Hate Crimes Hit Local Jewish School

The Epstein School in Sandy Springs has been vandalized twice this school year – swastikas were painted on campus grounds. These horrible incidents hit close to home for me as an Epstein alum. Not only is Epstein physically close to my current high school, I still know kids who go there. No one knows who committed this atrocious hate crime, but I believe that it is someone who is ignorant and does not understand the horrible power of the swastika and what it means to our people.

As Jewish students attending religious school, we were always taught about the Holocaust, Nazism and Hitler’s plan to wipe out the Jews, but none of it ever felt real. We saw textbook pictures and heard survivors recount tales, but we never thought that the same demoralizing symbols used then would be brought before our eyes now. I was sure the passing of time had changed the world and people’s views of Jewish people.

The appearance of the swastikas near Epstein, however, made it clear that there are still people out there who have hate in their hearts and are not afraid to put it out there for the public to see. To say such a thing was unexpected would be a severe understatement. In this age when we’d like to think that everyone is open minded, I was taken aback that an act of vandalism of this magnitude would be committed.

Such hate crimes do not just affect the students at Epstein. Not only did Epstein’s elementary and middle school students have to face the horror and shame of seeing the swastikas branded near their school property, their families and friends had to feel the shock of such an act reverberate throughout our community. We all shared their disbelief and anger.

It should be known to all Epstein students, faculty and families as well as the entire Jewish community around Atlanta, that the VOX family is not only supportive in this time of unrest, but has and will continue to advocate for an atmosphere and environment against hate and prejudice of any kind. There is no justification for such acts, no matter the circumstances.

— Yasmeen Malik | VOX Staff