Jewish Organization ‘Disgusted’ After Chicago Teens Post Photos of School Building Defacement With Message: ‘F*** Jews,’ ‘ N***er Di’e
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by Rachel Frommer
Illustrative photo. Photo: Twitter.
A local Jewish organization said it was “disgusted” when Chicago teens posted photos on social media of their defacement of an old school building with the messages “F*** Jews” and “N***er die.”
A spokesperson for the Jewish United Fund (JUF) — the philanthropic arm of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago — told The Algemeiner, “It’s extremely upsetting to hear about this sort of hate crime here in Chicago or anywhere in this country,” after reports of last month’s vandalism of the shuttered St. Cornelius Catholic School came to light.
As neighborhood news outlet DNAinfo reported, vandals broke into the closed building through a bathroom window, and then posted footage on Snapchat of themselves smashing computers and painting swastikas and racist messages in hallways.
A tipster provided Chicago Police with the video, and identified one of the suspects as a “former student” of the school, according to the report, which also said that the Chicago Police Hate Crimes Unit has launched an investigation into the incident.
The Archdiocese of Chicago, which still owns and manages the school’s property, did not respond to The Algemeiner‘s request for comment.
The JUF spokesperson told The Algemeiner, “We’ve enjoyed really strong relationships with the Archdiocese and our Catholic colleagues. We stand together, united against these sorts of crimes.”
“Unfortunately, this incident is troubling, but nothing new,” the spokesperson added, referring to a recent spate of antisemitic episodes in the region, including an attack on the Chicago Loop Synagogue, in which someone smashed a window and affixed swastikas to the building before driving away.
Following that incident, the Jewish Community Relations Council convened an “interfaith gathering against hate” — an event, according to JUF, which was attended by more than 1,000 Muslims, Christians and Jews, who discussed the targeting of specific faith communities in America.
As The Algemeiner has extensively reported, swastikas and white supremacy slogans continue to crop up across US college campuses. And last week, a New York City subway car was covered in graffiti stating, “Jews belong in the oven.”
