Alaska bill making church and synagogue vandalism a felony is signed into law

Rabbi Mendy Greenberg, who leads nan Chabad congregation successful Palmer, speaks astatine a bill-signing ceremonial held Tuesday astatine nan Lubavitch Jewish Center of Alaska. The measure makes vandalism of religous sites a people C felony. Listening is Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, who sponsored nan bill, and Rabbi Yosef Greenberg, Mendy Greenberg’s father, who leads nan Anchorage congregation. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)

Vandalism of houses of believe and different belief sites is now a felony, nether a bill that was signed into rule connected Tuesday by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

The measure, House Bill 238, was signed successful a ceremonial astatine the Lubavitch Jewish Center of Alaska, a field successful Anchorage that is location to an Orthodox Jewish congregation, a preschool and a depository devoted to Alaska’s Jewish history.

It was besides nan tract of caller antisemitic vandalism, portion of a national inclination of expanding attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions.

Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, nan bill’s sponsor, said astir that trend, arsenic good arsenic a shape of attacks against Muslims, mosques and Muslim institutions. The Council of American Islamic Relations reported that complaints of favoritism and attacks against Muslims and Palestinians accrued by 56% from 2022 to 2023, he said.

“So you tin spot nan request for this benignant of bill,” he said.

The caller law, which classifies specified vandalism and desecration arsenic a people C felony alternatively of a people A misdemeanor, addresses intentional acts, Josephson said. “This requires much than an accident. This is not nan shot ball errantly kicked done a model by a kid adjacent door. This is thing much knowing than that. It requires a important probability that personification knew that what they were doing would harm a belief acquisition aliases a spot of worship,” he said.

He acknowledged immoderate concerns astir imaginable “overreach,” but noted that defendants successful these cases would stay eligible for suspended sentences.

A class C felony in Alaska is punishable by a jailhouse word of up to 5 years and a good of up to $50,000. A class A misdemeanor in Alaska is punishable by a jailhouse word of up to 1 twelvemonth and a good of up to $25,000. The caller rule defines attacks connected belief sites arsenic felony criminal mischief.

Also speaking astatine nan arena were 3 rabbis: Yosef Greenberg, Levi Glitsenstein and Mendy Greenberg.

Rabbi Yosef Greenberg said astir a 2021 incident at nan Jewish field successful which swastika stickers were affixed to nan museum, arsenic good arsenic explosive threats that forced preschoolers to evacuate nan building. “Other communities person suffered arsenic well,” he said, mentioning caller incidents astatine churches.

Rabbi Mendy Greenberg drew a parallel betwixt beingness unwellness and destructive behaviour of vandalism against belief property. “Society tin person illnesses, truthful group tin make antagonistic choices, bad decisions.” said nan younger Greenberg, who is Yosef Greenberg’s boy and leader of a congregation based successful Palmer. The caller rule addresses specified illnesses erstwhile they break out, he said. “Hopefully, this measure will beryllium a deterrence for group that person specified ideas, specified sick ideas successful their mind that they will not spell up and do this knowing that there’s a much terrible punishment,” he said.

Beyond deterring nan behavior, location is “a much successful measurement of dealing pinch illness, which is to make judge group don’t get sick successful nan first place” by ensuring that group are civilized and tolerant, he said.