Washington Man Ordered Not To Post Swastikas Facing Jewish Neighbor
— A county judge in north-central Washington has ordered a local man to refrain from displaying a swastika on the wall of his barn after he posted the Nazi symbol in order to harass his Jewish neighbor.
Chelan County District Court Judge Nancy Harmon ruled Tuesday that Wenatchee resident K.N. Klinginsmith meant to “alarm, annoy or harass” his neighbor, James D. Goodwin, when he hung the swastika on the wall of his barn facing the Goodwin home for three days in February, the Yakima Herald reported.
The judge ordered Klinginsmith to post no more such symbols on the north wall of his barn, and ruled that the men may not intrude on each other’s property. The ruling does not prevent swastikas from being hung on other areas of Klinginsmith’s property, however.
The neighbors reportedly have feuded for the last two decades, on issues that include low-hanging tree boughs hanging into one neighbor’s yard, and construction material encroaching on the other’s yard, according to the newspaper.
The Goodwin family has hosted a yearly Sukkot celebration in their yard for the last 20 years, which includes a large Star of David, according to the newspaper. Goodwin’s attorney used the celebration to make the case that Klinginsmith had reason to know the Goodwin family is Jewish
Klinginsmith said in his testimony that he put the swastika up as a reminder of his days in the U.S. Army and that he bought the swastika after his 1962-1965 service in Germany, probably from a swap meet.
He also said that he did not know Goodwin and his wife were Jewish and never saw their Sukkot celebrations. His attorney called the display of the swastika protected speech under the state and U.S. constitutions
Goodwin testified that: “A swastika directed at a Jew is a death threat. Nothing more, nothing less than that.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
