An Orthodox Jewish family in Midwood says they were shocked by a message of hate found on a baby mattress during their yearly vacation in Miami.
Zipora Waltner tells News 12 Brooklyn she found swastikas drawn on a hotel mattress for her 11-month-old son. It happened last Sunday.
“The irony of it all was that this happened on Holocaust Remembrance Day,” says Waltner.
A picture Waltner posted on social media caught the attention of community advocate and former state Assemblyman Dov Hikind.
“That symbol represents the murder of 6 million men, women and children during the Holocaust and millions of other innocent people,” says Hikind.
Waltner says her family is afraid the hateful messages will become the norm – so much so that they fear for their children walking home from school, worried symbols will turn to violence.
“Anti-Semitism in 2017 was up 57 percent from 2016 and those are the things that are reported,” says Hikind.
News 12 tried contacting the Grand Beach Hotel Surfside for comment with no answer. Waltner says she’s had the same results.
The local police department says it is investigating.