Last Friday, not far from the place where six teens allegedly scrawled anti-Semitic drawings on Hilary Karp’s driveway, Erik Schefstad, his wife, Carson, and one of their two children came hoping to communicate a decidedly different message, and it blew Karp away.
Actually, they came bearing many messages, about two dozen total that, taken together, simply said, “We love you.”
“It was what I needed,” she said.
The messages provided a counter narrative to those that greeted Karp early on April 9, when six teens, armed with shaving cream, allegedly spray-painted her Milton driveway with “(expletive) you” and the Star of David with the word “Jew” written inside of it.
Shocked by the news, the Schefstads rallied their neighbors in the Edenwilde community. They created cards to let Karp know that she was not alone and that, well, they cared. Now it was time to deliver them.
They called Karp and she agreed to meet them at a nearby Starbucks, where they talked. The conversation lasted no more than 20 minutes, but it and the cards meant the world to Karp.
She felt the same way about the small placard bearing a blue heart planted in her yard. It had been left by the Milton Love Project on the very same day.
“It’s pretty shocking to have this happen, but there has been more good coming out of this than bad,” she said.
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Edenwilde, if you didn’t know, is the kind of community you might have thought didn’t exist anymore.
Instead of people disappearing behind closing garage doors or gathering around Facebook content, never to interact face-to-face, the 400 or so families that call this Roswell community home are actually engaged, talking with and loving their neighbors as themselves.
Not only do they gather around shared interests, they work to create the tools to reach out and lift each other, they open spaces where residents come to share knowledge and skills, and they respond to opportunities to help and encourage others.
And as far as I can tell, they don’t argue about whose idea it was or who should get the credit, they do it because it’s right and they want to model that for their children.
If you feel like cheering, I understand.
Edenwilde has always been this way, but according to Caitlin Zygmont, a real estate agent and mother of two who has lived there since 2012, residents agreed to make their efforts formal about two years ago when they created Edenwilde Cares.
At the time, Zygmont sent out a message that she was collecting water and cough drops for firefighters battling wildfires spreading across North Georgia.
“So many people responded I decided it would be great to organize service projects,” she said.
Since then, they’ve collected valentines and toiletries for senior citizens and abused children; and school supplies, snacks and dress shirts for Elkins Pointe Middle School; and taken on various other “kindness” projects.
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“The reason I think it’s taken off so well is it’s a way to show our kids how important it is to care for someone other than themselves,” Zygmont said.
Hence, the Schefstads’ response.
“Roswell and Milton, in general, are such open and welcoming communities, we were shocked that something like that could take place,” Carson Schefstad said.
They initiated a conversation with their children, ages 5 and 9, about the importance of not judging people based on their appearances, religion or race, and encouraged the rest of Edenwilde to do the same.
They asked the entire community to write notes of encouragement to the family, and then they did what few of us are willing to do: They decided to put their money where their mouths couldn’t go.
Edenwilde contacted the Atlanta Initiative Against Anti-Semitism, a grass-roots effort to combat prejudice against Jewish people. They had collected $360 and wanted to donate it to a good cause.
“We don’t currently take donations, but we were able to link them to the Anti-Defamation League’s Southeast regional office,” said Lauren Menis, who helped found the initiative with three other mothers concerned their children will grow up in a world where hate is accepted.
Menis said it gave her chills to read about Edenwilde’s efforts in an email sent to AIAAS.
“We’re all about education, so that’s exactly what we want,” she said.
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Menis called the teens’ action an unacceptable act of hate and applauded the Milton Police Department’s quick action finding the suspects.
Less than a week after the incident, three juveniles and two adults were charged Friday and released on a copy of charges. Court dates are pending. A sixth teen was charged Monday.
“Anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem,” Menis said. “It’s a community problem because when one group is targeted, all are at risk.”
Menis said she hopes that, like Edenwilde, other metro Atlanta communities will turn this incident into a teaching moment that advances tolerance and respect for all the diverse people who call Atlanta home.
While there are some who believe talking about such issues only perpetuates them, she believes dialogue not only increases knowledge of issues but acceptance of people who are not like us.
“When things get swept under the rug, they are allowed to fester and grow,” she said. “Statistics show acts of hate have increased greatly just in the last few years. Ignoring them isn’t going to make it all go away.”
Find Gracie on Facebook (www.facebook.com/graciestaplesajc/) and Twitter (@GStaples_AJC) or email her at gstaples@ajc.com.
