Israeli flag removed from Monroe Temple, police confirm
Monroe. The temple suspects the flag was stolen from its property on the night of Dec. 30.

The Monroe Temple of Liberal Judaism recently reported the possible theft of an Israeli flag that was in the front of the building at 314 N. Main Street in Monroe. According to Rabbi Roger Lerner, who shared the incident with the Jewish Federation of Greater Orange County and on the temple’s social media, the temple hung the flag in front of its building in October after the Hamas attack on Israel.
On the evening of December 30, the temple says someone tore the flag from the building; no other damage was reported. The Monroe Police Department confirmed the incident, and added that an investigation is currently underway.
A representative from the police department also noted that this appears to be an isolated incident, as the department has not received any similar calls in the last few months.
When Rabbi Lerner shared this incident with the public, he included the following explanation, “We are sharing this because even though our inclination may be to not make a big deal out of it (because alerting the community to this might invite more people to do ‘something’), hate and violence hide in the shadows of shame and fear. We must not dwell there.” The rabbi went on to reiterate the temple’s support for Israel, “because Israel is a part of our collective DNA.”
He added, “When Israel has had conflicts, world Jewry has been targeted. Regardless of whether or not local Jews are for or against the State of Israel, Jews were targeted just because of their religion. It then has become our responsibility to stand up to this baseless hatred by continuing to call it out for what it is. It is borne of hypocrisy and ignorance. It is borne of persistent miseducation and misdirection. Totalitarian regimes, terror groups, and all criminal organizations prey on fear, on misinformation and violence to retain their power and control their members. We, then, must continue to educate, to showcase our fidelity and courage, to continue to work for the betterment of humanity and peace for the world. It’s a high charge, but it’s worth it.”