Cherry Hill Courier-Post

WASHINGTON TWP. – An Atlantic City woman was arrested on charges that she left an anti-Semitic and racist message on a synagogue’s voicemail.

The call was made in early September to Congregation B’nai Tikvah Beth Israel in Sewell, according to Washington Township police.

Janice Beakley, 57, left a harassing message expressing her “extreme disdain for the Jewish faith, their members as well as their facility,” police said in a news release.

The rambling comments seem to blame Jews for a variety of issues, from blocking patrons of a nearby library who want to use computers to causing problems at nearby Atkinson Park, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by police. Beakley left similar voicemails for the park’s administrator, the affidavit said.

A transcript of the message received by the East Holly Avenue synagogue, provided in the affidavit, reads in part:

“You go in there (the library) and block people up on the computers, and you sit there and say it’s not you. You cause problems and then say you’re helping someone. You know how else you cause the problem? Let me tell you how you cause it.

“Sally Struthers is a Jew, correct? So you’re feeding black people so then they reproduce and you’re giving them housing all over the place so they reproduce and they’re starting to kill everybody. They’re going to kill you next. And you did that.”

Beakley also said “I want that synagogue gone,” according to the affidavit. Later in the transcript, according to police, she said: “We’re not touching your stupid synagogue. It’s stupid and it looks creepy and cheap.”

Beakley denied making the call when questioned by detectives, but a witness confirmed that she left the message, according to the affidavit. She was arrested on charges of bias intimidation and harassment.

Congregation B’nai Tikvah Beth Israel, in a statement, expressed appreciation to the police department and its chief, Patrick Gurcsik, “for their immediate response to this issue and how they have (kept) and continue to keep a close eye on our synagogue.

“We’re very proud of our law enforcement for all of the protection they give the community.”

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