Building across from Jewish Family Services in Seattle vandalized with antisemitic graffiti

The building across from Jewish Family Services of Seattle was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti on Sunday.

The vandals wrote, "It’s OK to be a Zionist Genocider."

According to a notice from Safe WA, there is speculation that the incident was in response to an op-ed published last week in The Seattle Times, written by Rabbi Will Berkovitz, chief executive officer of JFS of Seattle. The op-ed entitled When violence is targeted at Jewish people, anywhere, it is targeted at us everywhere, describes the rise in worldwide antisemitism and was written on the heels of a terrorist hostage taking at a synagogue in Texas the previous week.

Police are reportedly searching for video of the incident and are investigating the incident as a hate crime. It was noted in the police report that a group had a "...march around the area." However, the reporting officer stressed that "THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OR CONNECTION THAT THIS GROUP OR PROTEST WAS CONNECTED TO THIS CRIME, however I am noting it due to the coincidental timing, in case a connection is discovered to any involved party, since this is not a daily event here and close in proximity."

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell tweeted in response to the incident, "We will not tolerate anti-Semitism in Seattle – period. This disgusting act of vandalism is a sad reminder that hate can target our communities at any time and in any form. We must all speak out and reject this vile attack loudly and unambiguously."

Harrell added, "I’ve directed Seattle Public Utilities to offer assistance in removing the graffiti immediately and Seattle Police Department to investigate its origin. We will not allow vandals to disrespect Seattle’s communities, deface our buildings and landmarks, and detract from the values that define our City. As such, I will be convening a call with Jewish leaders to reiterate Seattle’s support for the Jewish community. We must lead every day with inclusivity – ensuring this is a welcoming place for all people, no matter their religion, creed, race, or background."

Since 1892, JFS has been provided essential services to Jews and non-Jews alike throughout the Greater Seattle area.

The graffiti appears to be a reference to a false accusation by the anti-Israel movement that Jews are committing a genocide against Palestinians in Israel. According to the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) the Arab population in the area following the British mandate before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was 1,292,000. Per the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in 2017, the population of the Gaza strip and the West Bank was 4,780,978. That is not including the approximately 1,890,000 Arabs who are Israeli citizens as of 2019, an over 419 percent increase. To illustrate the point, one local Israel advocate told The Post Millennial, "If we are committing genocide, we really suck at it."

A return to Zion, otherwise known as biblical Israel is a cornerstone of Judaism. Antisemites and anti-Israel activists frequently replace the word "Jew" with "Zionist" in order to mask antisemitism. Many even go so far as to call Zionists/Jews "Nazis" in referencing the Middle East conflict.

FBI reports on hate crimes show that the number of incidents continues to rise. Anti-Jewish hate crimes accounted for 57 percent of the 1,174 religiously motivated hate crimes in 2020, even though Jews account for less than 2 percent of the US population.

On Saturday, a 34-year-old man was arrested in connection to Washington DC’s Union Station being vandalized by swastikas discovered Friday morning. The vandalism came one day after international Holocaust Remembrance Day marking the 77th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazis' Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Poland.