Vandalized Mandeville synagogue to host support gathering Sunday
The Northshore Jewish Congregation is hosting a community support gathering at 4 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 16) in response to the spray painting of anti-Semitic messages on the Mandeville synagogue's building this month.
A spokeswoman for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, Caitrin Gladow, said Sunday that all are welcome to join the congregation as they "gather in a show of communal support to stand against hate, anti-Semitism, and prejudice of any kind." St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister is expected to be in attendance, as well as Northshore Jewish Congregation president Jeremy Shalett and synagogue Rabbi Alexis Pinsky.
Vandals spray-painted "Synagogue of Satan" on the back wall of the brick building on 1403 N. Causeway Blvd. on Sept. 5, according to Mandeville police. The message also included swastikas and the numbers 14/88.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, 1488 is a combination of two popular white supremacist numeric symbols. The number 14 is shorthand for the 14-word slogan: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children," according to the organization. The No. 88 stands for "Heil Hitler," with H being the eighth letter of the alphabet.
Read more: https://www.nola.com/northshore/index.ssf/2018/09/mandeville_synagogue_gathering.html
An anti-Semitic message on the wall at Northshore Jewish Congregation on North Causeway Boulevard in Mandeville on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018. (Robert Rhoden, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)