By Irvine City News staff

The vandal who sprayed anti-Semitic expletives on the walls of Irvine's Beth Jacob Synagogue has yet to be apprehended. In response, the Irvine community has joined together to strongly proclaim that hatred and hate crimes in our diverse city will not be tolerated. The Irvine City Council added $5,000 to the $5,000 reward offered by the Anti-Defamation League for information leading to the arrest of the suspect seen in a video vandalizing the wall of the congregation. The crime occurred just days after 11 people were killed at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. The incident at Beth Jacob also followed similar vandalism at Irvine Valley College. "Anti-Semitism cannot be acceptable in this country," Irvine Mayor Don Wagner said. "It will not be ignored in Irvine." Irvine City Councilmember Melissa Fox eloquently summed up our community's outrage and unified response to hatred on her website: "Anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred have no place in our community. We are proud of the fact that Irvine is one of the most multicultural and harmonious cities in the world. There are no ethnic, linguistic, religious, or cultural enclaves in Irvine; every neighborhood reflects Irvine's harmonious ethnic, linguistic, religious, and cultural diversity. Irvine is also home to more than 80 different churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship, serving Irvine's wonderful cultural and religious diversity." Irvine City News joins with the Irvine Police Department, the city leadership, staff, citizens, and the faith community in condemning hatred and divisiveness in the city. Anyone with any information regarding the Beth Jacob Synagogue vandalism, please contact Irvine Police Department Detective Dave Tran at (949) 724-7098, dtran@cityofirvine.org . Or submit a tip anonymously by calling Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS. "Someone out there knows the identity of this cowardly suspect," said Irvine Police Chief Mike Hamel. "It is my hope th at the generous reward offered by the ADL and now the Irvine City Council will motivate a witness to come forward. Meanwhile, our detectives continue to aggressively investigate this malicious hate crime. We remain committed to bringing the suspect to justice."