The police told Samuel that a swastika displayed on private property isn’t illegal.
Barbara Bergen, the director of the regional Anti-Defamation League, drove out to the site Monday. After viewing the 36-inch-high symbol, however, she came to the conclusion it was actually an ancient Eastern religious symbol.
This symbol is also called a swastika, which is a Sanskrit word for good luck or well being.
The Nazis co-opted the symbol earlier this century. The Nazi swastika is a cross with equal arms, each of which bends to the right.
The symbol on the garage door had arms bent to the left, Bergen said. She also noticed English and Asian words written around the symbol, including “wisdom” and “compassion.”
Samuel was relieved to find out he was wrong. “A lot of times you don’t know how to confront these things.”