A gunshot has been fired through the window of a synagogue in America.

The FBI is investigating the incident, in which a bullet hole was discovered in the window of an Indiana synagogue, as a hate crime.

Officials are understood to be reviewing surveillance videos and have increased security at the Adath B’Nai Israel Temple in Evansville.

The apparent attack was reported to police on Tuesday morning and is believed to have occurred on Sunday night.

The Rabbi at the synagogue, told local reporters: “We’re in this climate now where acts of hate are happening everywhere.

“The goal was to make us afraid, but we’re not going to let fear consume us. We’ll stand up to fear, we’ll stand up to hatred and we’ll stand together. We know this is not representative of our community. We know that we live in a community that supports each other.”

Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke visited the synagogue following the attack and condemned the shooting.

He said it was “a disgusting act of hate and bigotry that cannot be tolerated.”

He added: “Our community must come together in support of religious freedom and stand together with our Jewish brothers and sisters.”