Graffiti
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The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington released a statement on Wednesday reporting that antisemitic graffiti was discovered on a “We Support Israel” sign at Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County in Bethesda, Maryland, JNS reported on Wednesday.

The graffiti was discovered late Tuesday afternoon, according to WTOP-FM.

“Responding officers found antisemitic graffiti on a vinyl sign,” police department spokeswoman Shiera Goff told the station.

The antisemitic graffiti came just days after vandals spray-painted antisemitic messages such as “Israel rapes men, women and children” over the weekend onto the main sign of the Bethesda Elementary School.

“We call on our community and allies to continue making it clear that antisemitism and hate speech have no place in Greater Washington,” the Federation’s statement said. “We are in close contact with local law enforcement, and we appreciate their swift responses to these incidents to ensure our community’s safety.”

Montgomery County includes Maryland’s largest Jewish community, accounting for 45% of the state’s Jews.

The graffiti at Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County came days after Baltimore Police officers arrested a 66-year-old man in connection with an arson attack outside the Jewish Museum of Maryland earlier this month.

The suspect, identified as Assadollah Hashemi, was arrested on Saturday.

Antisemitism has been on the rise in the US and across the globe since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and the war in Gaza which followed.

According to data published by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in April, the Jewish community in the US experienced an unprecedented rise in antisemitic incidents in 2023, far beyond any numerical data recorded in the last 45 years.