Antisemitic flyers were found in the yards of several homes in Kensington on Sunday morning. According to a report by WUSA9, the flyers were placed in Ziploc bags that contained rice, and several of the homes targeted had mezuzahs (parchment inscribed with Hebrew verses from the Torah) displayed. Montgomery County Police has not released any information regarding the incident or suspects. In a statement on Monday, County Executive Marc Elrich said, “These attacks are meant to instill fear to weaken and divide our communities, but these are generating more support for our Jewish neighbors. We are united and are showing those who are pedaling hate that these antisemitic attempts at community disruption won’t be tolerated.”
Over the weekend it was reported drawings of a swastikas were found on desks at three Montgomery County Public Schools, including Silver Creek Middle School in Kensington on Thursday. In a statement released Saturday night, MCPS and the Board of Education said, “In each case, students and the staff addressed the vile impact of the hateful images, worked to immediately remove the drawings, and in each case, appropriate discipline in alignment with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct was assigned. More important than disciplinary action, however, is what we do in response. As we fight these repeated acts of hate, we must challenge one another to learn and understand what antisemitism, hatred, and racism are and the harm they cause.”
On Monday, MCPD issued a news release announcing that a reward was being offered for information on the suspect(s) responsible for two antisemitic vandalism incidents that occurred last year in Bethesda. According to the release, the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, Ron Haber, along with the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, Gil Preuss, has jointly funded a reward in the amount of $5,000 ($2,500 per incident) for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the individual(s) responsible.
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