QUEENS HATE: Fresh outrage as vandals hit shuls and homes

Police are searching for four suspects accused of vandalizing Jewish institutions and residences in Queens with Nazi symbols and other antisemitic graffiti early on Monday morning.

“Multiple locations had been spray-painted with black and red paint with swastikas,” an NYPD spokesman said.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose spokeswoman has said that synagogues violate international law when they host pro-Israel events, said on Tuesday that he is “horrified and angered by the swastikas painted on homes and synagogues in Queens, including on a plaque honoring survivors of Kristallnacht.”

“This is not just vandalism. It is a deliberate act of antisemitic hatred meant to instill fear,” he said.
“There is no place for antisemitism in Queens or anywhere in our city. I stand in solidarity with our Jewish neighbors. Their safety, dignity and belonging are non-negotiable.”

City Council Speaker Julie Menin visited Congregation Machane Chodosh, an Orthodox shul in Forest Hills, which was one of the targeted sites.

“When rabbis and congregants arrived to pray this morning, they expected to be met with their usual loving community,” Menin said. “When a family woke up, they were prepared to begin an otherwise normal week. Instead, they were met with terrifying signals of hatred and threats of violence.”

Menin visited the synagogue with fellow City Council members Phil Wong and Lynn Schulman, vice-chair of the council’s Jewish Caucus.

Rep. Grace Meng, whose district includes parts of Queens, also visited the site with Menin.

“Once again, hate has reared its ugly head in our community, and I am sickened by this vile act of antisemitism. I’ve said it many times and I will say it again, ‘Hate has no place in Queens or anywhere else in our society’,” Meng said.

Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of NY, said “these were not just synagogues, homes and Jewish centers: one of the sites houses a pre-K program, where young children, their families and staff were greeted with swastikas and other hateful vandalism. This is not normal, and we need city leaders to act now.”

“As we warned, hateful language always turns into dangerous actions.” said Ofir Akunis, consul general of Israel in New York.