As a war in the Middle East rages between Israel and Hamas, following an Oct. 7 deadly terrorist attack and massacre in Israel that led to a later invasion of Gaza, according to Evesham Township Mayor Jacklyn “Jackie” Veasy, “communities across our nation have experienced a painful rise in acts of intolerance and hate crimes against Jewish people” and “unfortunately, Evesham Township is not immune to these disturbing trends.”
According to the mayor, several trails, signs, and kiosks in Evesham Township’s Black Run Preserve were recently damaged or defaced, “including by hateful graffiti involving swastikas.”
“Let me be clear – this type of evil has no place in our modern society, and this type of evil will find no safe harbor in our community,” she declared.
The mayor, in a statement, offered her “thanks to our Evesham Police Department for immediately investigating these incidents, and to our Parks staff, who quickly worked to cover/remove these intolerable symbols of hate.”
According to Evesham Police Chief Walt Miller, as of Nov. 15, no arrests have been made.
“We would ask the public if they have any information that would aid in the investigation to please contact us,” Miller added. “We take bias crimes very seriously and are actively investigating these acts of vandalism, aimed at intimidating the Jewish community.”
Veasy vowed, as township mayor, to “publicly condemn these hateful incidents and the hateful individuals who perpetrate them.”
“As I’ve said before, antisemitism is not only immoral, but it is undeniably un-American,” Veasy declared. “The promise of our great nation is that all people, regardless of their ethnicity or the faith they practice, can live together in peace and freedom.”
She added that for anyone “impacted by these terrible acts” to “please know that you have the complete and unyielding support” of not only her, but “fellow elected members of Township Council” as well as “your municipality as a whole, including our police and other public safety officials,” and that, “as always, Evesham Township will continue to work for the safety and dignity of all our citizens, of all backgrounds.”