COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A second Cobb County high school was hit with anti-Semitic images and messaging within a week of another high school.
Students and parents found out about the incident on the eve of the holiest day of the year in Judaism - Yom Kippur. The hateful images and messaging were discovered inside two bathrooms inside Lassiter High School.
"When I first saw parents posting, I thought they were posting about Pope again. And the next thing I know it’s about Lassiter, and I thought how is this possible this happens two times within a week of each other, the same exact thing," said Rabbi Chaim Neiditch.
Neiditch is the Executive Director of the Jewish Student Union, which has a chapter at Lassiter High. In a letter sent home to parents, Principal Chris Richie said that anti-Semitic symbols and language were displayed behind two bathroom stall doors. The announcement concerned students.
The discovery comes within a week of similar graffiti at neighboring school, Pope High.
"We are living in times of really dramatic rates of anti-Semitism. We always tend to see anti-Semitism explode at times of heightened sensitivity," said Allison Padilla Goodman with the southern division of the Anti-Defamation League.
According to ADL research, rates of anti-Semitism vandalism, assaults and harassment have more than doubled over the last five years.
In an email sent home to Lassiter parents, the principal said this is an active investigation.
Rabbi Neiditch feels the school is handling the situation appropriately.
"They’re on top of this they have this and they’re very swiftly acting without any pressure from the outside to move ahead to make sure all the students feel safe," said Neiditch.
Students are hopeful it is an isolated incident, but see it as an opportunity for education.
"I think we can use it as an opportunity to bring awareness to anti-Semitism because it’s not very talked about in our society, but it is an underlying issue," said Lassiter senior and president of the Jewish Student Union, Adam Szuczupak.
In a statement to 11 Alive the Cobb County School District says there is zero tolerance for these kinds of actions.