Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

‘We Support Israel’ sign vandalized at Maryland synagogue

It occurred following antisemitic graffiti found over the weekend at a nearby elementary school.

Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Md. Credit: Duane Lempke Photography via Wikimedia Commons.

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, Md.

It 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,” Federation said in its statement. “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 population of Bethesda—its name is derived from the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, possibly an ancient mikvah (Jewish ritual bath)—numbers 68,056, according to the 2022 census.

Bethesda Row, Maryland
Bethesda Row pedestrian shopping center in southern Maryland. Credit: Fletcher via Wikimedia Commons.

One professor who served on the committee that created the report said the Trump administration’s accusations of antisemitism at Yale “were a pretty serious exaggeration.”
“Amid the alarming rise in antisemitic incidents across Canada, this report represents an important contribution to the development of effective solutions,” the Israeli embassy in Canada stated.
“Activities specifically done to harass or intimidate people, especially as they’re entering into a religious institution to go worship, are unacceptable,” Rep. Tom Suozzi told JNS.
“Relationships tied to military conflict are far more likely to be seen as burdens,” the survey stated.
“The environment at TMU pushed me to a place I never thought I’d be—feeling like I no longer belonged on my own campus,” said Toronto Metropolitan University student Liat Schwartz.
The “George H.W. Bush” just arrived in the Middle East, according to CENTCOM.