Residents of Newton, Massachusetts, were shaken this weekend as local police confirmed they are investigating an act of vandalism against a homeowner's display of Israeli hostages as a hate crime. The Kosowski family's fence on Homer Street, which was lined with nearly 100 feet of flyers showing names and photos of individuals taken hostage by Hamas, was defaced with spray paint, as per reports from NBC Boston. In an act that seemed to specifically target victims of a protected class, faces on the posters were blacked out and the phrase "Free Gaza" was sprayed alongside the family's statement of solidarity with Israel.
"We denounce such behavior, and our community has no tolerance for such bias and hateful acts," Newton Police Chief John Carmichael stated in a comment reported by NBC Boston. The vandalism came as a shock to the Kosowskis, who had maintained the display for months to raise awareness of the violence that took place last October. In an interview with CBS News, Jeff Kosowski conveyed his distress, "They had to look at each of them as they destroyed them, blotted them out of existence once again."
Receiving widespread support from neighbors and local politicians, the family's tribute to the hostages was up until the recent incident, which has now gravitated the attention beyond the community. The mayor of Newton even visited the Kosowskis, assuring them that efforts were being undertaken rapidly to locate the perpetrators. Miriam Kosowski, in speaking to CBS News, emphasized the danger of such acts of dehumanization. "It definitely is scary that if somebody is going to so dehumanize even a child then they're going to dehumanize all of us and that is the first step towards physical violence," she said.
While the search for the individuals responsible continues, the Kosowski family remains steadfast in their efforts to commemorate the hostages and confront the hostility they faced. Jeff Kosowski told CBS News, "I would tell the person you're actually making our point, you're showing the evil that lies within you. We are not going to shut up about it, we're going to persist." The family's resolve seems only strengthened by the violent act, turning it into a defiant statement against hatred and a call for unity against bias.
