The Kosowsky family has had the display outside their home for five months, and there hadn’t been a single scratch until Sunday.

“People have to stop the hate,” Miriam said. “There needs to be more dialogue.

“Threats have been coming into synagogues and now to private homes,” she added. “It’s a scary, scary thing. The whole community is real nervous.”

The vandal(s), however, failed in what they were trying to do, Miriam emphasized.

“They were trying to dehumanize the hostages, but instead, what they’ve done is shine the light on them once again and on their plight,” she said.

The Kosowsky family will leave the vandalized display as it is for now — as a “wake-up call.”

“It’s important for people to see what this hate causes, and the destruction and the evil of it,” Miriam said.

People have been reaching out to help put up the posters again.

“We’ll turn this into a community building experience,” Miriam said, adding that they want to have a rededication ceremony down the line.

The community support in the wake of the incident has been “incredible heartening,” she added.

The Anti-Defamation League’s New England Chapter posted, “There are no words to describe the type of human who would deface the faces of hostages held for more than 160 days.”

“This is just another example of the rampant rise in antisemitism in our communities. We thank @newtonpolice for investigating this as a hate crime and ask that anyone with information be in touch with them about this vile act,” ADL New England wrote.

Combined Jewish Philanthropies out of Boston posted, “There can be no room for this vile behavior in Boston. Our community holds the pain of the hostage families every day and won’t rest until we #bringthemhome.”

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