Indiana Landmark
Police made multiple arrests after a group of aspiring rappers and musicians allegedly broke into a historic Jewish temple in Indianapolis in order to film a music video.
The Beth-El temple was reportedly broken into by rap artists carrying guns and camera equipment on Saturday night. The group allegedly damaged the temple upon and after entering, having broken a door and pulled boards off of the walls, according to court documents obtained by Fox 59.
Law enforcement responding to the scene allegedly encountered multiple people fleeing the building, some armed with firearms. They were able to make five arrests of those present. Inside the temple, police reportedly found more guns and camera equipment.
Following the arrests, a videographer present at the scene allegedly told law enforcement he had been hired to film a “rap music video.”
“They broke a door and an entry point into the building and then pulled off some boards and other things in other parts of the building,” Mark Dollase with the Indiana Landmarks Foundation told the outlet.
“I wish that everyone would treat historic places and historic properties with I guess the same reverence that I do,” Dollase continued.
The temple is significant as it was previously the original home of the Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, according to the Indiana Landmarks Foundation. It is well-regarded as the oldest Jewish site in Indianapolis.
Though it has been vacant for years, it holds a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, having opened back in 1925.
“This was during the year of the Ku Klux Klan, and they had a great deal of political power in the state,” Dollase told Fox 59. “And certainly a governor speaking before a Jewish audience would have been significant.”
Damage left by the break-in has been repaired as of Monday and the individuals have been charged with trespassing. The Indiana Landmarks Foundation will be establishing a new purpose for the building, while hoping that in the meantime, people respect the historical site.
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