A billboard in Worcester aimed to combat antisemitism and denounce Hamas was defaced, its message of warning morphed into a provocative statement of support for the Palestinian organization. Initially featuring the statement, "Let's be clear: Hamas is your problem too," as part of a JewBelong campaign, the sign located on Interstate 290 West now bears the edited phrase "Let's be clear: Hamas is freeing Palestine" along with an accusation stating "Israel murdered 25,000 people," according to CBS News Boston.
Rabbi Mendel Fogelman expressed a stark view on the incident to WBZ-TV, lamenting it as the promotion of violence against Jews and pointing out the rise in antisemitism across the country, especially in academic institutions Fogelman suggested that college presidents should be fired and students punished to send a clear message against such acts. The disturbing alteration has triggered a request for action by JewBelong, as stated on their Facebook page and detailed in a CBS News Boston.
Steven Schimmel, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts, branded the graffiti as a grotesque distortion of reality and called for the situation to be taken seriously, while also indicating ongoing communications between the Jewish Federation officials, Worcester police, ADL, and city officials. The exact intent behind the billboard's defacement remains under investigation as neither Massachusetts State Police nor Worcester police have yet commented on the matter or confirmed any leads, according to a Telegram.com report
