Chicago alderwoman believes she was targeted with signs about Gaza because she is Jewish
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police on Monday were searching for the person who posted cardboard signs about the Israel-Hamas War that Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th) called an attack on her religious identity.
Silverstein posted a photo showing two cardboard signs mounted to the window of her ward office, at 2949 W. Devon Ave. in West Ridge.
One of the signs referenced Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza in January – with her name and drawn image. The sign said Hind was "murdered by Israel" and said, "Cease-fire now."
The other sign read: "Save Gaza, shame on you Debra, 36,000 dead.'"
Silverstein told CBS 2 she had been in her house relaxing Sunday when she received an email with photos of the cardboard signs.
She said she believes her office was targeted because of her religious identity.
"Considering I'm the only Jewish alderman that sits on City Council, and this is an extremely Orthodox Jewish neighborhood – and the fact that there were 23 other alderpeople that voted against the ceasefire resolution, and yet I was the only one that was targeted – I really feel like this was antisemitism," she said.
In a statement, Silverstein wrote that she believes the signs also amounted to an attack on her "belief in the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. She wrote that the "same hate that has targeted other Jewish elected officials, both locally and across the nation, and it must stop now" – and added that Jews have been targeted increasingly often from the streets to schools and social media since the Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7 of last year.
Chicago Police officers removed the signs after coming to the scene around 9:50 p.m. Sunday. Police said no one was in custody late Monday.
"The police met us here this morning at the office, they went through the building to make sure no one had gotten inside," Silverstein said. "The detectives were here. We do have some video footage. So, they are investigating."
Silverstein added that police also did not have an update on an unrelated incident in which antisemitic flyers were left on car windows along Sherwin Avenue between Francisco and Sacramento avenues. That incident was one of several reported in different neighborhoods throughout the city. In February, similar cutouts were left on cars in Lincoln Park.
"This has been happening throughout the city of Chicago in various different wards," Silverstein said. "I did have a meeting with the police about that about a month ago and still working together with my colleagues and the police to get information on that."
When asked if she felt supported by her colleagues, Silverstein replied, "Some of them."
"We did have a strong coalition when the ceasefire resolution came up, there were 23 alder people that voted against a ceasefire, which caused it to be a tie," Silverstein said. "So I do have lots of friends on the Council."
