Los Angeles synagogue vandalized during protest, LAPD says

A Los Angeles synagogue was vandalized during a protest on Wednesday morning. 

The Los Angeles Police Department said the protest happened at about 10 a.m. outside of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Koreatown. Officers arrested two people, one for battery and another for vandalism.

Mayor Karen Bass denounced the vandalism, calling the action "abhorrent and has no place in Los Angeles."

"I received reports that individuals interrupted a private event at the historic Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Koreatown, calling attendees anti-semitic names and damaging property inside the temple," Bass wrote in a statement. "I spoke with Rabbi Nickerson to ensure he and his congregation know that the City of Los Angeles stands with them and fully condemns these attacks. I am grateful to the LAPD officers who addressed this disturbance. Additional LAPD officers have been deployed to patrol near areas of worship."

Rabbi Joel Nickerson wrote in a statement that the temple was hosting an event "focusing on advancing public safety in Koreatown."  

"We appreciate the strong support we have received from elected leaders and law enforcement and look forward to working with them to ensure that those responsible for this hateful and illegal conduct are held accountable," Nickerson wrote in a statement. "No one should be targeted in the City of Los Angeles on account of their faith."  

The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles also denounced the vandalism. 

"We are outraged and condemn this antisemitic behavior in the strongest of terms," spokesperson Aram Goldberg wrote. "There is no place in our community — or anywhere — for antisemitism and hate disguised as dissent."