One of the crucial numerous counties in the US is struggling to handle a wave of antisemitic incidents which have left elected leaders annoyed and put the native Jewish neighborhood on edge.
Officers in Maryland’s Montgomery County say they haven’t any suspects behind the rash of spray-painted White-power symbols, anti-Jewish slogans and different disturbances which have plagued the prosperous suburban Washington county for weeks — together with the newest incident through which Jewish houses in Kensington over the weekend have been focused with antisemitic fliers.
“If we knew, we’d go shut it down and we’d discover the individuals accountable,” County Govt Marc Elrich stated throughout a Monday night time look on WHUR information radio. “We’re attempting to get the data. There are lots of theories. None of them have any proof behind them proper now.”
County leaders have condemned the vandalism and highschool college students throughout the world have staged demonstrations decrying the surge of antisemitic incidents.
“Hate will neither scare nor silence us,” stated Evan Glass, the Montgomery County Council president, in a Monday assertion. “This council stands in solidarity with our Jewish neighborhood, and we need to reiterate that we have now zero tolerance for hate of any variety.”
College students at Winston Churchill Excessive Faculty and the personal McLean Faculty held walkouts Monday afternoon in a present of assist for Jewish classmates and the broader neighborhood, in accordance with Bethesda Journal.
Extra walkouts are deliberate for subsequent week at Poolesville Excessive Faculty, Quince Orchard Excessive Faculty and Montgomery Blair Excessive Faculty.
Montgomery County’s 105,400 Jews characterize about 10% of the county inhabitants and account for nearly half of the state’s Jewish inhabitants, in accordance with the Berman Jewish DataBank.
The county, Maryland’s most populous, can be one of the vital ethnically and culturally numerous areas within the nation, in accordance with a 2021 WalletHub survey.
The Jewish Neighborhood Relations Council of Better Washington and the Jewish Federation of Better Washington introduced Monday a reward of $5,000 for info resulting in the arrest and indictment of these chargeable for two earlier antisemitic graffiti incidents.
One was at Walt Whitman Excessive Faculty in December, the opposite on the Bethesda Trolley Path in November. Data for both case will end in a $2,500 reward. The teams stated the reward expires July 21.
Graffiti of swastikas have been additionally discovered close to Outdated Georgetown Street and Tuckerman Lane in November across the identical time that it was noticed on the Bethesda Trolley Path, in accordance with WTOP.
The path had been spray-painted swastikas and White energy symbols in August as properly.
Antisemitism throughout Montgomery County and the U.S. general has surged, in accordance with the ADL, which recorded the very best variety of antisemitic incidents nationwide final yr because the group began monitoring over 4 many years in the past.
The ADL reviews that in 2021, Maryland noticed a 17% enhance in incidents in comparison with the earlier yr, with 55 incidents of harassment or vandalism, whereas the District reported a 23% enhance (53 incidents, together with two assaults). The upward development continued in 2022, per the ADL.
