Haifa residents were shocked by a disturbing break-in by
unidentified vandals at a school in the city.
On Sunday morning the teaching staff arrived to find
sifrei Tanach had been torn and burned, and crosses
sprayed on the writing board. The administration quickly
summoned police to the school.
Haifa Police Chief Dudu Ben Attia said as part of police
efforts to arrest the perpetrators he dispatched a mobile
forensics crime lab, investigators, patrolmen, detectives,
intelligence officers and juvenile investigators to the site.
Investigators say the act appears to have been done by
minors.
Haifa Mayor Yonah Yahav expressed shock over the incident and
called on the Haifa Police Commander to set up a special team
of investigators to bring the perpetrators to justice. "There
have been previous incidents of break-ins at schools in the
city," said Mayor Yahav, "but here red lines of vandalism and
evil intent have been crossed. Burning sifrei Tanach
brings to mind dark ages in human history. I believe the
police will succeed in capturing those who carried out this
act and prosecute them to the full extent of the law."
One year ago a similar incident took place at the beis
knesses in Haifa's Kiryat Eliezer neighborhood when
vandals broke windows and light fixtures and spray-painted
crosses. A short time later suspects were arrested and put on
trial.
