Did you know? The Patriot Post is funded 100% by its readers. Help us stay front and center in the fight for Liberty and support the 2024 Year-End Campaign.

August 15, 2015

Pastor Defends Texas Jewish Neighborhood After Night of Terror

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says they have identified at least one person they believe is responsible for terrorizing a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in San Antonio. Dozens of homes and cars were vandalized August 12 with anti-Semitic graffiti and rocks. Swastikas were spray-painted on Jewish memorials, the letters “KKK” and other racially charged language. The word “Jew” was plastered across an SUV. The attack has been classified as a hate crime but so far no formal charges have been filed, police said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says they have identified at least one person they believe is responsible for terrorizing a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in San Antonio.

Dozens of homes and cars were vandalized August 12 with anti-Semitic graffiti and rocks. Swastikas were spray-painted on Jewish memorials, the letters “KKK” and other racially charged language. The word “Jew” was plastered across an SUV.

The attack has been classified as a hate crime but so far no formal charges have been filed, police said.

“This is not just graffiti, this is an orchestrated effort to try to intimidate an entire community of people based on their religious beliefs and we cannot stand for it,” State Sen. Jose Menedez said in a prepared statement to MySanAntonio.com.

The attack targeted members of Congregation Rodfei Sholom, an Orthodox synagogue which serves some 300 families. Rabbi Arieh Scheinberg tells me that many of the families live nearby so they can walk to synagogue on the Sabbath.

“We are very openly Jewish in that community,” he said — stunned that someone would desecrate a Jewish neighborhood. “We’ve never had any problems in the past.”

The attack prompted swift action from two of the nation’s most prominent supporters of Israel — Christians United for Israel and John Hagee — the pastor of San Antonio’s Cornerstone Church.

“An attack on the Jewish community should be considered an attack on the Christian community,” Hagee told me. “I came immediately to the rabbi’s office to stand with him expressing my solidarity with his congregation and the Jewish community of San Antonio.”

The attack infuriated the mega-church pastor and he called on the anti-Semites to turn themselves in — “Because we are going to find you.”

“Any time there is this kind of hateful act toward our citizens, Christians and Jews are going to unite and continue to press the issue until we have complete resolution,” Hagee said. “We are going to stand very forcefully — right now. We want to send a message — this is not going to be tolerated — not paint, not bricks tomorrow, not blood later. It stops right here and it stops dead in its tracks.”

Rabbi Scheinberg said he was grateful for Pastor Hagee’s friendship and the support of CUFI.

“They have been a global source of inspiration and encouragement to the Jewish people,” the rabbi told me. “To imagine that a world leader like John Hagee would stop his busy schedule to be with us and to give support…”

Folks who live in the neighborhood are busy trying to repair the damage and wash away the hateful messages. But in spite of the attack, Rabbi Scheinberg said his congregation remains steadfast.

“As Jews — we are used to not being intimidated by any type of assault,” he told me. “We know that the best thing we could do is continue — and this Sabbath I believe we will have more people than in many weeks before.”

Good will overcome evil, the rabbi said. Love will overpower hatred.

And as Congregation Rodfei Sholom worships God on Saturday — they can do so knowing that the FBI, the Texas Rangers and Pastor John Hagee have their back.


Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. His latest book is “God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values.” Follow Todd on Twitter @ToddStarnes and find him on Facebook.

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.