A Jewish community center in Kansas City, Missouri was vandalized during Hanukkah, with the vandals trashing books and papers, destroying electrical wiring and leaving extensive water damage.
“There is nothing more disturbing than walking into the Chabad house for an early morning Torah class and finding the place torn up,” Rabbi Yitzchak Itkin posted to Facebook. “That was my reality this week.”
The vandals caused thousands of dollars worth of damage, including throwing around books and paper, destroying electric wiring and leaving water damage, the Associated Press reported
In some rooms, cabinet doors were ripped off their hinges, and there were areas full of standing water, according to a report from KSHB news.
Kansas City Police were called to the scene after receiving reports of broken glass and a black SUV parked outside the building. Later in the day, officers spotted what they believed was the same SUV but it drove away when they attempted to stop it.
Rabbi Itkin said that the Torah and other religious texts did not sustain damage.
The Chabad house is raising money for repairs, and a search is underway for a temporary building for the community center while plumbing and electrical work takes place.