Philadelphia Jewish Museum vandalism leaves leaders frustrated as anti‑Semitic incidents continue

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History was vandalized for the second time in a year, prompting renewed concern from Jewish leaders as anti-Semitic incidents continue.

Philadelphia police say a male wrote an anti-Semitic message on the OY/YO sculpture outside the Old City museum shortly before 8:15 p.m. Thursday.

The graffiti has since been removed, but community leaders say the damage goes beyond the physical.

Andrew Goretsky, senior regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the repeated targeting of the museum reflects a troubling trend.

"This is incredibly frustrating, but unfortunately not surprising," he said.

State Rep. Tarik Khan reported the incident to police.

"It just turned my stomach," he said.

Khan added that the community must respond collectively.

"Whether you're Jewish or not, I think people realize that we must stand out against hate in our community," Khan said. "We can't tolerate hate, and when we see something that's wrong, we have to stand up."

Nearly one year ago, a suspect spray-painted the museum's facade, plaza and an Israeli flag.

Goretsky said the broader rise in vandalism is alarming. He noted that in 2025, Pennsylvania recorded 80 incidents of vandalism, compared to 29 in 2022.

"As a Jewish community, we are not going to hide who we are, and we are going to continue to survive and thrive despite these targeted attacks," he said.

Goretsky outlined three steps he believes are essential to combating hate.

"We need leaders to be speaking out and condemning this behavior. We also need individuals to not sit on the sidelines. People need to be reporting it," he said. "And the last thing is, people need to educate themselves. There is a lot of disinformation and misinformation out there."

Police say they have surveillance footage of the suspect committing the vandalism and later boarding a train at a nearby station.

Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities.