INDIANAPOLIS — Police arrested at least five people who broke into a historic Jewish temple on the near north side of Indianapolis to film a music video.
According to court records, the gang of wannabe rap stars busted through a glass door at Beth-El temple. When officers first arrived on scene, they found several people, some with guns, running from the church. Police took at least five people into custody.
Inside the building, officers found a gun as well as several pieces of camera equipment.
The videographer told an officer he was hired to record a “rap music video.”
“I wish that everyone would treat historic places and historic properties with I guess the same reverence that I do,” said Mark Dollase with Indiana Landmarks Foundation.
The foundation owns the historic synagogue at 34th and Ruckle Streets. The building — which is the oldest Jewish site in Indianapolis — served as the original home of the Congregation Beth-El Zedeck, according to the Indiana Landmarks Foundation.
The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and opened back in 1925. Dollase said Gov. Edward Jackson was in attendance for the building’s opening.
“This was during the year of the Ku Klux Klan, and they had a great deal of political power in the state,” Dollase said. “And certainly a governor speaking before a Jewish audience would have been significant.”
The building has been vacant for years and neighbors said it has never really attracted trouble until this past weekend.
The damage caused by the break-in was repaired Monday, but Dollase has yet to see if any damage was done inside.
The Indiana Landmarks Foundation is now working to give the building a new purpose. In the meantime, officials hope people will respect the site and the history that comes with it.
“If people would care for them and not damage them, especially when it’s property that isn’t theirs to do that with,” Dollase said. “I think a little bit of respect would be welcomed.”
The suspects who were arrested are facing misdemeanor trespassing charges. It’s unclear if or when their music video will ever be completed.
