Antisemitic flyers found in Chicago neighborhood

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84 Antisemitic flyers were placed inside of small bags containing a substance with the “appearance of rat poison,” and distributed in the affluent Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park Monday morning, according to Chicago Ald. Timmy Knudsen.

According to a statement from Knudsen, obtained by the Wisconsin law Journal, clear zip-closed bags containing flyers and the substance were found on various vehicles and doorways.

Knudsen said he immediately notified Chicago Police and the Anti-Defamation League who are both investigating.

“This is not the first time our ward has seen incidents like this,” Knudsen said.

Knudsen issued a stern warning to the perpetrators:

Knudsen added, “To the Jewish community in the 43rd Ward and Chicago: I will continue to stand by your side in the face of antisemitism and dangerous acts of incitement as we saw today. I promise that my office and the Chicago Police Department will do everything we can to ensure the safety of the vibrant and loving Jewish community in the 43rd ward. While whoever is spreading these messages is seeking to spread hate and fear, know that my office and our governing partners are committed to ensuring that Chicago remains a place where everyone is celebrated, included, and safe.”

A local resident told Chicago Tribune she was walking her dog after dropping her son off at school when she first noticed one of the bags. Inside, there was a folded piece of paper and small pellets “that looked like rat poison,” she said. A bag was placed on the doorstep of nearly every house she passed.

“By the third or fourth house, I could tell they appeared antisemitic,” Ansley Schrimpf said, during an interview with Chicago Tribune. “It alarmed me and disgusted me,” she told Tribune.

In 2023, there was a 30% increase in antisemitic propaganda from the previous year, a total of 1,112 incidents, according to the ADL.

In an interview with Tribune, David Goldenberg, a spokesperson for the ADL Midwest said, “Enough is enough” “We have asked CPD to conduct a thorough investigation to identify the individual or individuals responsible and support residents who found these hateful flyers.”

As previously reported by the Wisconsin Law Journal, an Oak Creek man spraypainted anti-Semitic symbols and language on the building of a Jewish synagogue in Wisconsin, and was allegedly involved in a second similar incident in Michigan. He was a part of a known hate group who also targeted African Americans.

Also as previously reported, Wisconsin saw more hate crimes than Mississippi and South Carolina combined.

Chicago Tribune contributed to this report.