Jerusalem, October 24, 2007 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) strongly condemned the torching early Wednesday of a church in central Jerusalem.

The church belongs to the Baptist community, and is also shared by several congregations including Russian, English and Hebrew speaking Christians.

ADL's Israel Office issued the following statement:

The Anti-Defamation League strongly condemned this arson and apparent hate crime. We urged authorities to do everything in their power to protect all religious sites and see that the perpetrators of the crime are brought to justice.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.