Swastika Carved into US Jewish Teen’s Back at School; Culprits Not Found in 6 Weeks

A US Jewish boy with special needs had a swastika carved into his back last month, allegedly by fellow students in his high school in Las Vegas, according to various media reports.

The 17-year-old student has autism, is nonverbal, uses a service dog, and has a full-time staffer shadowing him, according to US and other media reports.

He was wearing a kippah during the attack, indicating he’s a religious Jew. His mother, who quickly alerted authorities to her son’s injury, has said he is the only identifiably Jewish student at Clark High School. She said she has pulled her son from the school, deeming it an “unsafe environment.”

The mother, who asked not to be identified, told Jewish media last week that in addition to the swastika-shaped injury, she found that the equipment bag carried by the boy’s service dog had been torn and resewn.

Six weeks after the incident, the culprits haven’t been found — the school doesn’t have CCTV cameras in most areas — and the FBI is reportedly involved in the antisemitic hate crime investigation. (TOI / VFI News)

“God, we ask for the protection of our youth and the enactment of justice when hate crimes against them are committed. We offer our prayers for the psychological and physical healing of the Jewish student and we trust that the culprits will soon be discovered.”