Jerusalem School, Largest Arab-Jewish Cultural Institution In Israel, Set Afire

A bilingual school that serves 600 Arab and Jewish students in Jerusalem was set ablaze Saturday and vandalized with graffiti reading, "Death to Arabs." The Max Rayne Hand in Hand School in Jerusalem's Pat neighborhood is the largest Arab-Jewish cultural institution in Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Firefighters put out the blaze, which started in the preschool area. The school serves students through 12th grade.

In addition to "Death to Arabs," the Post said slogans like "You can't co-exist with cancer" and "Kahane was right" were also found.

“Pyromaniacs and those who disturb order cannot take the law into their own hand to disrupt the routine of our lives,” Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said. One lawmaker blamed the controversial "Jewish state" bill for the action.

Shuli Dichter, director of Hand in Hand, which has four other bilingual schools in Israel, told Ynetnews.com the fire was "not the first act of harassment against the school and our establishment of civil partnership. … They won't be able to destroy our project."