The Jewish community of Skokie, Illinois, is worried about a spate of antisemitic attacks targeting children. Chillingly, all the attacks took place on Shabbat, when Jewish children are not carrying phones.

While the attacks are less serious than others that have been reported across the globe, the spike in hateful interactions in the normally peaceful community has its residents on edge.

On April 19, the Village of Skokie issued a statement saying that it “is aware of two separate incidents that occurred over the weekend at local parks involving groups of pre-teen and early teen youth. In both incidents, youth reported that individuals used anti-Semitic language or made comments questioning their national origin or religious identity, escalating into physical altercations.”

“The Village of Skokie takes these incidents very seriously. Behavior that targets individuals based on religion, ethnicity, national origin or identity is unacceptable and does not reflect the values of our community. We are committed to ensuring that all residents feel safe, respected and supported,” the statement added, going on to say that the village is working closely with leaders of the Jewish community to ensure its safety.

The incident the statement refers to occurred on April 17, when officers responded to a “reported altercation involving a small group of female youth” at Lorel Park. They threw wood chips, slapped, and pulled the hair of their victims.

On April 18, kids playing baseball at Central Park said the opposing team used antisemitic language. One of the children reported being punched in the face and damage to his necklace.

On April 25, the Skokie Police Department was notified of an antisemitic incident at Terminal Park which did not escalate into a physical fight, so it’s being “documented as a non-criminal incident with a noted religious bias, consistent with the village’s procedures for identifying and tracking hate and bias-related incidents,” according to the police.

The Chicago Jewish Alliance is calling for park surveillance, as currently there is none, as well as police presence and security at parks on Shabbat.