<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder">Graffiti reading “Jews Not Welcome” was discovered spray-painted on a sign outside Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC, according to the school’s principal.</p> <p class="paragraph inline-placeholder">This is the second time in just over a month that antisemitic vandalism has been discovered in Maryland’s Montgomery County, according to police. In mid-November, Bethesda Trolley Trail, a local recreation trail, was also vandalized.</p> <p class="paragraph inline-placeholder">In a written statement, Montgomery County Police Department Chief Marcus Jones said officers responded to the scene just after 8 a.m. ET and are investigating the incident and have coordinated with the Anti-Defamation League.</p> <p class="paragraph inline-placeholder">“Acts of hate and bigotry are on the rise across the country and in Montgomery County,” Marcus wrote. “Officers are also actively increasing patrols to include community centers, schools, and places of worship throughout the county.”</p> <p class="paragraph inline-placeholder">Police said they are working to obtain potential photos of any suspects but no one is in custody.</p> <p class="paragraph inline-placeholder">In a letter to the school community, Walt Whitman High School Principal Robert Dodd confirmed that the words “Jews Not Welcome” were written on the school sign. CNN journalists at the scene noted the graffiti had been washed away and was illegible by Saturday afternoon.</p>