Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By simmons on March 15, 2017

Vandals wrote Jews did 9/11 in the dirt of the softball field at Marblehead High School last week. Courtesy Photo

By Gayla Cawley

MARBLEHEAD Town officials and police have condemned another act of anti-Semitic vandalism, this one involving a conspiracy theory about the countrys deadliest terrorist attack.

Last Thursday, Aug. 18, at about 6:40 a.m., police were called about a rock thrown through the window of Marblehead High School Principal Daniel Bauers office, according to Marblehead Police Chief Robert Picariello. He said the vandalism occurred sometime between 5 p.m. the prior day and the morning police responded. While there, the custodian alerted police to something in the back of the school, he added.

When police made their way to the softball field, they found Jews did 9/11 spelled out on the dirt, Picariello said. That incident could have occurred anytime after the rain that occurred on Aug. 16 to the morning the broken window was reported, he said.

I think its horrible, Picariello said. I dont think it reflects the sentiment of the town at all and I think its disgusting.

The announcement of the incident at Wednesdays Board of Selectmen meeting comes in the wake of a reception held by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) honoring its North Shore supporters at an Atlantic Avenue home on Monday. The event was attended by Gov. Charlie Baker, one of the evenings speakers, and featured dialogue about prior anti-Semitic incidents in Marblehead and other North Shore communities.

Last year, students in a Marblehead High School class configured pennies in the shape of a swastika, an emblem of the Nazi party, took a photo and posted it on Snapchat. Swastikas were also scrolled on some basketball courts in multiple town parks within the past year, Picariello said.

In nearby Swampscott last April, the symbols were chalked on a Pleasant Street sidewalk, and another swastika was scrawled in the parking lot of the middle school.

There are no suspects in last weeks vandalism and no arrests have been made. There is no way of knowing the age group of the vandals, as it is a heavily traveled area, Picariello said. The words were raked out and easily removed after they were found, he added.

I think its a community effort to combat hate, he said. We are no place for hate community and we take that very seriously.

Marblehead School Superintendent Maryann Perry said there is nothing indicating that the act was committed by a Marblehead student, as the field is fully accessible to the public.

Marblehead Public Schools, like the town of Marblehead, condemns this type of conduct in the strongest possible terms and vigorously enforces school rules against hate speech at all times, Perry said in an email. We regret that someone apparently has chosen to use Marblehead High School property to perpetrate this offensive act and hope they realize the harmful impact of his or her conduct and come forward to admit it.

John McGinn, Marblehead town administrator, said the community condemns the incident and it saddens everyone that something this this could happen. He said the town has had a long-term commitment to trying to eradicate similar incidents, including establishing the Marblehead Task Force Against Discrimination 27 years ago.

We like to think of Marblehead as a no place for hate and were not going to tolerate this type of thing, McGinn said.

The Anti-Defamation League has also condemned the incident. Robert Trestan, ADL regional director, said the inscriptions are a step above hateful graffiti.

This shameful act of hate goes beyond simply being offensive, Trestan said in a statement. The perpetrators were promoting the pernicious conspiracy theory claiming that Jews were responsible for 9/11. This type of attack warrants condemnation by the entire community.

More than a decade after 9/11, conspiracy theories claiming that Jews were responsible for the attacks continue to circulate on the Internet and amongst those who harbor anti-Semitic views. The league works to dispel those rumors, according to an ADL statement.

In light of anti-Semitic incidents in town, the ADL has partnered with Marblehead High School to implement an Anti-Bias Education program this year.

We remain extremely concerned by the surge in anti-Semitic incidents this year, especially in schools and we will continue to partner with local communities, school districts and law enforcement, Trestan said in a statement. We applaud the Marblehead Police Department for addressing this incident with the seriousness and speed we have come to expect from them, and hope that the perpetrators of this incident will be brought to justice.

Gayla Cawley can be reached at gcawley@itemlive.com. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.

Original post:
Anti-Defamation League | Itemlive

Category: Anti-Defamation League
Tags: