A Star of David, “Psalms 139: 21-24,” and "Destruction of Amalek" were spray-painted on the home's fence and a knife with an envelope containing a threatening letter were found at the scene. The letter reportedly reads, "a Jew whose hands are bloody resides in your street. This Jew has received a severe warning."

Above: some of the graffiti found at the home of Ya'akov Malkin 1-21-2016

Jerusalem Atheist Leader Hit With Hate Crime, Death Threat

Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

It was an anti-atheist hate crime.

Early this morning vandals spray-painted threatening graffiti at the Jerusalem home of Ya’akov Malkin. The 89-year-old Malkin is the founder and director of director of Tmura, the International Institute for Humanistic Secular Judaism. He also edits the journal Free Judaism, which advocates for secular Jewish culture, and has written a book, Judaism Without God? Judaism as Culture and the Bible as Literature.

According to a report in Ha’aretz, a Star of David, “Psalms 139: 21-24,” and "Destruction of Amalek" were spray-painted on the fence surrounding Malkin's home and a knife with an envelope containing a threatening letter were found at the scene. The letter reportedly reads, "a Jew whose hands are bloody resides in your street. This Jew received a severe warning."

Police have reportedly opened an investigation.

Sivan Malkin Maas, Malkin's daughter, is a rabbi who is the dean of Tmura, which ordains secular rabbis. She told Ha’aretz a similar attack against Tel Aviv atheist activists took place about a year ago.

In a 2012 interview with Haaretz, Malkin spoke of his childhood, his family and religion.

“I am a second-generation atheist. My children, Prof. Irad Malkin, and Rabbi Sivan Maas, the dean of Tmura in Jerusalem, are just the same. My grandchildren, too. It’s a family tradition that began in Warsaw, where I was born and attended an atheistic school run by the Bund. When I came to Tel Aviv, at the age of 7, I received similar schooling in the education system of the Histadrut labor federation. Throughout my youth I was aware of religion as something foreign that belongs to an unfamiliar minority. My only exposure to religion was through my maternal grandfather, who was a Ger Hasid. My mother fled from religion while she was a university student. Not only was she an atheist, she was hostile to religion,” Malkin said at the time.