Between 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, and 7 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, a swastika was carved into the green near the 10th hole of the Yardley Country Club and just as quickly removed, according to the Yardley Borough Police Department.
A racial slur was also written into the sand trap around the hole. The Yardley police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
“This type of behavior is not only a criminal act, but it is also hateful, offensive, and has no place in our community,” the department wrote in a Sept. 28 Facebook post. “The Yardley Borough Police Department is committed to thoroughly investigating this incident and holding those responsible accountable.”
The post also asked for the public’s help in identifying the perpetrator. Anyone with information, video footage or eyewitness accounts should call the department at 215-493-2782. Officer Alex Bires was listed as a more direct contact at extension 411.
Yardley Country Club is located 1.2 miles from Abrams Hebrew Academy.
Rabbi Ira Budow, Abrams’ longtime head of school, confirmed the academy shared security footage with police earlier this week. Officers were not able to find anything on the recording that could aid in the investigation.
Budow told Philadelphia Jewish Exponent in June that Abrams spends $70 to $80 per hour, or around $100,000 per year, on a private security company. At the same time, he explained that, in his four-plus decades at the school, it has never been the direct victim of an antisemitic incident.
Earlier this year, the academy expanded its property with a volleyball court, a basketball court, a track and a playground/play area. The project took about four years and cost over $1 million.
“Yardley for me for 46 years has been a very good place to work for Jewish people. I’ve worked with the planning board, the zoning board, the police, neighbors, and it’s always been good. It’s always been very, very good,” he said.
Parents in the school community were nonetheless concerned, according to Budow. The 10th hole is only about 200 feet from Abrams.
“It was the closest green to the school. In my mind, I said, ‘Were they really trying to send us … ?’” Budow said.
Abrams is in the process of adding 30 new security cameras with money from Pennsylvania’s Targeted School Safety Grants for Nonpublic Schools program.
“We’ll be able to see activity on the golf course, too,” Budow said.
American Jewish Committee Philadelphia/Southern N.J. issued a statement Sept. 30 in response to the incident.
“Reports of antisemitic vandalism in Bucks County are deeply disturbing and unacceptable. As the Jewish community prepares to mark the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, many Jews are already grappling with an increasingly hostile environment and are feeling especially vulnerable and concerned for their safety,” it said. “This is a moment for people of good conscience to stand together in rejecting hate in all its forms. We all have a responsibility to ensure that our communities remain safe, welcoming, and inclusive. AJC remains committed to working alongside community partners, elected officials, educators, and law enforcement to provide resources, strengthen understanding, and help safeguard all members of our community.”
jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com