No leads in Edison swastika incident

Edison police say they have no leads after a spray-painted swastika appeared on a political lawn sign at the home of Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg.

Rosenberg, religious leader at Congregation Beth-El, said he found the graffiti Oct. 7 on a sign for Councilman Thomas Lankey posted on his front lawn.

Detective Jeff Tierney, who is investigating the case, said an alert had been sent to all surrounding law enforcement agencies. In an Oct. 16 e-mail to Rosenberg, Tierney also said undercover units, the patrol division, and the detective bureau have increased patrols in the area.

“We remain vigilant in our effort to identify a suspect for this heinous crime,” wrote Tierney, who said that it appeared it was not painted by the same suspect who scrawled a swastika-like symbol on a campaign sign for another Edison mayoral candidate, Councilman Sudhanshu Prasad, several weeks before. However, the connection would be explored if a suspect were found in either case, he said.

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Rosenberg, whose parents survived Auschwitz and who was born in a displaced persons’ camp in Germany after the war, said it appeared to him the word “Jew,” was also scrawled on the sign.

“They’re never going to find anyone,” said Rosenberg, who has several times before said he was targeted for his outspokenness on anti-Semitism, Israel, and politics.

Rosenberg’s synagogue was the target of a graffiti attack on Yom Kippur in 2009. That and several other swastika incidents over the last several years at Edison sites — including a playground, a Lexus dealership, and a school — remain unsolved.