West Rogers Park residents say they were shocked to find anti-Semitic graffiti scrawled on a neighborhood synagogue and several homes in the Far North Side neighborhood over the weekend.



"It's frightening," said Rabbi Yehoshua Hi Eichenstein, who heads Congregation Atereth Yehoshua in West Ridge. "It's anti-Semitism, first-class."



The congregation's synagogue in the 2900 block of West Touhy Avenue was tagged with anti-Semitic graffiti sometime Saturday night and Sunday morning, according to police. Several garages nearby, along West Estes Avenue and North Talman Avenue, were also tagged.



Raph Greenspon, who lives on Estes Avenue, said he spotted the graffiti on a neighbor's garage Sunday morning.



"Everybody's a bit in shock," Greenspon said as city cleaning crews worked Monday morning to remove the graffiti. "It's upsetting."



Eichenstein said he has no idea who is responsible. "Nobody knows."



No arrests were reported by police.



Greenspon, who belongs to the synagogue that was defaced, said police should treat the graffiti as a hate crime.



"Apples are apples," he said. "It was a hate crime.



"What would I like to see done?," he added. "Peace. Peace by everyone."