(Jewish Group) My temple was broken into and a Torah was desecrated.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

9. Updated email from Temple

Here is an updated email that I got tonight. The damage to the Torah may have been overstated.

January 21, 2023

For the thousands of people who make their home at Congregation Emanu El, our synagogue is a spiritual oasis in the center of Houston: a place where we can return time and again to be comforted and strengthened, replenished by the deep stores of Jewish tradition and the warm hospitality of a genuinely welcoming community. Our synagogue is a place where we can bring our deepest hopes and most profound yearnings; it provides opportunities for us to celebrate our lives’ greatest joys and most difficult struggles. It is precisely by opening ourselves up to vulnerability and tenderness that we allow our synagogue to do its most effective work – but for this same reason, if our synagogue ever becomes a place where we feel unsafe or insecure, the pain of that breach becomes even more acute and hurtful.

The events of this past week have made many of us feel frightened and concerned about our safety and that of our most precious loved ones. Over the past few days, we have heard from many of you who have expressed your feelings in earnest and heartfelt ways. We have listened to you carefully, we are grateful for your candor and for your openness, and we, too, have spent this week feeling anxious and concerned as the details of the recent security issues have unfolded.

In this message, which we acknowledge is quite lengthy, we will be providing an update on these security incidents and sharing some of the initial lessons we have learned from our ongoing investigation into these events. Before going into detail about the specifics of these cases, we want to let you know that we have every reason to believe that our campus is safe for you and your families, and that all classes and programs at Emanu El this week will continue as scheduled.

First, here’s a summary of what we know about the events of the past week:
• In the early-morning hours of Saturday, January 14, there was a break-in at the temple building. The intruder spent approximately six hours in our building. She was able to remain undetected during this time because our alarm system had been deactivated while scheduled maintenance was being conducted during the evening. Once the alarm was set, around 3:00 am, the intruder was able to avoid detection until our security guards arrived.
• We are continuing to determine the extent of the damage caused by the intruder, including the broken window, wine which was spilled on the back of a Torah scroll and on the carpeting, etc. At this time, however, we can confirm that the details and scope of the damage which have been described in local news reports were exaggerated and inaccurate.
• Once the intruder was discovered, our security personnel detained her until Houston Police officers arrived to arrest her. After her arrest, she was released on bond and forbidden from being within 1500 feet of the congregation.
• On Monday, after her release, this individual posted content to her social media accounts which were upsetting and concerning to members of our community who encountered them online.

The email goes on to describe increase security for the Temple and the fact that the person was apprehended on Saturday and is in jail without bond.

I will call my law partner tomorrow and find out what he has been told