Whitman Students Show Solidarity With Jewish Community After Graffiti

BETHESDA, MD — Students at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda participated in a demonstration Thursday to show solidarity with the Jewish community after the message “Jews Not Welcome” was spray-painted on the school sign last week.

The event was held in the high school commons area and was attended by students, teachers and staff members, Montgomery Community Media reported Thursday.

Rabbi Adam Raskin of Har Shalom in Potomac, who addressed the students on Thursday, described the mood of the event as “reflective,” according to the news report.

Maryland Delegate Marc Korman also attended Thursday's event, calling it a “very supportive” environment.

Shortly after 8 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17, Montgomery County Police Department officers were dispatched to Walt Whitman High School for the report of anti-Semitic graffiti spray-painted on the school’s sign board.

Police said the case has been assigned to an investigator, who is working to obtain any images of possible suspects.

The department said it is coordinating with the Anti-Defamation League to address the act of anti-Semitic vandalism at the high school and other places in the Bethesda area. Officers are also increasing patrols to include community centers, schools and places of worship throughout the county, police said.

Earlier this week, several Walt Whitman High School staff members received an anti-Semitic email message from an unknown sender, Bethesda Beat reported. The anonymous sender’s email address came from outside the Montgomery County Public Schools network.

Raskin told Montgomery Community Media that some of the young people in his congregation have told him that telling Holocaust jokes has become more commonplace among students.

He emphasized to the students on Thursday, “Let’s get one thing straight. There’s nothing funny about the Holocaust.”

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