Republican Texas Rep. Monica De La Cruz said that her district office in McAllen, Texas, was vandalized this week with anti-Israel slogans.
Some of the slogans placed outside the building included “Israel is doing genocide and you support it,” “Israel kills Jews too” and “Monica murders,” according to De La Cruz’s Thursday tweet. The south Texas congresswoman said her office is in contact with local law enforcement and that she is in personal contact with rabbis in the area “to offer them my full support.”
“They’re attacking me because even though South Texas has a small but vibrant Jewish community, I have been a vocal ally of our Jewish brothers and sisters in light of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Let me be crystal clear: These acts of vandalism will never intimidate me, silence me, or stop me from opposing anti-semitism and supporting Israel’s right to defend itself,” De La Cruz said in the tweet.
“South Texans stand against hate and violence in all its forms and we remain committed to the safety and well-being of all our residents,” De La Cruz continued.
Anti-Jewish hate crimes in the U.S. increased more than 37% in 2022 with 11,634 incidents, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
“Reported hate crime incidents across the country have once again reached record highs, with anti-Jewish hate crimes at a number not seen in decades,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said of the data. “At a time when the Jewish community is already reeling in the wake of a terrorist attack that constituted the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, the reality of this data is incredibly sobering. And yet, these numbers are not surprising. They are consistent with ADL’s own data and the trends we have been monitoring for years.”
The McAllen Police Department could not be reached for comment.
Jennie Taer on November 9, 2023
