Students at a Catholic prep school in New York City have been suspended and face a possible hate crime investigation after they were caught drawing antisemitic graffiti.
Parents at Fordham Prep, a $24,000-a-year all-boys Jesuit school in the Bronx, have been informed about the suspensions.
The students were seen spraying the graffiti off-campus on October 9, said Anthony Day, president of the school, and Joseph Petriello, the school president, in their letter to parents.
The students were not named, and it was unclear how many were involved.
On October 9 a group of four young men were seen in upper Manhattan graffitiing swastikas and the word 'Hamas' on a building. It is not known if they are Fordham Prep students.
Fordham Prep, founded in 1841, currently has 950 students in grades nine to 12.
Fordham Preparatory School, where fees are almost $24,000 a year, has suspended students for making antisemitic graffiti
Joseph Petriello (left), the school principal, and Anthony Day, the president of Fordham Prep, wrote to parents to inform them of their actions
The school officials said the boys' actions were 'deplorable'.
The graffiti was sprayed two days after the Hamas terror attack, which killed 1,200 Israelis, and has sparked an outpouring of both antisemitism and Islamophobia.
The number of antisemitic hate crimes in New York City rose by 330 percent in the three weeks after the terrorist attack.
There were 16 reported in September and 69 in October, according to a review of NYPD data by the at California State University, San Bernardino.
Day and Petriello said the school 'unequivocally condemns offensive and hateful language and action in all its forms.'
'Anti-Semitic language and actions are antithetical to our Catholic Jesuit values,' they added.
'Hate speech has no place in our community.'
They said the entire student body had been addressed about the situation, through a series of assemblies for each grade.
They said the school's leadership team had been consulted, and the police may yet be involved.
Fordham Prep was established in 1841, and now has 950 boys studying within its walls
'Fordham Prep reserves the right to cede any investigation to law enforcement officials should they become involved in a matter concerning one or more Prep students.
'We will fully cooperate with any police investigation into this incident.'
Officials at the school - where, despite its Jesuit character, only 25 percent are Catholics - said they wanted to send a message of support to the Jewish community.
'Fordham Prep will continue to be a community of compassion, love, and understanding,' the two school leaders wrote.
'We fully recognize the hurt this causes.
'While we are all offended by this universal symbol of hate, to our Jewish sisters and brothers, know that Fordham Prep stands beside you and we continue to welcome your participation in our community healing process.'
The Biden administration has warned US schools and colleges they must take immediate action to stop antisemitism and Islamophobia on their campuses, citing an 'alarming rise' in threats and harassment.
The Education Department said there's 'renewed urgency' to fight discrimination against students during the Israel-Hamas war.
The letter reminds schools of their legal duty to protect students and intervene to stop harassment that disrupts their education.
'The rise of reports of hate incidents on our college campuses in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict is deeply traumatic for students and should be alarming to all Americans,' said Miguel Cardona, Education Secretary, in a statement.
'Antisemitism, Islamophobia and all other forms of hatred go against everything we stand for as a nation.'
NYPD shared surveillance photos of four suspects walking with backpacks who were seen scrawling pro-Hamas logos on the Upper East Side on October 9
New York police attend a rally and protest on Wall Street amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas
Posters distributed around the New York University campus of people kidnapped by Hamas on the October 7 raid of Israel are vandalized and covered with pro Palestinian graffiti, October 25
The Fordham suspensions came amid a wave of antisemitic attacks across the country.
On Thursday, police in Texas said they were investigating vandals who graffitied slogans on the walls of Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz's office, including 'Israel kills Jews too' and 'Monica murders.'
De La Cruz shared the images on X showing her office in the border city of McAllen vandalized with red spray paint.
The message: 'Israel kills Jews too,' was plastered across a window. Another on the ground read: 'You can't escape your crimes Monica.'
At the entrance of her office, a message read: 'Israel is doing genocide and you are supporting it.'
Texas Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz was targeted by anti-Israel vandals who spray-painted her office with chilling messages - including ' Israel kills Jews too' and 'Monica murders.'
At the entrance of her office, a message read, 'Israel is doing genocide and you are supporting it'
The message: 'Israel kills Jews too,' was plastered across a window. Another on the ground read, 'You can't escape your crimes Monica'
Representative-elect Monica De La Cruz (pictured) was elected in the 2022 midterm elections as the first-ever woman and Republican to represent Texas' 15th congressional district
De La Cruz expressed support for Israel after the Hamas attack.
'On October 7th, Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,000 innocent civilians, including many Americans, in the single largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,' De La Cruz said in a statement.
'These savages burned babies in ovens, decapitated toddlers in front of their families, tortured parents before their children, and continue to hold hundreds of hostages.'
De La Cruz, 48, is a first-term congresswoman whose district is on the U.S.-Mexico border.
De La Cruz said the vandalism would not 'intimidate' her or silence her support for Israel.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2Bc4OSb2xucV%2BbvLOwx5qkZqiimr1urtGopbFlo6nCpbHNrapmq6Wovaa6w56bZpmeqba0scyiq6KrnWO1tbnL