Temple Emanu-El Graffiti Vandal in Metallica T-shirt Sought by Cops
The incident—a possible hate crime— involving red markers and a mysterious eye symbol occurred on July 14.
| 29 Jul 2024 | 05:40
So I Dub Thee Unforgiven: Surveillance photo of the suspected Temple Emanu-El vandal. (
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Call it a heavy metal blunder.
A likely anti-Semite in a black Metallica t-shirt defaced Temple Emanu-El on 1 East 65th Street near 5th Avenue in the early hours of July 14, according to police, who revealed the incident on July 23.
The unidentified vandal, whose act was caught on nearby security cameras, used a red marker to draw what appeared to be a red eye on the edifice of the renowned Reform congregation. The temple is also home to the Bernard Museum of Judaica.
The marker wielding metal fan fled on foot and remains at large.
The meaning of the red eye or the perpetrator’s motive are both unclear, though it’s likely they are related to Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas. The red eye—if that is indeed what the vandal intended to draw—has thematic links with the red paint used to symbolize spattered blood and the inverted red triangle that are a common sight at pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas protests.
That the suspected vandal would wear a Metallica t-shirt at all is ironic.
Metallica has performed in Israel three times to date: 1993 in Tel Aviv; 1999 in Ramat Gam, just east of that city; and again in 2010 in Tel Aviv. Though none of the band members are themselves Jewish, drummer Lars Ullrich’s paternal grandmother, Ulla Meyer, was from a Jewish family.
Further, Metallica’s iconic song, “Creeping Death,” is inspired by the Passover scene in the 1956 movie The Ten Commandments, which Metallica singer, rhythm guitarist and lyricist James Hetfield watched repeatedly.
According to a Scott Ian (born Scott Ian Rosenfeld), a friend of Metallica, and also guitarist and songwriter for the New York City thrash metal band, Anthrax, “The ‘creeping death’ is when God sends down the creeping for that kills the firstborn children and the Jews escape because they painted lamb’s blood on the doorway, so [the angel] knew to pass over their house.”
Those interested in seeking justice for all can contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). Tips can also be submitted online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.