PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — There’s outrage in the Jewish community after vandals deface a Holocaust memorial in Philadelphia.

Max Tuttleman of Center City made the discovery Thursday – A swastika spray painted within yards of the Monument to Six Million Jewish Martyrs at 16th and the Parkway.

“It’s just very upsetting. Why would something like this have to happen? And who would do such a thing?” Tuttleman said.

Eyewitness News has learned the sculpture was donated to the city and it serves as a memorial where an annual ceremony is held to honor the victims of the Holocaust. The hate graffiti for Tuttleman hit home.

“The Holocaust has always been very integral part of my life. My grandparents were Holocaust survivors and seeing this brought this such a level of frustration. Tolerating something like this is not even an option,” Tuttleman went onto explain, “Anti-Semitism is not something that’s a joking matter at all. All we can do is bring awareness to these types of issues and hope that something will change.”

Police say they are investigating this as a bias incident and when the culprit is caught, the person will be charged with ethnic intimidation and related offenses. Police say their search for clues is continuing.