Winnetka removes swastika carved in sidewalk

Village of Winnetka workers removed a swastika from a sidewalk just north of New Trier High School last week.

New Trier received a report on Thursday, Oct. 22, of a “hateful symbol” etched into the sidewalk along Woodland Avenue across the street to the west of the high school’s Winnetka campus, said Niki Dizon, New Trier’s chief communications officer.

Dizon said the symbol appeared to be a swastika that “had been there for a significant amount of time.”

She said district staff contacted the Village of Winnetka, which reportedly sent a crew to remove the symbol that day.

Antisemitic Activity

Similar vandalism occurred in September in a Highland Park park, where a swastika was found etched on a slide. Graffiti of swastikas in Highland Park were also found in Millard Park in 2024 and on a trash can in Hybernia Park in 2023. A juvenile was arrested in the Hybernia Park incident.

A swastika was found inside a bathroom stall at New Trier High School in 2024.

Nearby, Skokie public officials have responded to a string of antisemitic behavior, including harassment, in public parks over the past year.

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