SWAMPSCOTT— The Select Board discussed the potential need for an official strategic plan to combat antisemitism in town during a meeting of the board.
The Select Board discussed and condemned this incident after it took place at a previous meeting, however, Board member Doug Thompson said that it might be time to take further action.
“The number of times we’ve talked about antisemitic events is extremely frustrating, tiring, problematic,” Thompson said.
He said understanding the demographics of those who have engaged in antisemitic behavior could be beneficial to understanding how to stop it.
“Without divulging what can’t be divulged, is this ultimately kids from Swampscott, random adults, is it kids from out of town?” Thompson asked.
Board member David Grishman expressed his support for a plan, and described other nearby municipalities such as Lynn, Marblehead, Salem, and Saugus as having experienced issues with antisemitism.
“It feels like in the last 18 months to two years, it’s been very reactive to events that have occurred and we haven’t been proactive about how we prevent the events from occurring,” Vice Chair Katie Phelan said.
Kasper revealed that the plan to install two crosswalks on Orchard Road has been postponed indefinitely after discussions with municipal officials from the Police and Fire departments.
“If we do observe unsafe conditions at that location, it can be something we look at in the future,” Kasper said.
