Chicago, IL, January 12, 2009 ... The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today condemned the targeting of five Chicagoland area Jewish institutions with anti-Israel and anti-Semitic graffiti in apparent response to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

"These acts of anti-Semitic vandalism against our local Jewish institutions are despicable and cowardly and clearly have no place in Chicago," said Lonnie Nasatir, ADL Regional Director.  "We applaud law enforcement for taking these incidents seriously and treating them as hate crimes, and we hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice.  Together, we must send a message that our community stands united against the haters and that acts of intimidation will not be tolerated."

Nasatir continued: "We saw a similar spike in anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incidents in Chicago and across the country during the Lebanon campaign in 2006 and following the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada in 2000.  It is a sad statement that events taking place across the globe can reverberate in acts of hate in our local community."

The League is working closely with law enforcement and the Jewish community as the investigation proceeds.  ADL's experts are providing information and assistance to investigators working to solve the case.

In conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security and the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, ADL will hold an all-day training on how to safeguard Jewish institutions on January 14, 2009.