An investigation is underway after a billboard in Chicago's north suburbs displayed anti-Israel messages in a potential hacking incident.
The billboards displayed multiple hateful messages calling for violence against Israel during the rush hour commute on the Edens Expressway near suburban Northbrook, which has a significant Jewish community.
Outpost, the company that owns and operates the billboard, said the statements displayed were not approved or condoned by them or the billboard's advertisers.
"It's disgusting, it's outrageous, it's a punch in the gut," Illinois Congressman Brad Schneider told NBC Chicago.
The billboard has been turned off as the investigation into who was behind the messaging continues.
"I couldn't believe a message like that was so visible, especially in the place it was," Debbie, a north suburban resident, said. "This community in Deerfield, borderline Northbrook, is a predominantly Jewish area in the North Shore. How do you explain that to younger children? That sign was visible. Someone that's a 13 or 14-year-old that sees that, they're going to know and they're going to ask questions and it breaks my heart."
Representatives from the Anti-Defamation League said the billboard goes beyond criticism of Israel and takes aim at Jewish residents in the Chicago suburbs, calling the messaging antisemitic.
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"It wasn't randomly targeted. It is in the heart of a Jewish community, it is on the way home for many Jewish commuters who go down to the city," ADL Midwest regional director David Goldenberg said.
The ADL reports antisemitism has been on the rise since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and approximately 250 people were taken hostage.
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In the war that has followed in the year since, over 42,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians.
The Israeli Defense Forces announced Thursday that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, believed to be the ringleader of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, was killed in Gaza.
The U.S. Department of State said antisemitism can manifest in many ways, including calling for, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews, as well as holding Jews collectively responsible for the state of Israel.
The Northbrook Village Board said in a statement that they condemn antisemitism and all acts of hate speech, with authorities investigating how someone was able to change the billboard's message.
A spokesperson for Metra, which owns the property the billboard is on, said they are "aware of this incident, and we take this matter very seriously."
"The situation is being investigated, and we have notified all appropriate local and national authorities," the spokesperson told NBC Chicago.
