Anti-Semitic, Racist Graffiti Painted On Virginia High School
Godwin High School in Henrico County, Virginia. Image by Google Maps
(JTA) — Anti-Semitic and racist graffiti including swastikas were painted on a high school in eastern Virginia.
The graffiti were discovered at Godwin High School in Henrico County on Sunday morning, according to local media.
The graffiti included an image which “depicted a violent threat” along with the date May 15, which is marked in the Arab world as Nakba Day, which means Catastrophe and is the date on the Gregorian calendar marking the foundation of the state of Israel. Other graffiti said “KKK forever” and “You will die.”
The incident at the high school comes after similar graffiti was found on fences and road signs throughout western Henrico on Friday, the local CBS affiliate WTVR reported.
“The content of the vandalism is concerning and our detectives are investigating the potential of this being a hate crime,” said Henrico Police spokeswoman Lauren Hummel, according to the daily newspaper the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
School officials also met with the CEO of the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond on Sunday to share information and updates about the situation, the Times-Dispatch reported.
“When you see words and symbols like this you’re immediately nervous or scared or concerned,” Federation Chief Executive Daniel Staffenberg told the local ABC affiliate WRIC.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
