Shaare Tefila is a vibrant Jewish congregation founded in Northeast D.C. About 60 years ago, Shaare Tefila moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, and 20 years ago, the congregation settled in Olney, Maryland. Shaare Tefila is a conservative Jewish synagogue dedicated to community and Jewish learning. 

This past week, the synagogue was the target of an antisemitic vandalism incident, continuing a troubling pattern of hate directed at Jewish institutions. 

Head Rabbi Jonah Layman has been leading the congregation for 32 years. He shared that Shaare Tefilla set the precedent for protecting Jewish communities and institutions against racial discrimination under civil rights legislation over 40 years ago.

In November 1982, John William Cobb and his affiliates desecrated the walls of Shaare Tefila’s Silver Spring building with antisemitic speech. Cobb was later described in court as a white supremacist. The congregation filed suit under federal civil rights laws and the case eventually reached the Supreme Court in a landmark victory, ruling that Jews are protected under civil rights legislation prohibiting racial discrimination. 

These incidents are two of three vandalism incidents at Shaare Tefila over the past 44 years. Layman said that the synagogue’s “We stand with Israel” sign was defaced with the words “Free Gaza” in 2025, but did not receive national attention. 

On Feb. 10, Layman received a call from Craig Zucker, a Maryland state senator districted to the Olney area and member of Shaare Tefila, who told him three signs in front of the synagogue had been desecrated. Zucker’s son, who had attended Shaare Tefila’s preschool, saw the defaced signs on his way to school and called his father. When Layman arrived, he saw three signs spray-painted blue. 

Shaare Tefila’s permanent sign with the name and address of the synagogue was defaced with an anti-Zionist slogan, “AZAB,” which stands for all zionists are bastards, and a swastika. A banner reading “hate has no home here” in five languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, and English, was also defaced with “AZAB.”

Layman said the synagogue is in the process of replacing its banners and restoring its permanent sign. Despite initial anger, he was not surprised by the incident.

“I kind of understood that it was inevitable…I’m actually surprised that this is only the second time since Israel’s war with Hamas began that we haven’t had more graffiti,” Layman said.

He attributes this to the widespread anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiment that has exploded over the last two and a half years. Rabbi Layman walked out of this incident knowing that the only right path is to move forward. 

“You go into action, you take care of it, and you move on. Moving on doesn’t mean not replacing the signs. Moving on means replacing the signs, standing with pride about what our Jewish identity is and who we are as a congregation,” Layman said.

Layman used commitment to Israel and the Jewish community as tenets for how his congregation will push back against antisemitism.

“​​Ve’ahavta l’reyakha kamokha. That’s what ‘hate has no home here’ means… If those signs keep getting defaced, we’re gonna keep on replacing them, because it’s who we are,” Layman said.

Rabbi Layman continues to show compassion in the face of antisemitism, seeing the Shema as a key guiding principle in his Jewish life. He balances that with the importance of lifting the congregation up after the synagogue was defaced. 

“We are here to support one another, and to make us feel proud of who we are. We do not cower in the face of intimidation. We stand up proud as Jewish Americans expressing our faith through action,” Layman said.

Layman’s message moving forward addressed the persistence of antisemitic rhetoric on social media, which can incite actions like the synagogue defacing.

“Know that right always wins in the end. It takes a long time and we might not see it soon, but it is worth fighting for. Keep on fighting for it,” Layman said.

More than four decades after the landmark case Shaare Tefila v Cobb, Shaare Tefila continues to stand as a place of worship. The synagogue has already helped shape American civil rights law for the Jewish community, and the future will likely continue to reflect that resilience.