Chicago Loop Synagogue vandalized with swastikas

A hate crime investigation is underway after the front window of the Chicago Loop Synagogue was smashed by a vandal who affixed swastikas to its front entrance early Saturday.

Officers responded at 12:20 a.m. to a call of “criminal damage in progress” at the temple at 16 S. Clark St., according to Chicago Police.

Surveillance video shows someone getting out of a dark-colored SUV, possibly a Toyota Highlander, and placing two swastika stickers on the front doors, police said. Then he takes out a metal object and smashes a plate glass window.

The suspect is described as a white male wearing dark clothing and a dark face mask, police said.

Community activist Raul Montes Jr. on Sunday announced a reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the vandal.

The American Jewish Committee’s Chicago office condemned the attack, saying the incident comes amid a rise in incidents of anti-Semitism across the country.

“The Chicago Jewish community will not be intimidated by anti-Semitic attacks on a house of worship,” AJC Chicago Director Amy Stoken said. “The right of all religious groups to practice their faith without fear is a fundamental American value. Chicagoans must speak together clearly that the hatred behind this destructive behavior will never be accepted.”

No one was in custody Saturday night as Area Central detectives investigated the vandalism as a hate crime.