Posted on 08/22/24
| News Source: Arutz-7
Montgomery County, MD - Aug. 22, 2024 - Four public schools in Montgomery County, Maryland were hit with antisemitic vandalism this week, WJLA-TV reported. Two elementary schools and two high schools were targeted.
Vandals wrote on the wall of one school in red, "Israel bombs schools."
Police stated that all four reports of school vandalism were received on Monday morning. A fifth school was vandalized the previous week.
Guila Franklin Siegel, chief operating officer of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, stated, “For the second consecutive week, MCPS school buildings have been vandalized by individuals with vitriolic, ill-informed comments directed towards the state of Israel, as well as other antisemitic images. We thank MCPS and MCPD officials for their quick response to these damaging incidents — as well as other incidents targeting the LGBTQ+ population — and for ensuring that security and law enforcement patrols are being stepped up as necessary."
Siegel said that the vandalized schools are in neighborhoods with significant Jewish populations and located close to synagogues.
Montgomery County Police Department chief Marc Yamada said, "The recent acts of antisemitic and anti-Israel vandalism at our schools and places of worship are unacceptable."
“These incidents are not only crimes. They are hateful actions that seek to divide our community and instill fear in our residents,” Yamada added.