A hate crime investigation has been launched into the vandalism of a Chicago synagogue, CBS News reported Saturday. The front window of the Chicago Loop Synagogue was smashed by a vandal who affixed swastikas to the building's entrance, the report said. Chicago Police are investigating the case as a hate crime. The Chicago Tribune reported that the police had released surveillance video of the incident, in which the suspect, masked, is seen getting out of a dark-colored SUV, and placing the swastika stickers on the door. He is then seen taking a metal object and smashing the window. Chicago's Loop Synagogue, founded nearly 90 years ago, is one of the city's central synagogues. The American Jewish Committee denounced the incident. In a statement issued Saturday, AJC Chicago Director Amy Stoken said, "The Chicago Jewish community will not be intimidated by anti-Semitic attacks on a house of worship. 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."
