Antisemitic graffiti was found on sidewalks in downtown Cincinnati, from the river to 10th Street.
The messages contained heavily inflated casualty numbers referencing the Israel-Hamas War that began after Oct. 7th, 2023, when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. The graffiti also contained inflated numbers regarding aid to Israel.
The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s Jewish Community Relations Council issued a statement.
“The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is aware of recent antisemitic graffiti and vandalism across Cincinnati. We take these incidents extremely seriously.”
“Since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, we have been in steady contact with the City Manager’s Office, so incidents are treated as threats and routed for removal as quickly as city processes allow. The city has been responsive, and we continue to press for faster, more efficient cleanup. Some sites have already been addressed; others are in process. We will keep tracking each report until it’s resolved.”
This is another in a sad and long line of antisemitic incidents over the past two years. In the spring and summer of 2024 antisemitic banner was hung on Highway 50, and Jewish cemeteries were vandalized. In 2025, Neo-Nazis displayed antisemitic banners over I-75 while attempting to intimidate the community, while wearing assault rifles, and antisemitic messages were scrawled on Montgomery Road in Pleasant Ridge.
Misinformation about the war has been a factor in the rising rates of antisemitism throughout the country. Jews represented 70% of all religious hate crimes in the US, according to data released by the FBI, which was also the highest number of incidents since the bureau began tracking data in 1991.
The JCRC said that community members can report sightings like this to SAFE Cincinnati and local law enforcement so the incidents can be documented. They also encouraged people to report incidents within Cincinnati city limits through the 311Cincy app or website.
