Antisemitic graffiti in DC suburb seen as part of a trend

By ASHRAF KHALIL
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The discovery this week of violently antisemitic graffiti along a popular Maryland walking trail is just the latest in a rising of anti-Jewish vandalism and activity dating back a decade, according to local Jewish leaders. On Monday, graffiti was found along the Bethesda Trolley Trail depicting a swastika and the statement, “No mercy for the Jews,” along with several crude drawings. Similar graffiti was found along the same trail in August. While these issues have become front-page news in recent months after public controversies involving basketball star Kyrie Irving and the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, Jewish leaders said the frequency of antisemitic activity long predates those scandals.