MA Couple Finds Swastika Keyed into Their Car at the Beginning of Passover

On the first day of Passover, a non-Jewish Massachusetts couple living near a conservative Jewish neighborhood found themselves the target of anti-Semitic vandalism.

(Related: Wash. Univ. Jewish Frat Members Find Swastikas Keyed on Their Cars, Tires Slashed)

Walker Hartz allegedly found a swastika and vulgar language keyed into the side of his car once he arrived at work on Friday, though it probably occurred earlier, when he parked near synagogue.

Melissa Brickley, Hartz's fiancé, explained what happened to FOX 25:

"My fiancé called me. He had driven to work and a co-worker got out of her car, went to him and said, ‘Is that your car out there?’ Someone had keyed it and he was angry,” [said] Brickley.

During the night a vandal etched a swastika into the back passenger side of Hartz's car, as well as a hateful message on the front passenger side.

Brickley tells FOX 25 she was more shocked than anything, then she realized it was Passover. She says the neighborhood the couple lives in is very conservatively Jewish and she was upset that her neighbors had to walk by and see the message on their car. The vehicle was parked near Brighton's Temple B'nai Moshe.

If that isn't bad enough, Hartz's insurance will not cover the damage because he did not include a vandalism clause in his policy.

However, a "good Samaritan" at a garage in South Boston is offering to fix the car-- the couple has covered up the the hateful messages with paper and tape until then.

Though police have been very helpful in the matter-- Brickley says they have already been contacted by three detectives-- theirs may not have been the only anti-Semitic incident in the area this weekend.  The Anti-Defamation League New England reported that a nearby delivery truck also had a swastika keyed onto its side around the same time.

The Anti-Defamation League's regional director  Derrek L. Shulman summarized: "When two incidents of hate occur near a temple at the start of a major Jewish holiday, it reminds us that anti-Semitism still exists and demands that all members of our shared community confront acts of hate as attacks on everyone who values decency and respect."