Baltimore County Police said that they are investigating the appearance of antisemitic vandalism at Lubawitz Nusach Ari/Ner Tamid Cemetery in Rosedale.
On Wednesday, Sept. 20, county police responded to a report of antisemitic graffiti at the Jewish cemetery. Baltimore County Police spokesperson Anthony Shelton said that the police documented the graffiti, and that cemetery workers are currently working to remove it. A WBAL report from reporter and anchor Khiree Stewart said that the graffiti included a swastika and several other images.
“My mother came here to visit her father’s grave before the upcoming Yom Kippur holiday, where it’s customary for Jews to visit their loved ones. She was horrified to see this,” said Brad Kauffman, who has relatives buried at the cemetery, in an interview with Stewart.
The graffiti appeared during the Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
“It’s obviously a sensitive time,” Baltimore Jewish Council Executive Director Howard Libit told the Baltimore Sun. “It’s a time where a lot of people go to visit the graves of their loved ones.”
According to the Baltimore Sun, the vandalism is being investigated as a bias incident, so a potential suspect could be charged with a hate crime.
A similar incident occurred in 2021 at German Hill Road Jewish Cemeteries. In that incident, antisemitic graffiti and hate symbols were spray painted over a dozen headstones.
