At least four schools across Long Island, New York have uncovered swastikas and other antisemitic language in the last week, according to local media sources. The Nazi symbol has been found at secondary schools across the area, largely in Suffolk County, though not limited to this region.
Swastikas have been found throughout the week at high schools and middle schools in Port Jefferson Village, Commack, Smithtown, and Syosset.
In Commack, a swastika was found in a school bathroom, the second discovery of its kind this month, according to American media. The school's superintendent said that school officials reported the graffiti to Suffolk County police, who opened an investigation.
“Antisemitism or any form of hatred within our schools will not be tolerated,” district superintendent Jordan Cox wrote in a letter sent to the families of students. “Once the responsible individual is found, I am committed to pursuing legal action to the fullest extent.”
Jenna Resnikoff, 26, graduated Commack High School in 2015 and was not shocked by the news at her alma mater. "It’s incredibly disheartening to see, but truthfully not surprising, given that there have been incidents like this before at Commack High School," she told The Jerusalem Post. "We are seeing the prevalence of antisemitism everywhere we turn."
Are local authorities taking these hate crimes seriously?
In contrast, when the same symbol accompanied by a Star of David and the word "fight!" was carved under a desk at Port Jefferson High School, district officials reportedly claimed that police did not require the hate crime unit to get involved.
Swastikas have also been found at Smithtown East High School as well as Syosset's Southwoods Middle School in Nassau County in the past week. Earlier this month, the symbol was graffitied at a high school in East Meadow. Since the start of the 2023-2024 school year, similar incidents have been uncovered at school districts in Port Washington and Riverhead.
The discovery comes amid a global spike in online antisemitism after the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel.
According to a report published by the UJA Federation of New York, the size of Suffolk County Jewry has declined since 2002. The county has a low level of Jewish population density, according to a report from 2011, remaining consistent more than a decade later.