At least four people spray painted swastikas in red and black on the sides of at least five locations across the world’s borough, according to City Council Speaker’s Office and law enforcement sources.
The rabbi for Congregation Machane Chodosh in Forest Hills, which was hit by the hateful graffiti, called it “very upsetting” and noted the synagogue was actually formed by German-Jewish refugees who reached the Big Apple to escape Nazism.
A photo shared by New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin shows Congregation Machane Chodosh, in Forest Hills Queens vandalized with antisemitic graffiti
“The rabbi who founded our synagogue was himself a German refugee and dedicated the synagogue to the memory of the synagogues that were destroyed in Germany and the Jews who were murdered for being Jewish,” Rabbi Yossi Mendelson told The Post.
“The street is named Holocaust Memorial Corners so it feels so much more significant that this happened, it brings up our history and reminds us that we have to stick together and we have no choice but to lean into our identity and celebrate it.”
The swastika at Congregation Machane Chodosh was etched on its street-facing façade and partially over a plaque memorializing the Jewish communities who were killed during the Holocaust, said Mendelson.
The vandals also targeted the Rego Park Jewish Center, with two homes and a car damaged by the graffiti, law enforcement sources said. The NYPD only confirmed multiple locations were hit.
The Jewish center had Hitler graffiti written in front of the building, according to photos of the scene.
Rego Park Jewish Center Rabbi Romiel Daniel told AMNY that building is used by children and seniors.
“We are certainly concerned. Being, first of all, it’s a Jewish organization, and you know what’s happening country-wide, and especially in New York, we have to be a little more concerned,” he said.
Two homes were also targeted.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin, the first Jewish speaker in Big Apple history, said police were seeking at least four suspects.
“When rabbis and congregants arrived to pray this morning, they expected to be met with their usual loving community,” Menin wrote on X.
“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.”
Photos released by her office showed black swastikas spray painted on a garage door and window with red circles around them.
Menin visited Congregation Machane Chodosh with Council members Phil Wong and Lynn Schulman.
The Rego Park Jewish Center was also vandalized. FreedomNewsTV
A slew of other elected officials — including Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul — condemned the antisemitic graffiti.
“This is not just vandalism — it is a deliberate act of antisemitic hatred meant to instill fear,” Mamdani said on X.
Hochul said on X that the New York State Police are working with the NYPD to help crack the case.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he was “appalled” by the unsettling vandalism.
“I am appalled that the Jewish community in New York City is once again under attack, this time the target of horrifying, coordinated antisemitic vandalism across institutions in Queens,” he said in a statement.
“Every Jewish New Yorker should be able to live and exist in Jewish life without the fear of this vile hate.”
The CEO for Teach Coalition, which oversees security grants for Congregation Machane Chodosh, said the vandalism proves that ongoing investment in security for Jewish institutions is critical.
“Waking up to swastikas on a synagogue, homes, and a Jewish center that houses a preschool is not just vandalism, it is a direct act of intimidation against an entire community,” said CEO Sydney Altfield.
The NYPD said Monday afternoon it was still determining if the incidents are all connected with the probe in the early stages. The department’s hate crime task force is involved in the case.
Mendelson said the congregation has surveillance footage that it has turned over to the police.
If suspects are identified, Mendelson hopes he’s able to have a conversation with them.
“And to educate them about what they’re standing against and hopefully we can get them over to the good side,” he said.