Anti-Semitic Incidents Increasing In Area: Simsbury First Selectman

SIMSBURY, CT — Since the horrific terrorist attacks against Israel by Hamas marauders, there has been an uptick in anti-Semitic incidents in the area, according to Simsbury's top town official.

At Monday's regular Simsbury Board of Selectmen meeting, Simsbury First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis, a Democrat, issued a personal statement on the situation.

In discussing the issue, she cited multiple reports of hate-fueled incidents locally.

Those, she said, ranged from a bomb threat at a local temple and one in West Hartford to flyers in Simsbury and Avon driveways seemingly coming from a hate group.

"I've had people reach out to me about what's going on in the Middle East," Mackstutis told fellow council members on Monday.

"That's not my style to make a statement regarding things that are going on. But I do want to make a statement about some of the antisemitism that has cropped up in the Farmington Valley over the last couple of weeks and that is not welcome here."

She said local clergy have reached out to the town to discuss these events that seemed to have happened after the Oct. 7 attacks.

Mackstutis thanked the local police department for its efforts in investigating the wave of such incidents in recent weeks.