LEBANON – Police are investigating the recent discovery of antisemitic graffiti spray-painted at several locations around downtown.
The Lebanon Police Department received the first report of the vandalism, which included swastikas and a hot pink “Heil Hitler,” on Sunday, Sept. 13, the last day of the holiday Rosh Hashanah celebrating the Jewish new year.
Police found similar graffiti at the 10 Water St. parking lot, Logan Field on Water Street, the Glenwood Cemetery / Mount Calvary Cemetery on Dulac Street, Storrs Hill and 39 Hanover St. near the Ledyard Charter School, Lebanon Police Chief Phillip Roberts said in an email.
“The matter remains under investigation at this time,” Roberts added.
“Anytime something like this occurs in a community, it’s very disturbing and unsettling to people,” Lebanon City Manager Andrew Hosmer said in a phone interview.
At this stage of the investigation, he added, the vandalism appears to be an isolated act by juveniles and not an organized effort by a neo-Nazi group.
Police have recovered surveillance footage of two juvenile suspects, Roberts confirmed.
“It doesn’t make it any easier on people when they experience this,” Hosmer said, adding that the City of Lebanon is coordinating with affected property owners to make sure the graffiti is cleaned up.
“The City Manager has briefed the Council of the incident and we are monitoring closely. We are extremely upset that this occurred and want to state that the City of Lebanon is committed to being a welcoming place for everyone. Hatred, antisemitism, and the use of Nazi symbols have no place in the City. We stand with the members of our Jewish community and are here to support them in this difficult time,” Lebanon Mayor Doug Whittlesey said in a statement Friday.
“This incident is a stark and painful reminder as to why we need to constantly and vigilantly stand up for, advocate for, and ensure the City of Lebanon is a welcoming place for everyone,” he continued. “Through the Welcoming Lebanon resolution, which we passed this past Wednesday, the City Council reaffirms our commitment to stand up for, and on behalf of, those who have been targeted by hate and persecution.”
In 2025, the New England Anti-Defamation League recorded a decrease of 37% in antisemitic incidents across New England compared to 2024, with 34 incidents occurring in New Hampshire and 29 in Vermont.
“While this marks the first regional decrease since … the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel,” stated an ADL New England press release issued in May, “the total remains nearly double the number of incidents recorded annually in the region prior to that date.”
