Anti-Semitic graffiti was found at a Brooklyn synagogue on Thursday, prompting the cancellation of an event that was scheduled for that night.
The graffiti, which was found on the second and fourth floors of Union Temple at around 8 p.m. EST, included statements such as “Kill All Jews,” “Die Jew Rats We Are Here,” “Hitler,” and “Jews Better Be Ready,” all written in black marker.
An event discussing the importance of voting in the upcoming midterm elections was scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. EST, featuring actress Ilana Glazer interviewing journalist Amy Goodman and Democratic state senate candidates Andrew Gournades and Jim Gaughran. The event was canceled once the graffiti was discovered.
“I can’t put these 200 people who came to listen in a safe space … in that danger,” Glazer said.
Kathryn Gonzalez, who was among the crowd of people waiting outside the auditorium where the event was supposed to be held, told the New York Post, “There was a lot of anxiety, especially given last weekend’s events and the upcoming election, the tension and fear feels heightened.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) issued the following statement:
I am disgusted by the discovery of anti-Semitic graffiti at a house of worship in Brooklyn. At a time when the nation is still reeling from the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, New Yorkers stand united with the Jewish community & against hate in all its forms. pic.twitter.com/jrHKhLj46L
— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) November 2, 2018
The vandal is suspected to be an adult male.
A New York Times report on Wednesday noted that 50 percent of all hate crimes in New York targeted Jews in 2018.
“It is the varied backgrounds of people who commit hate crimes in the city that make combating and talking about anti-Semitism in New York much harder,” the report states.
