the damage to religious institutions in Israel.
Over the last five years, 39 investigations were launched due to synagogue arson, with more than half of these cases - 23 in total - being closed without resolution.
Seven of these incidents were classified as nationalist-motivated attacks.
During a discussion initiated by MK Simion Moshiashvili of Shas, it was revealed that the issue is even more widespread: alongside the arson cases, 18 cases related to the theft of Torah scrolls were opened, of which only five led to indictments. Fourteen of these thefts took place in synagogues and prayer sites.
"This is an unimaginable situation," Moshiashvili declared in the session. "The desecration of synagogues was always a symbol of Jewish persecution in the diaspora - it's inconceivable that this is occurring in the Jewish state. The response is silence, disdain, and apathy."
Minister Avi Dichter, responding on behalf of the government, pledged that the police are providing "prioritization and special attention" to these cases.
"When a single synagogue is attacked, it carries over to another place," he warned, "you are not harming a lone individual but an entire community."
At the conclusion of the session, it was decided to forward the issue to the National Security Committee for further address. "It's time to show a strong hand," Moshiashvili concluded, "and make it clear that those who dare to desecrate the sacred sites of Israel will face severe consequences."