Community Rallies Against Hate After Anti-Semitic Graffiti Found on Garage

A day after anti-Semitic graffiti was scrawled across the garage door of a Northwest Side family, a Chicago community is coming together to stand with that family, saying they won’t tolerate hate in their neighborhood.

“No hate, no fear, everyone is welcome here,” neighbors chanted during the gathering Wednesday night.

The rally comes a day after an unidentified person spray-painted a swastika and the word “Nazi” on the garage door of a home in the 3200 block of North Kenneth Avenue.

Police say the homeowners are Jewish, and as a show of solidarity with their neighbors, area residents put together a “No Hate” rally on Wednesday.

“This is just not acceptable,” neighbor Ann Torralba said.

“We are not going to tolerate this,” neighbor Patrick Malani added. “This affects everybody.”

Numerous police officers also attended the rally in a show of support for the family. As Yom Kippur, a Jewish High Holy Day, began on Tuesday, police were also present near several area synagogues, monitoring services after several high-profile recent attacks against Jewish houses of worship, including a shooting in Germany on Wednesday.

As the community banded together, neighbors said that the scene gave them hope that together they are strong enough to persevere through tough times.

“This is something pretty awesome to walk into. It’s awesome the way we all met,” Erica Carey, who just moved into the neighborhood, said.

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