A St. Louis, Missouri area Reform synagogue was defaced with antisemitic graffiti that was discovered Tuesday morning, according to KSDK.
The graffiti on the monument sign in front of the building was discovered by staff at Congregation Temple Israel, located in the suburb of Creve Coeur.
Creve Coeur police believe an individual spray painted the antisemitic graffiti on the sign between Monday night and early Tuesday morning. They responded to a call about property damage at Temple Israel around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
While the graffiti was described as antisemitic, photos of the vandalism showed a word that is not legible. The incident is being treated as a possible antisemitic hate crime, according to the report.
The Creve Coeur Police Department Investigations Bureau described the case as an active investigation.
In December 2022, the FBI reported that hate crimes had increased by almost 70 percent in Missouri.
In November 2022, a man who admitted to threatening to blow up a different St. Louis Reform synagogue was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Cody Steven Rush, 30, was convicted of the crime after pleading guilty to threatening to blow up the Central Reform Congregation.