Bethesda Trolley Trail graffiti targeting Jews is condemned by Montgomery County officials

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich

Graffiti threatening Jewish people and promoting Nazism appeared on a fence along the Bethesda Trolley Trail in North Bethesda Monday morning. Additional graffiti was found on a wall at the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Tuckerman Lane. By late afternoon, the graffiti had been removed, but the upset caused by the incident strongly remained. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) and the Montgomery County Council issued separate statements condemning the graffiti, which mirrored a similar antisemitic message scrawled along the trail earlier this year.

The graffiti used stick figure images to threaten Jews, alongside the message, "No mercy for Jews." To the right was painted a swastika, and code numbers often used by white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups. The messages come just weeks after the Council passed a resolution against antisemitism.

"It deeply saddened me to see this," Elrich said in a statement. "Antisemitism, hate, and attempts at intimidation, in any form, should not exist nor be tolerated anywhere, especially in a community like Montgomery County. I have had to personally deal with antisemitism throughout my entire life, and I have always hoped that there would be a day in my lifetime when it would no longer be a part of our society. Sadly, from pop culture icons to right wing hate groups, we are witnessing a rise in antisemitism throughout this nation. I never imagined we would be at this place in the 21st century."

“The Council stands in strong solidarity with our Jewish community and condemns all acts of hate and religious bigotry," a statement from the County Council read. "There is no tolerance in Montgomery County for these hateful actions and abhorrent, violent imagery attacking the Jewish community."

Both Elrich and the Council urged the public to provide any tips or information they might have to Montgomery County police. The non-emergency number to contact the police is 301-279-8000.