Dear Editor,
I’m sharing the following statement from Vermont Friends of Israel regarding the recent vandalism of a Jewish woman’s storefront in Proctorsville, Vt.
“Today, a Jewish woman’s storefront in rural Vermont was vandalized with antizionist graffiti.
“This was an anti-Jewish hate crime, and it is the predictable consequence of a political campaign in Vermont that demonizes Israel and pressures local communities to treat Jews and Zionists as equivalent to Nazis.
“The Apartheid Free Pledge promoted by the Palestine Solidarity Coalition does not exist in a vacuum. It is part of a national campaign presented locally as grassroots activism.
“When antizionist activists tell people that Jews with deep spiritual, cultural, and familial ties to Israel are ‘baby killers’ and ‘genocide supporters,’ it sends a dangerous signal that intimidation against them is understandable, deserved, or even justified.
“History teaches us where this goes. First come campaigns of dehumanization, slogans, pledges, and public shaming. Now a Jewish woman’s storefront has been vandalized in rural Vermont. Synagogues in Vermont have been sent death threats. Swastikas are found on Vermont school walls. Jewish students are bullied.
“What comes next if this is not confronted?”
Vermont Friends of Israel commissioned Hexagonal Sentinel to document this pattern of demonizing rhetoric in Vermont media. The report is available at www.vfi.ngo/antisemitism-in-vermont/jcs-brattleboro-newspapers.
The shop owner, Denise Gebroe, shared the following statement: “I was shaken to find my storefront vandalized with antizionist graffiti, but I am okay and will not be broken. This was an act of intimidation directed at me because I am Jewish. I made Vermont my home because I love it here, but it does not feel the same as it once did. Incidents like this are happening more than many people realize, and most go unreported. I fear for the future of the Jewish community here, and Jewish friends of mine have already left. This was an anti-Jewish hate crime.”
Sincerely,
Mark Treinkman, President
Vermont Friends of Israel