By SUZANNE DOWNING
Oct. 2, 2026 — Members of Mountain City Church in Anchorage placed 1,200 small Israeli flags on church property Thursday in remembrance of those killed in the Hamas-led terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, and as a show of solidarity with Israel.
About 1 am on Friday, every flag was stolen. Video below shows the thieves at work.
The memorial was in place by about 11 am Oct. 1 and remained on display throughout the day. Each flag represented a human life lost during the attacks. Approximately 1,200 people were killed in Israel, including civilians and members of the security forces. The victims included Israelis and foreign nationals. Forty-six Americans were killed.
The display came less than a week before the third anniversary of the attacks.
Associate Pastor Cody Anderson explains:
Surveillance footage provided to The Alaska Story shows several people who appeared to be males moving quickly through the church grounds after dark. They bend down and snatch flags before quickly moving on.
Watch the surveillance video clip here:
A group of thieves steals every one of the 1,200 Israeli flags at an Anchorage Church that were placed in memory of Oct. 7 victims of terrorism. pic.twitter.com/UR6eibPCJD
— TheAlaskaStory.com (@Downing907) October 2, 2026
Or view it here:
The removal raises concerns that extend beyond one congregation: Whether churches and community members can peacefully express their faith and convictions on their own property without having their displays taken in Anchorage.
For Mountain City Church, the flags served both as a memorial to the victims of terrorism and a visible expression of support for Israel. That expression was removed within hours of members putting it in place.
A police report is being filed.
Two year anniversary of the Hamas attack, remembering the day evil showed its true self
Truck associated with this incident:
33 thoughts on “1,200 Israeli memorial flags taken by thieves from Mountain City Church property in Anchorage”
The Baptists can now join in with the Eagle River Catholics, whose church has been desecrated THREE times in recent years. Phallic symbols spray-painted on the walls and dropping huge amounts of nails in the parking lot. The reason: having a conservative lecturer and 24 hour Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. But stealing 1200 Israeli flags?
Simpleton, unemployed thieves paid by wacko, deranged Democrats.
Oh screw that. Be an adult and make decisions based on evidence.
Do you mean the overwhelming evidence that there is a deep vein of anti-semetism in the democrat party?
Not that you will admit it, but it’s obvious to the non-koolaide drinker.
Not opposition to the Jewish religion but opposition to the ruthless war mongering of the Israeli government.
Evidence: The so called “palestinians” played the ultimate game of FAFO. Then true to form whined about the find out part of the game.
Called it. You try to obfuscate and word smith around the obvious because the truth doesn’t fit the narrative you have swallowed hook line and sinker.
For your own good, lay off the koolaide.
Even at 1am there is always people driving on Northern Lights especially when Carrs/Safeway on East Northern lights is open 24 hours and Circle k on Boniface is open 24 hours. Its one of those events I wish to live in a community where adults will intervene in another parents life when their child or young adult child is doing something hooligan.
Remember those days. I remember being told from baby boomers how the baby boomers if they got caught being a hooligan, the witnessing neighbors treated them like their own kid and disciplined them on the spot!
Amen
I got to see the 1200 Israeli flags coming down Baxter. At first I was worried I was missing a lecture/history event speaker being hosted by MCC. Or that It would be happening this weekend and I didn’t know about it! Looking in the calendar and
When the calendar didn’t show any event then I settled down and I put one n one together Oct 7 is next week and in 2023 there was the horrible (Bloody) massacre against the two liberal Jewish communities bordering Gaza. It’s a memorial. It is a fitting choice to plant 1200 flags in memory of every body that died just as fitting as World Trade Center sat out as many chairs as bodies died.
I knew it though that the sighting of All those Isreal flags would had triggered the Leftists-Democrats in this town.
There were So Many flags. Isreal Flags. I was overwhelmed seeing them. Imagine being a leftist-Democrat with strong anti semetic and Jew hatred would had felt seeing that many (Isreal) flags. Their hatred would had exploded outward in a fit of rage. We can’t sweep the (rapidly) increasing anti semetism and Jew hatred spreading across this Nation in the corner . Because Remembering Germany Nazi history, the first they persecuted were Jews. Then the Christians not in line with the government, then everyone else like conservatives, mentally and disabled people, homosexuals, etc who were not in line with the government and its goals.
I’m sorry for those people who really hate Isreal and Jews. Isreal is a beautiful country, and for Christians it’s our future home on the New Earth where Jews and gentiles will rule with our King Jesus and worship our King sitting on His throne in Jerusalem!!! They can take the flags away. They can try to wipe Isreal off the face of the earth, but they can’t rewrite the future and what’s already been prophesied about Isreal——Go read Revelations . All empires/kingdoms of this old world will pass way but Isreal and the Word will remain on the New Earth.
They didn’t steal the remembrance and the thoughts & prayers to each one of the victims. I hope they read this and realize how sad and pathetic they are.
I would start by finding out where all the canvassers from outside and being paid by Leftist PACs and donors were at the time. The theft was probably organized. Ordinarily, the Anchorage Police might investigate but I have to think the Mayor, Assembly and police union would not want the “wrong” people caught. Prediction: This crime will go unpunished.
Boy, if those were rainbow flags we might have heard from the mayor again. We do have a mayor, right?
do you think my putting up the Christmas tree, decorating it, and my little nativity scene provoked the Devil?
Coincidentally we were setting up the tree at the same time the hooligans were trespassing MCC pulling up the flags.
Anti semetism and Jew hatred is of Demons (it’s very demonic to hate on Isreal and Jews) and October because of Halloween is the Devil’s favorite and most important most holiest month on Lucifer’s calendar.
Given the uptick in antisemitism, especially the rhetoric from those who are very clearly misinformed, episodes like this will sadly continue to happen. Small incidents only lead to bigger incidents. Where one group of people are being dehumanized over and over again it is only a matter of time before people who would desecrate the memories of innocents who were brutally murdered by terrorists will take action against the living.
> dehumanized
Like the innocents in Gaza? Or the West Bank? Or Lebanon? Many Christians to boot.
The propaganda does not work anymore.
The only dehumanizing being done in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon is by the radical Islamists like the Hamas terrorists who use Palestinians as human shields. While you might support radical Islamists and their terrorist tactics, including removal of flags used to signify the dead, here in America most do not. Of course you align yourself with known antisemites and you are known to partake in the rhetoric yourself, so your misinformed nonsense is unfortunately no surprise to see here.
Sorry, Micah, but Israel did not start any of these fights. The Gazans voted Hamas into power. They chose to support terrorists. And these particular terrorists raped and murdered both men and women, and brutally murdered children, even babies, some of whom they cooked in ovens. I’m not at all sure what “innocents” you refer to here. There aren’t any in Gaza, after that behavior. Women and children in the streets of Gaza erupted in celebration on October 7. And I hate to have to explain that there are no Christians in Gaza, even though there are Muslims in Israel. The propaganda is all one way, and it isn’t Israel producing it.
It seems the propaganda has worked well on you Micah. There is an old proverb: “Come riddled me, riddle me, riddle me.
None are so blind as they that won’t see.”
There are many history books through which one can educate himself. I start with the bible. Good luck.
The Scofield Bible. Joel? Or the real one?
Did you believe Jesus when he said “It is finished”? What is finished? The fulfillment of the Scripture. The end of the Abrahamic covenant and a new covenant and a new Jerusalem. (Many, many verses including Romans 11, Galatians 6:16, Revelation 21:2, 22). Jesus is the only way to the Father. The way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Thankfully, there is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), especially verse 19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. All nations. All people are open the the gospel. What mercy and grace the Lord has granted us.
In contrast, dispensationalism is heresy. Like Judas it places the political over the spiritual- over Jesus. Repent.
Dear Mom and Dad. Thank you for allowing me to freely investigate any religion or beliefs that I wanted. You gave me opportunities to recognize facts and evidence, reason and the scientific method to make decisions. As an atheist, I am free from “mind-forged manacles” (William Blake). My life is full.
I saw the flag display yesterday. It was beautiful but poignant. Sadly, I confess to believing the flags would be vandalized.
If identified the hooligans should be pilloried.
I don’t condone the vandalism of any place, anywhere, anytime for any reason. But for a Christian church to be displaying Israel’s flag is ridiculous and reflects dispensationalist, Christian-Zionist theology. This theology is error propagated over the 20th Century and into today, which the Church, for the balance of 2000 years did not believe. Many Christians have abandoned the teachings of Paul in Romans, Galatians and Ephesians in favor of Scofield’s error-ridden false teaching.
For some reason the modern C-Z church has forgotten about the Palestinian Christians whose churches, homes and lives are being destroyed daily. Modern Israel has no love for Christianity; it just uses Christianity for its own ends.
Understanding why Christians have the loyalty or love we have to Isreal you won’t understand until you are born-Again and you read God’s Word after being born-again. Then you will fully understand.
For the Born-Again believer In Christ (both Jew and Gentile) Isreal is home—-it’s our Future home after This Heaven and this Earth and all its old empires and things and sin passes away and Christ is sitting in Jerusalem ruling on the new Earth from a new Jerusalem and new Isreal.
You know where I saw the depth of God’s love for Isreal it was during my reading of Hosea. I cried. It is Where I seen the evangelists in America are wrong in saying God divorced Isreal and has no place for them in the bible when contrary Isreal plays a HUGE role in revelation, God’s not done with them because he never replaced them with the Christian Church. God loves Isreal! Eventhough all their adulteries and disobedience God has never divorced Isreal. His love also made me see reasons we people give to justify our worlds divorces as cold and heartless. That we don’t try hard enough to love our spouses.
Dear Mom and Dad. Thank you for allowing me to freely investigate any religion or beliefs that I wanted. You gave me opportunities to recognize facts and evidence, reason and the scientific method to make decisions. As an atheist, I am free from “mind-forged manacles” (William Blake). My life is full.
You’re also free of courtesy and good manners. guess your parents failed to teach you to not butt into conversations trying to push your belief system on others. U t unusual for those of your ilk. I’m referring to folks who should refer to themselves not as ” atheists”, but ” anti-theists” . you may not wear those “manacles” yourself, but you’re always ready to impose your set on everyone else you life is full of self delusion of your personal merits
How about offering to bring 48 American flags, plus Israeli flags, and help plant them?
.
And maybe a decent trailcam or two…
I suggest AirTags, way better than trail cams….
It truly is amazing what some people will tell themselves in order to justify their hatred of others.
The whole Scofield Bible conspiracy theory is an interesting rabbit hole that proves what lengths “true believers” will go to in order to ignore basic facts and logic. Using antisemtic tropes to further you beliefs in antisemitism does not prove your beliefs are correct, it by definition proves they are antisemtic. But then using one persons ideas of what is Holy and their chosen God’s will is very clearly the reason for justification for all kinds of brutality throughout the ages. When one group decides that their way is the only way and all others must follow it or die…you are on the wrong side. When you find yourself aligned with people that their way is the only way and all others must follow it or die…you are on the wrong side. But as long as your Holy book or internet conspiracy theory tells you otherwise, people will continue to steal flags meant as remembrance of the dead who were killed by religious terrorists bent upon the deaths of all those they disagree with.
If a church wishes to honor the dead, who were so brutally murdered, they should be able to do so without interference. It is compassion for your fellow human being and children of God. Shame on those narrow-minded hooligans, whose intolerance and hate are expose through this act. I hope they catch them.
Furthermore this religious discussion is interesting, but in my opinion wholly besides the point. The underlying conflict is not a religious issue per se. It is a land dispute and a power struggle. In my opinion religion is a means to an end to enrage the useful idiots into abominable acts of terror. It disguises the rage and hatred that demands the extinction of Israel as a state and a people, because they occupy a piece of land (that traditionally belonged to them) AND they make a success of it. PLO, Hamas and Palestinians since WWII had opportunities to accept their own state, but have repeatedly chosen to remain “victims” instead of building their own prosperous society. The history surrounding this issue is complicated and nuanced, not the “Palestinians good – Israel bad” black and white idiocy we seem to see today.
How appropriate for these people (I bet they are adults) to steal a nice gesture by the church to recognize the fallen. These same people are the ones who will be after you and your children some day for your belief in something they don’t condone.
This theft, and this type of theft from churches, is as low as it gets.