Image by YouTube

By Sam Kestenbaum July 13, 2017

Reports of incidents involving hate symbols and slurs have more than tripled during the past school year in a suburban school system outside Washington — including vandalism with swastikas and graffiti saying “Heil Hitler.”

Since October, more than three dozen incidents have been reported by or linked to schools in Montgomery County, the Washington Post reported. More than 25 schools reported problems. Images of swastikas appeared on a laptop computer, a football field, desks, walls and mirrors.

“The swastika — a symbol of intolerance and hatred — has absolutely no place in our school,” Louise Worthington, the principal at Baker Middle School in Damascus, wrote to parents in one letter to local parents.

Antisemitism Notebook

Your weekly guide through the news and the noise of how rising antisemitism and disputes over how to address it are shaping American Jewish life.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Police note that the broader surge could be attributed to an increase in awareness and reporting.

“Many people are calling us to report things they may not have in the past,” a county police spokesman told the Post.

Winston Churchill High School in Potomac stood out among the schools. At least five incidents were reported at the school, including a “Whites only” sign posted on a restroom door and “Heil Hitler” scrawled on a desk. There were also two cases of swastikas appearing restrooms, and an anti-Jewish text message was sent to a student.

Email Sam Kestenbaum at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount