A swastika sticker found on the parking lot sign of a New Jersey synagogue has been swiftly rebuked by local community leaders who are calling for unity.
The sticker featuring a swastika and the phrase “We are everywhere” was discovered at Adath Emanu-El Synagogue in Mount Laurel on Sunday, police said. They believed that the sticker had been there for some time and gone unnoticed until now.
The anti-Semitic act was denounced by Jewish community leaders and local officials, including Mount Laurel Mayor Stephen Steglik, who called it “disgusting” and said it did not represent the community, the Courier Post reported.
"There are more people who denounce hate than there are who promote it,” Steglik said. “It’s disgusting. There’s no other word for it, especially as our neighbors and friends and families are wrapping up the holiday season for Hanukkah.”
Adath Emanu-El said in a post on its Facebook page that “we must choose light amid the darkness.”
They went ahead with a scheduled outdoor Hanukkah service on Sunday night but with a police presence.
In another Facebook post, the synagogue wrote that the menorah lighting event was "an inspiring show of support and community.”
Rep. Andy Kim, who lives in next door Moorestown, tweeted on Sunday that the sticker was initially discovered by a six-grader.
"As we reach the end of Hanukkah, I ask that you join me to show that love and unity are everywhere, not hate," he wrote.
In a Facebook post, Mount Laurel police denounced the incident.
"We are saddened by the message of hate placed at the synagogue to intimidate our Jewish community,” they wrote. "Finding this symbol of hate is especially troubling during the holiday season when we are meant to reflect on what is good in the world and in our lives.”