Los Angles police (illustrative)
Los Angles police (illustrative)iStock

The Hebrew Discovery Center (HDC) in Woodland Hills, California, was splattered with white pant earlier this week.

The Los Angeles Police Department is searching for the suspects. Damages are expected to reach up to $10,000.

Los Angeles City councilman Bob Blumenfield tweeted: "This is sickening. We’re checking with LAPD now for case details. From tagging synagogues in the West Valley, to raising Turkish flags at Armenian schools, over the past few years we have seen a rise in anti-Semitism and hate crimes against many minority groups in the SFV."

Canyon News quoted Representative Brad Sherman, who said: "We have seen an increase around the country in anti-Semitic incidents, and those responsible should be brought to justice and be fully prosecuted. I am urging local law enforcement and the FBI to increase their efforts to combat the targeting of places of worship, schools, and community centers in the San Fernando Valley."

HDC Founder and Director Rabbi Netanel Louie told the Canyon News that "this isn’t the first time the establishment has been vandalized." He told the Jewish Journal that the vandals were apparently attempting to write something with the paint, until passersby noticed their actions and called the police, forcing them to flee the scene.

"It's a hate crime," he told the Journal confidently. He added that the synagogue will hire an extra security guard, buy an extra firearm and train staff to use it, and only members will be allowed to enter the building.

HDC provides Jewish education for every age, the Canyon News noted.

In both 2016 and 2018, an intruder entering the synagogue shouted "kill Jews."