Pembroke grapples with anti-Semitic, racist graffiti in high school classroom

Wheeler Cowperthwaite, The Patriot Ledger
·2 min read

PEMBROKE – Police and school officials are investigating racist and anti-Semitic graffiti found in a Pembroke High School classroom.

Superintendent Erin Obey said in a statement on Wednesday that the graffiti was significant and "obscenely sexualized" in addition to being racist and anti-Semitic.

The school district is working with the police department to investigate the vandalism.

"The Pembroke High School administration is early in the investigatory process, but are committed to transparency and direct communication with our school community," she said. "We will be exhausting all of our resources to find those responsible and hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law and the PHS Student Handbook."

A history with anti-Semitism: Duxbury controversy shines light on South Shore's history with anti-Semitism, lack of education

School officials condemn "hateful, intolerant behaviors" because they are against the school district's core values, she said.

School counselors and staff are "ready to support students" following the discovery, she said.

Anti-Semitism on the South Shore

Last year, Pembroke Selectman Dan Trabucco compared interview questions asked of diversity committee candidates to Nazi Germany, which was met with applause by some in attendance. He then refused to apologize for the analogy after being confronted by a Jewish diversity committee candidate.

Sept. 26, 2022: Pembroke selectman compares diversity committee interview questions to Nazi Germany

In Duxbury, the football team used anti-Semitic terms to call plays, which led to the firing of head coach Dave Maimaron in March 2021. That language was used for more than a decade, and the coaches knew about it.

A woman sprays sanitizer over chairs in the Pembroke High School auditorium, July 28, 2020, following the annual town meeting.
A woman sprays sanitizer over chairs in the Pembroke High School auditorium, July 28, 2020, following the annual town meeting.

According to a report, in addition to the word Auschwitz, players used other Jewish-related words during the game to call plays, such as "Rabbi" and "dreidel," and the use of those words was likely introduced between 2010 and 2012.

Aug. 14, 2021: Duxbury spending $300/hour for public relations firm to handle recent scandals

Discoveries of anti-Semitic graffiti, including swastikas, and racist language, sent Curry College students to online classes in February after it was found in January and again at the end of February. Some of the graffiti targeted Black people.

Police departments in Quincy, Marshfield, Norwell and Hull have all responded to reports of anti-Semitic graffiti and vandalism on public property and in schools over the last three years.

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Former reporter Joe Difazio contributed to this report. Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Pembroke HS investigates anti-Semitic, racist graffiti in classroom