A swastika carved into a Winnetka sidewalk across from New Trier High School was removed Oct. 22 after district staff reported it to the village.
The hateful symbol was etched into the concrete on Woodland Avenue, just west of the high school's Winnetka campus, according to The Record North Shore, which first reported the incident. New Trier Township High School District 203 received a report of the carving that day, and staff contacted both the school resource officer and the Village of Winnetka. Village crews removed the swastika the same day.
Niki Dizon, District 203's chief communications officer, said the symbol appeared to have "been there for a significant amount of time." She told Patch the district appreciated the village's quick response.
No information has been made public about who carved the symbol or when. Whether the Winnetka Police Department opened an investigation or classified the vandalism as a hate crime is not clear from available reports. No public statement from the Village of Winnetka's elected officials or village manager appears in coverage of the incident.
The carving is the latest in a string of antisemitic vandalism across the North Shore.
In September, a swastika was found scratched into a slide at Devonshire Park in Highland Park, according to The Record. Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering issued a statement condemning the act and expressing support for the local Jewish community. The vandalism came days after the Jewish community observed Yom Kippur. Highland Park police increased patrols near parks and houses of worship in response.
In Skokie, officials have addressed a series of antisemitic incidents in public parks over the past year. In April, police investigated two incidents in which young people were targeted with antisemitic language at Skokie parks, Patch reported.
New Trier Township is home to a large Jewish community. In 2024, a swastika was found drawn inside a bathroom stall at New Trier's Winnetka campus. Principal Denise Dubravec and Superintendent Paul Sally sent a letter to district families at the time, calling the symbol antisemitic hate and saying the school had opened an investigation.
Dizon is the only district official quoted in public reports about the Oct. 22 sidewalk incident. Whether the superintendent or school board issued a separate communication to families has not been reported.
