denver (ap) | So many volunteers showed up at Denver’s BMH-BJ Congregation, which had been covered with swastikas and Nazi symbols, that people had to stand in line for a turn with a brush and a can of paint thinner.
“This is a place for everyone,” said Doug Mix, who is not a member of the congregation. “That is why everyone is here. There are Christians, Jews, Muslims and people who are not religious. We all came out here because America is still America, and we don’t tolerate this.”
A custodian for the synagogue discovered about 10 markings when he arrived for his morning shift. Holocaust survivor Fanny Starr had seen the graffiti on a recent Saturday morning.
“I was just shaking and broke down,” she said. “All the wounds, the old wounds starting open again.”
In 2002, anti-Semitic incidents rose 8 percent nationwide over the previous year, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Colorado had 35 anti-Semitic incidents.