A suspected hate crime has shaken a Missouri community after vandals torched three vehicles and spray-painted “Death to the IDF” outside the home of an American IDF lone soldier and his family in St. Louis. The Clayton Police Department confirmed the incident took place in the early hours of Tuesday morning, reports The Jerusalem Post.
No injuries were reported, but the driveway was defaced and the family’s cars were severely damaged by what authorities believe was a deliberate act of arson. The FBI and the St. Louis Regional Bomb and Arson Unit are assisting in the investigation, which police have labelled a “repulsive, offensive, and violent act.”
“We will not tolerate harassment, intimidation, or violence based on someone’s nationality, race, religion, or ideology,” said Clayton PD in a statement.
Leo Terrell, chair of the US Justice Department’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, posted on X: “I am outraged: antisemitic violence has no place in America – not in St. Louis, not anywhere.” He confirmed that he had contacted both the family and the FBI and alerted U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. “If you commit antisemitic hate crimes, you will be caught, and you will be held accountable.”
Several Jewish organisations issued a joint statement condemning the attack as “a hateful act of intimidation” and “the latest example of what happens when antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric are normalised.” The statement was signed by six major Jewish institutions, including the ADL, AJC, and the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.
The attack came on the same day the FBI released its 2024 Hate Crime Report, which confirmed Jews remain the most targeted religious group in the United States. A total of 1,938 anti-Jewish hate crimes were recorded against 2,237 victims—accounting for 69% of all religiously motivated attacks, up from 67% the year before.
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