Even before Oct. 7, antisemitic vandalism had been a problem for Baltimore’s Jewish community. Flags have been stolen, graffiti has been painted and flyers advertising white nationalist causes have appeared in the county and city alike.
But Oct. 7 and Israel’s military actions in Gaza have put a new spotlight on Israel, and Jewish communities around the world are paying the price.
Most recently, on Wednesday, June 26, an anonymous caller reported to the Baltimore City Police that a Jewish family’s property in the Glen neighborhood had been vandalized with several poorly drawn swastikas and the word “bitch.” The Glen neighborhood is noteworthy for its large, coexisting Orthodox Jewish and Black populations, and their shared community, which has earned them coverage in publications like The Baltimore Sun in the past.
According to the Baltimore Police Department, the graffiti was first noticed by a neighbor the day before at around 6 p.m., though it was not reported because the witness was driving and did not see it for long. A police officer was dispatched to the scene on the 26th following the report.
The incident was further amplified by Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer, who called upon the BPD to launch a formal hate crime investigation in posts published on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
“This hate has no place in Baltimore or anywhere else,” he wrote.
This case is far from the first incident of vandalism in Baltimore’s Jewish community. In September 2023, for example, several graves in the Lubawitz Nusach Ari/Ner Tamid Cemetery in Rosedale were vandalized with similar swastikas and other images. And a vandal left their mark on over a dozen headstones at German Hill Road Jewish Cemeteries in 2021.
More recently, Israel-related banners and flags have been the target of theft and vandalism. Baltimore Hebrew Congregation has faced three separate instances of their “We stand with the people of Israel” and “Bring the hostages home” banners being stolen or defaced. Initially, one was stolen and the other was shredded in early December. These flags were then replaced, but the same thing happened again later that month.
“I’m deeply disturbed but sadly not surprised, given the tenor of our country and the world at this moment,” BHC Rabbi Andrew Busch told the JT at the time. “The thought that people will not allow others to have their own free speech, the thought that a synagogue’s property would be vandalized, the thought that there are people out there who are opposed to a message such as ‘Bring the Hostages Home’ — all of that is deeply disturbing.”
A third sign with similar messaging was stolen from BHC property in May 2024.
But what elevates these incidents from property damage to hate and bias incidents?
According to the Baltimore Police Department’s Policy 815, which focuses on hate crimes, the difference is that hate crimes are specifically meant to intimidate or threaten the victim based on their gender, religion, ethnic background or membership to another minority group.
“To be an incident, the act is not required to be a crime under any federal, state or local statutes,” the policy reads. “The main criterion for determining whether an act is of a bias nature is the motivation behind the act.”
As an example, a person spray-painting their name on synagogue property without permission would be considered property damage. But a person spray-painting hateful imagery on synagogue property would escalate it into a hate/bias incident.
“When we hear of incidents, we make sure to check in with the appropriate law enforcement agency to ensure it is being investigated seriously as a hate crime,” explained Howard Libit, executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council. “If the police know about it already, then they typically are already on it. But we know that it is difficult to catch the perpetrators.”
In the short term, Libit suggests that victims of these incidents install security cameras in case the perpetrators return. But there is a more important long-term solution.
“In the long term, it’s about education — educating against hate and antisemitism in our schools and our communities. All of us need to collectively adopt the position that hate has no place here, and if you see something, report it to the police,” he said.
