Rye Country Day School officials have launched an investigation after finding a swastika drawn on its campus this week.
The incident took place on Tuesday when the antisemitic hate symbol was found on a walkway drawn in water on the Boston Post Road grounds, according to school officials. Head of schools Randall Dunn condemned the drawing and vowed to take “appropriate disciplinary action,” in a correspondence with the Rye Country Day community.
“Though this disappointing incident reflects negatively on our community, we will respond with intention through offering resources, education, and support,” Dunn told the school community. “Please know that we are taking this offense very seriously.”
Rye Country Day spokesperson Dania Abu-Shaheen said she couldn’t confirm whether the school had found a suspected perpetrator by Thursday.
“Because this matter involves our school community, we are not able to share additional details,” Abu-Shaheen said.
“RCDS is committed to maintaining the safety, well-being, and privacy of our community,” she added.
Rye Police Lt. Michael Anfuso told The Record that Rye Country Day did not report the incident to the police, and added that zero hate crimes have been reported in the city of Rye this year.
However, antisemitic incidents have been on the rise in New York, a state in which close to 9% of the population is Jewish. The Anti-Defamation League reported that there were 1,437 antisemitic incidents in the state last year – the highest ever recorded by the ADL in New York.
Somers High School officials launched their own investigation this week after finding a swastika drawn on a desk.
The Tuesday incident at Rye Country Day School comes on the fifth day of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, and less than a week after a father and son pair fatally shot 15 people celebrating the holiday at a beach in Sydney, Australia.
The swastika – though originally a symbol of wellbeing in ancient societies – was used by Adolf Hitler to represent the Nazi party in Germany, which killed six million Jewish people during World War II.
Dunn said he and his faculty have “emphasized the gravity of this offense” at Rye Country Day, and encouraged families to do the same.
“As parent and guardians, please support these important themes with discussions at home to reinforce our school’s shared values,” he said. “I want our Jewish students and families – and every RCDS community member – to know unequivocally that hateful language or behavior has no place at our school.”
