On Dec. 8, a student reported to school staff that they had discovered a drawing of a swastika on a desk, Principal Intern Gregory Miller wrote in a letter to community members yesterday. Administrators notified the Montgomery County Police Department and the Office of School Support and Well-Being of the incident and began an investigation, Miller wrote.
The incident follows another recent event of antisemitism at Quince Orchard High School on Dec. 5 after antisemitic graffiti was found on a restroom wall, Quince Orchard Principal Elizabeth L. Thomas wrote in a community letter on Dec. 7. School staff removed the graffiti once it was found and administration notified the police and began an investigation in accordance with established MCPS protocol.
Thomas and Miller strongly condemned the incidents in their letters, expressing zero tolerance for any discrimination or hate speech under MCPS policy. Both administrators also included suggested tools and strategies for parents in their letters to help educate students on antisemitism.
Assistant Principal Kristi McAleese said that administration is working towards raising more awareness on antisemitic symbols.
“We are going to continue to work with our partners and our student unions to make the significance and intentions behind these symbols known,” McAleese said.
The Whitman community has experienced several antisemitic incidents in the past two years, including graffiti on the Whitman sign, comments made by members of the debate team and anti-Israel protesters in the school parking lot.
Since the start of the school year, antisemitic graffiti has also been found at several elementary, middle and high schools in the county, including Thomas W. Pyle Middle School and Chevy Chase Elementary School. Several teachers have also been placed on administrative leave following social media posts and email taglines related to the Israel-Hamas war.
Junior Naomi Bortnick hopes to unify Jewish and Arab students through her club, Yallah. She is frustrated with the continuing anitsemitic events that have happened at Whitman and is worried for the what these incidents mean for the saftey of the student body.
“I’m honestly not surprised, but I am worried,” Bortnick said. “So far there haven’t been any physical attacks but I’m worried that if this continues it might escalate and result in violence.”
