A trio of teen vandals apologized after they used shaving cream to paint a swastika in the parking lot of a library in Berks County.
A large swastika as well as a Star of David made out of shaving cream were discovered in the parking lot of the Exeter Community Library in Exeter Township Friday.
“It’s very unfortunate that they either don’t know or that they just don’t care,” said Mallory Hoffman, an employee at the library.
Staff members contacted police and firefighters who washed away the graffiti. Police launched an investigation but no one came forward. Finally on Monday, workers at the library found a letter inside the book depository which stated the following:
We are three stupid teenagers apologizing for our heinous acts against the Exeter Community Library. We are the ones who drew inappropriate images in shaving cream in the parking lot, and we are sincerely sorry. It is only now that we realize how stupid are (sic) acts were, we did not attend (sic) to hurt anyone or offend anyone. In this envelope we have enclosed fifty dollars, which we hope is enough to cover any damages, again we realize now how stupid this is and how much a generosity this library has actually been to the Community. This will never happen again, on our terms, and again we are greatly sorry, please find it in our community to forgive us. We are trying to make this right and again never meant to intentionally hurt or offend anyone. We realize that the swastika symbol can be considered a symbol of hate especially since the Holocaust and we realize how honestly irresponsible this was, we all have religious roots and did not intentionally mean this as any form of hate speech or dislikeness (sic) towards any culture. Again we wish to formally apologize.
Sincerely,
Three irresponsible teenagers apologizing for their immature acts.
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We are incredibly sorry.
True to their word, the “three stupid teenagers” had also placed $50 in cash inside the envelope.
“At best it was a thoughtless prank,” said Bill Franklin, the president of the Jewish Federation of Reading. “The keyword is thoughtless.”
Franklin told NBC10 that education about history can sometimes prove to be eye-opening.
“Like the letter says they will not do anything like this again so that’s three people whose lives have been changed,” Franklin said.
This month’s featured book at the Exeter Community Library is “Rose Under Fire,” a story about the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Staff members are hoping the teen vandals stop by at the library and learn more about the history of the holocaust.
“Books, they’re here, they’re everywhere,” Hoffman said. “They can help you put yourself in somebody else’s shoes.”
The library is donating the $50 to the Anti-Defamation League. Police continue to search for the vandals.
