SWAMPSCOTT — Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying the person or people responsible for vandalizing a family’s “We stand with Israel” sign with an antisemitic symbol late Monday night.
Less than a week before the first day of Hanukkah, Swampscott High School senior Sam Snitkovsky left his home near the water tower off Paradise Road to walk to school. As he left the house, he noticed that his family’s yard sign had been vandalized with writing and a swastika drawn over the Star of David.
“I personally thought it was vandalized just with ‘Free Palestine,’ but then I looked closer and saw the swastika,” Snitkovsky said. “When I was walking to school, it felt kind of surreal. I don’t think the swastika fully registered at first, but then I was thinking about the full meaning of it — I think we’re so used to seeing so much bigotry and racism everywhere, and it’s just awful that it’s so normal now.”
The Anti-Defamation League reported that from Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 until Oct. 25, a total of 312 antisemitic incidents occurred throughout the U.S., a 388% increase in comparison to the same period last year.
Snitkovsky’s mother, Faina Snitkovsky, who moved to the U.S. from Ukraine to escape antisemitism in 1995, said she called the Police Department immediately after her son discovered the vandalism. She said she asked her eldest son, Roni Snitkovsky, not to wear the Star of David over his clothes because of the recent spike in antisemitism.
“He said that he would wear it — he’s not afraid, which is amazing. But the thing is, our parents said the same thing to us in Ukraine, that we shouldn’t wear the Star of David at all,” Faina Snitkovsky said. “It’s a shame that we came to this country to escape antisemitism, and now we have to tell our children the same thing our parents told us.”
In a written statement released Tuesday afternoon, the Police Department asked residents in the area to review any home-camera footage from approximately 4 p.m. Monday to 8 a.m. Tuesday to help identify any individuals involved with the incident.
Faina Snitkovsky said that she was grateful for the community’s support after the hateful incident, and that the Snitkovskys will continue to display the Israeli flag on their lawn and hang a mezuzah on their door.
“Our message is that we have love in our hearts to spread kindness, light, and love. We don’t feel hate, and to whoever did this crime, we wish them compassion, empathy, love, and education,” Faina Snitkovsky said. “I have received more phone calls and more text messages today than we did on Oct. 7. So it just shows the strength of the community and that we’re all standing together united. We’re all praying for each other and for the whole world.”
The Police Department wrote that it has been in communication with the Essex County district attorney’s office, the Anti-Defamation League, fellow law-enforcement agencies, and community leaders.
“As we actively investigate this incident, we will continue to focus on the safety and security of all in Swampscott. We join with the community to unequivocally condemn this act of hate,” the Police Department wrote.
