Rabbi goes to bat for Taunton teen who painted swastika on synagogue. Their remarkable story

TAUNTON – When Taunton’s Synagogue, Agudath Achim, was vandalized last June with antisemitic, racist, and homophobic graffiti along the exterior, it mentally shook the entire congregation, said Rabbi Colman Reaboi, the synagogue’s spiritual leader.

“There was a lot of fear, doubt, and insecurity from the congregation over what happened.  People didn’t want to come to services,” said Reaboi.

Later that month, Taunton Police announced a 15-year-old suspect had been apprehended for both the synagogue vandalism, and an earlier incident the same day involving similar graffiti at a home on Everett Street.

The charges, according to a Taunton Police press release at the time of the incident, were property damage to intimidate, malicious destruction to a motor vehicle and two counts of vandalizing property.

A month following the incident, Reaboi received a phone call from the teen's father Jay Andrews. He told the Rabbi his son Justin Andrews wanted to apologize in person for his actions. “I said, ‘how soon can you come on over?’”

Reaboi admitted before the encounter he envisioned an indoctrinated recruit from some “jackboot neo-nazi organization.” When he met Justin, he soon realized he was anything but that.

The Taunton Gazette recently sat down with Reaboi, Justin and his father Jay to talk about the incident.

What happened that day?

Justin Andrews told The Gazette that on June 16, 2023, the day of both incidents, it was an early-release day at Taunton High, and he and a class colleague were hanging out.

They stopped outside a home on Everett Street and Andrews said it was then that his colleague, who he refuses to identify by name, pulled out a couple of spray cans. He wanted Justin to graffiti the home’s car in the parking space with homophobic and racist language.

Justin said he resisted at first but eventually acquiesced to the demands and spray painted the home’s car and recycle bin. The other kid stood back and watched.

Not long after the incident, they both found themselves on Winthrop Street walking by Agudath Achim.  Justin said the same thing occurred, and he yielded again to vandalizing the synagogue, spray painting the front entrance and exterior walls with swastikas, racist and homophobic slurs.

Security cameras on the synagogue captured Justin, wearing all black and a black mask, doing the action. Andrews said the other kid watched from a distance.

Why did he do it

Justin said he’s never had any feelings of hatred or prejudice towards any group of people. He added that he didn’t know the kid had cans of spray paint with him until he pulled them out near the Everett Street home.

Justin said he was being mentally and physically bullied by the other kid at the time, to the point where he didn’t believe he could walk away unscathed.

“The whole thing was about trying to get him to stop bullying me,” he said.

Justin reiterated the kid wasn’t a friend; he was a classmate he had only hung out with a couple times before that incident, and there wasn’t anything beforehand that would indicate bigoted or abusive tendencies.

He said while outside the Everett Street home, he was being physically pushed and slapped by the kid, called names, and repeatedly pressured to graffiti the home.

Looking back on the incident and the fact the other teen had spray cans ready, Justin realizes “the home was targeted” as he remembers the other kid telling him he knew someone who lived there.

Regarding the synagogue, Justin said the teen gave him the mask and continued with the verbal threats and physical intimidation. “He pulled me aside where they were excavating trees [next door], he kept pestering me outside. I snapped and did what he wanted me to do.”

Facing the consequences

Justin’s parents are divorced. His father, Jay, said that while Justin was with him during the weekend police visited his mother, informing her he was a suspect in the two vandalism incidents.

When Justin’s parents confronted him, he confessed. Jay said after speaking with Taunton Police, he and Justin’s mother agreed to bring him down and surrender him to the authorities, instead of him being picked up and taken away in handcuffs.

His father added that his son was never placed in juvenile detention and remained at home while going through the court process.

The other kid was never charged with anything, the two said.

Finding forgiveness

Rabbi Reaboi said “when I was a teen, I did risky things. I’ve been given many second chances.”

During his meeting with Justin and his father, Reaboi said he believed “Justin had laid his heart to him” and was incredibly remorseful for his actions.

“We talked for over an hour. We were both in tears.”

Said Justin: “I still feel horrible about this now,” admitting he’s grown close to Reaboi since first meeting him in person last year.

Reaboi said he kept in touch with the Justin during the whole duration of his court case, and since after.

Leniency from the court

The case was handled out of Taunton Juvenile Court. The Gazette reached out to Andrews’ court-appointed attorney and probation officer for details but did not receive a response.

Justin’s father said there were details of the case he couldn’t explain to the press, but that the charges were eventually dropped down to the two charges of vandalism.

Rabbi Reaboi communicated directly with representatives from the Bristol County District Attorney Office, advocating for leniency on his case. He explained that rather than “throw the book” at the kid, that he believed in education and compassion.

“I wanted this to be a teaching moment. An example of forgiveness. Preaching Judaism in action,” he said.

Last fall, the DA’s office placed Justin in a judicial diversion program, a form of probation for first-time offenders that avoids a criminal conviction. If the defendant completes all the requirements of the program, and stays out of trouble during a set period, no convictions are on one’s record.

Justin accepted the program which included community service and participation in a Holocaust education program where he learned about Jewish history and culture, and reread required reading books, including "The Diary of Anne Frank" and Elie Wiesel’s "Night," and wrote essays about them.

Justin also wrote a letter of apology to the whole congregation of Agudath Achim. Reaboi said the letter "changed a lot of minds" about Andrews.

Moving past

Since early spring, Justin has completed all of the requirements under the judicial diversion program.  His father said Justin still has a few more months of monitoring and communications with his probation officer before the matter is behind them.

Presently, Justin is staying caught up with school with remote learning through Taunton Alternative High.  His father said he wants to get his son back into in-person learning for next academic year.

Justin said he hasn’t seen or spoken to the other teen since the day of the vandalism, and has no intention of being around him ever again.

He said that he continues to find it difficult to forgive himself for what he did, saying he’s glad he didn’t get convicted, “but if I did, I couldn’t get mad,” except at himself.

Reaboi said he hopes those feelings change for Justin. “In my mind, the consequences didn’t fit the crime,” adding Justin has done nothing but remain deeply regretful and try his best to atone for his actions.

Ceremonial accomplishment

Rabbi Reaboi will be conducting a special ceremony for Justin Andrews to “acknowledge his journey.” In honor of his atonement and completing his court-ordered requirements the Rabbi will be presenting Justin with a tree sapling to plant and nurture in honor of the victims of the Holocaust.

Mija Almeida, president of Congregation Agudath Achim, stated she and the synagogue's Board of Directors "are confident that the ceremony will put closure to a difficult chapter in the congregation's history."

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton teen who painted swastika finds redemption. His story