Gay Jewish Lawmaker's Apartment Targeted With Anti-Semitic Graffiti

In a disquieting turn of events, Maryland Delegate Joe Vogel, a Democrat, on Monday disclosed recurrent vandalism marked by anti-Semitic graffiti at his apartment complex in Montgomery County, a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C.

This unsettling episode marks the third such incident within recent months. The gay and Jewish lawmaker shared images on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, showcasing four swastikas defiling the restroom door in the lobby of his residence.

Vogel, who represents Maryland’s 17th District, conveyed his dismay to Washington, D.C., CBS affiliate WUSA from his Gaithersburg home, saying, “It’s really unsettling to witness this hate in my own apartment building, in my own community, the place I regard as home.”

Although it remains uncertain if Vogel was the direct target of this hateful act, he acknowledged its grave implications for him and his community.

“That kind of hate, those kinds of messages, that vandalism sends a really dark message to me and others in our community, but it won’t make us afraid,” he said.

The disturbing incident in Montgomery County reflects a broader global tension following the ongoing conflict between the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas in Gaza. The terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7 has stirred international apprehensions, leading to an escalated Israeli response, which included bombing thousands of targets and displacing 1 million individuals from northern Gaza to the south.

The repercussions of this conflict are felt far beyond the borders of Israel and Gaza, with an uptick in both anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic attacks reported in various communities worldwide. Experts voice concerns that such inter-community conflicts are likely to escalate further if international tensions continue to rise.

The Anti-Defamation League reported a nearly doubling of anti-Semitic incidents in Maryland from 55 in 2021 to 109 in 2022, with Montgomery County accounting for more than half of these occurrences. The ADL’s 2023 data so far records 68 incidents, linking a spike to the recent upheavals in the Middle East. Vogel remarked on the disturbing trend.

“The surge that we are seeing is real, and we have to look at that for what it is, and we have to take action,” Vogel said to WUSA.

In response to the increasing hate, Vogel spearheaded legislation establishing the Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention earlier this year. Endorsed by Maryland Gov. Wes More, this law directs a commission of nearly two dozen members from state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders to devise strategies for preventing and addressing hate crimes and evaluate existing state laws and policies concerning hate crimes.

On a parallel track, Vogel has thrown his hat into the political arena by announcing his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in Maryland’s 6th congressional District, aspiring to follow the footsteps of David Trone, who is now running for the Senate seat soon to be vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Ben Cardin.