San Diego

Vandals spray-painted swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans on the walls and windows of a San Carlos synagogue this weekend, police said.

Members of the Tifereth Israel Synagogue discovered the damage Sunday morning and condemned the act at a news conference later in the day. They were joined by several Protestant ministers, who expressed concern about an apparent upsurge in such vandalism.

“The people who did this are just absolutely sick,” said Ralph Barnes, president of the 750-member synagogue. “They have no regard for human life.”

The congregation, along with the local chapter of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the vandals. While the word “Skins” was splattered on the temple, Barnes would not speculate that the action was perpetrated by Skinheads--groups of young whites who have been linked to anti-Semitic and other racial violence.

The virulently anti-Semitic graffiti, including one lengthy biblical passage, was painted on the synagogue’s walls and three stained glass windows. The vandals are believed to have struck early Sunday or late Saturday. There was no interior damage.