PORTLAND, Maine — Leaders within Portland's Jewish community are condemning hate symbols found last week outside Rowe Elementary School.
“I think my first reaction was sadness," Rabbi Hannah Estrin of Temple Beth El said.
Swastikas were found graffitied on a gatepost near the school bus loading area and on a school sign at Rowe, according to a letter sent to the community by Portland Public Schools Superintendent Ryan Scallon.
“That is a symbol that has a lot of history and a lot of weight for Jews,” Estrin told NEWS CENTER Maine. "It makes it hard to go out and do 'tikkun olam,' to help make a better world, because we end up spending energy bouncing back against that hate.”
Incidents such as this one pop up every now and then, she added. But Estrin said it's situations like this one that led a 13-year-old girl in the community to no longer feel safe wearing a Jewish star to show she's proud of who she is.
"Acts or symbols of hate and discrimination have no place in our school community, and we will not tolerate any behavior that threatens our shared values of respect, belonging, and kindness," Scallon's letter said.
Scallon called the graffiti "unacceptable, disturbing, and painful."
Portland Police Department said the incident is under investigation, but no suspect has been identified at this time.
Estrin encouraged everyone to start focusing on how they spend their time because there's more that joins them than divides them.
"I don’t want to spend my energy hating people," she said. "I want to spend my energy making this a better world, making it a stronger community, a safer community."