Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, are looking for those responsible for leaving dozens of antisemitic flyers around the Wolf Trap area of Vienna.
A neighbor alerted police Sunday after finding a sealed plastic bag containing the flyer “weighted with corn kernels” on his property in the 1400 block of Laurel Hill Road. That person found up to 80 more flyers before officers arrived.
Patrols have been increased in the area, police said, and they’re working with both the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington “to ensure the community is aware.”
“We will coordinate with our local and regional partners to identify any commonalties in other incidents outside of Fairfax County,” said Sgt. Ian Z. Yost with the Fairfax County Police Department.
Jeff McKay, the chairman of Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors, voiced his support for the county’s Jewish community, saying, “We stand with our brothers and sisters targeted by hate and division and soundly reject those who would use malice to propel a personal agenda”
https://t.co/r2t0tpXQ9E pic.twitter.com/Al43Y3mv2Y
— Jeff McKay (@JeffreyCMcKay) February 21, 2022
Anyone who may have information — or who might have home surveillance footage of those responsible — can call Fairfax County police at 703-802-2750 or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS. Tips can also be sent to Crime Solvers online or texted by typing “FCCS” plus the tip to 847411.
Meredith Weisel, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League’s D.C. office, said the league has seen a similar trend over the last three months. She described what’s been happening as concerning because “it raised alarm in the community.” This weekend, she said they have recorded some 22 incidents in eight different states.
“These provocative acts are meant to create a sense of anger and/or despair, and possibly even fear, among the Jewish community,” Ron Halber, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, said.
Halber said antisemitism is increasing nationwide, and he cites the disruption of civil discourse and the increase in polarization as some reasons why.
“The open hate and vitriolic language that is used in public and the kind of antisemitism that we see today in public discourse is the kind of stuff that people would be embarrassed to say 20 years ago,” Halber said.
Weisel said that it is important for anyone who finds these kinds of materials to report it to law enforcement, and also to the Anti-Defamation League
“We have an online reporting right on our main page … and also to alert local law enforcement because we need to track, and we need to see where they are, because we want to make sure the community is aware of what is happening and that they understand this is something that we are closely monitoring throughout the communities,” Weisel said.
While Halber said it’s very “fulfilling” for the people who spread antisemitic messages to see coverage of their actions in the media, and while he would love to ignore them, “it just can’t be done.” Reporting these kinds of incidents allows JCRC, the ADL and law enforcement the ability to draw patterns, he said.
Halber is also asking society leaders to speak up and condemn incidents that target any group. “So we don’t allow the perpetrators of these acts to feel that they actually represent any … percentage of the population,” he said. “The truth of the matter is, it may cause anger, and may cause some fear, and it may cause some despair, but it’s not going to stop anybody from living proud Jewish lives.
WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.
