Antisemitic Graffiti In Bethesda Denounced By County Officials

BETHESDA, MD — Police are investigating antisemitic graffiti that was found along the Bethesda Trolley Trail in Montgomery County on Monday morning.

The Montgomery County Police Department is asking people who live nearby to check any Ring cameras or other home surveillance videos.

Along the trail in the Wildwood neighborhood, vandals used red paint to draw three people hanging from a noose with the words, “No Mercy for Jews.”

Also, antisemitic graffiti was found at Old Georgetown Road and Tuckerman Lane that included a swastika and symbols for white power. Montgomery County workers removed the graffiti on Monday.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich called on residents with information about the graffiti to contact the MCPD.

“Sadly, from pop culture icons to right wing hate groups, we are witnessing a rise in antisemitism throughout this nation,” Elrich said in a statement Monday. “I never imagined we would be at this place in the 21st century.”

The Montgomery County Council also issued a statement on Monday denouncing the graffiti found Monday.

"We are horrified and saddened by the recent displays of antisemitism in and around the Trolley Trail in Bethesda," the council statement said. "We have seen a troubling rise in antisemitic incidents nationwide and, tragically, this deeply alarming trend is also occurring right here in Montgomery County."

Earlier this month, the Montgomery County Council passed a resolution reaffirming its commitment to address anti-Semitism. The council also gratitude to the MCPD for investigating the graffiti and thanked the Montgomery County Department of Transportation for cleaning up the graffiti.