REWARD GROWS IN APPARENT HATE CRIME ANTI-SEMITISM: A JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER AND RESIDENCE ARE THE TARGETS OF FIREBOMBINGS.Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer They snuck snuck v. Usage Problem A past tense and a past participle of sneak. See Usage Note at sneak. around under the cover of darkness last week and lobbed a Molotov cocktail at a West Valley Jewish center. Less than an hour later, someone threw another firebomb at the home of a Jewish family and ripped a sacred mezuza mezuza doorpost ornament, thought by primitive Jews to protect them from harm. [Judaism: Rosten, 239] See : Charms from the door frame. Although the first attack was caught on tape, police have yet to find the perpetrators. So Wednesday, city officials announced a $95,000 reward for information leading to whoever did it, calling the attacks cowardly acts of intimidation. "What were the criminals in this case trying to do? They were trying to intimidate in·tim·i·date tr.v. in·tim·i·dat·ed, in·tim·i·dat·ing, in·tim·i·dates 1. To make timid; fill with fear. 2. To coerce or inhibit by or as if by threats. Jews," said Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. City Councilman Jack Weiss Jack Weiss, is a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 5th district. Weiss was elected in 2001 and reelected in 2005. The 5th district includes parts of the Westside and the San Fernando Valley. , whose own office was vandalized with anti-Semitic slurs and swastikas in May. "They were trying to cause us in Los Angeles who are Jewish to live in fear. ... We are not afraid. We won't be intimidated." The first incident Feb. 18 occurred at the Bernard Milken Jewish Community Campus, the hub of San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. Jewish organizations. That and the attack on the West Hills home are both being investigated as hate crimes, marking three incidents within two months targeting Jews in the West Valley. Last year, hate crimes rose citywide, with those directed against Jews jumping 67 percent, from 24 in 2006 to 40 in 2007. "It's always going to be troubling," said Matthew Friedman Matthew Friedman is a musician, singer and performer from New York, New York. In January of 2006, he became the Piano Man in the First National Touring Company of Billy Joel and Twyla Tharp's acclaimed musical, Movin' Out, a role which he performed until the tour's end in January , associate director for the Anti-Defamation League's Pacific Southwest region. But he said the league, which tracks hate crimes, has not seen anti-Semitism increasing. "It's reassuring for us that law enforcement and local government responded so strongly," he said. Nobody was injured in the 2 a.m. attack at the center in the 22600 block of Vanowen Street. The Molotov cocktail, which landed near some ivy, left no damage other than a soot-stained wall. And there were no other threats made against the center. But officials said they believe the firebombing Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire from a incendiary device, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs. might be related to a subsequent attack in West Hills where a light-color Volkswagen Beetle This article is about the original Volkswagen Beetle. For the one introduced in 1997, see Volkswagen New Beetle. The Volkswagen Type 1, more commonly known as the Beetle was seen leaving the scene. "All crimes and acts of vandalism against any religious group or house of worship Noun 1. house of worship - any building where congregations gather for prayer house of God, house of prayer, place of worship bethel - a house of worship (especially one for sailors) are taken very seriously and given the highest priority by us in elected office and our law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). ," said Councilman Dennis Zine, who represents the area. Zine, who first responded to the attack at the center with a $50,000 reward, called a news conference Wednesday to show the surveillance camera footage and announced that federal officials had added an additional $45,000 to his original reward. In January, vandals painted swastikas and anti-Semitic remarks along a residential wall in Tarzana, prompting city officials to offer a separate $50,000 reward. "We must apprehend the urban terrorists responsible for these horrific attacks," Zine said. Federal and local authorities investigating the case say the video captured footage of one person throwing the Molotov cocktail near the center's auditorium, which during the day hosts various programs and forums. It's unclear whether the suspect is male or female, but police described the person as white, 18 to 20 years old with a thin build. At the time, the suspect was wearing a light-color, hooded sweat jacket. A second suspect, also captured on video, is described as a white male around the same age, with a thin build and short, dark hair. He was wearing a white tank top and light-color pants. "What happens is that people start looking at a pattern and ask, 'What's going on here?'" said Carol Koransky, executive director of the Jewish Federation A Jewish Federation is a confederation of various Jewish social agencies, volunteer programs, educational bodies, and related organizations, found within most cities in North America that host a viable Jewish community. Valley Alliance, whose offices are housed in the center. "But I think the community has an attitude that we are not going to be intimidated." She said nothing has changed at the center, where hundreds visit daily. It hosts fundraising efforts for several Jewish organizations that sponsor everything from food pantries to scholarships. "What law enforcement and the city is saying is: We are not going to stand around and let it happen," Koransky said. rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com 818-713-3741 WHO TO CALL Anyone with information can call the LAPD's Criminal Conspiracy Section at 213-485-2000, or the Los Angeles Fire Department's Arson Section at 213-485-6095. CAPTION(S): box Box: WHO TO CALL (see text) |
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