A swastika was found Sept. 25 in an apartment building in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Borough Park, one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities in the country.
The local news site Boro Park 24 reported that an elderly couple discovered the swastika in a hallway; the husband is a Holocaust survivor from Hungary. The New York Police Department’s Hate Crimes Task Force is reportedly investigating the matter.
“No #Holocaust #Survivor should have to relive horrible traumas of the past, and we should all #unite behind the idea that #society must reject #hate wherever it might show its ugly head!” the Anti-Defamation League New York and Jersey chapter tweeted. “Together we must keep #NY #NoPlaceForHate.”
No #Holocaust #Survivor should have to relive horrible traumas of the past, and we should all #unite behind the idea that #society must reject #hate wherever it might show its ugly head! Together we must keep #NY #NoPlaceForHate https://t.co/69LsBm2jhe
— ADL New York / New Jersey (@ADL_NYNJ) September 26, 2019
Former New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a Democrat, tweeted, “Can you imagine the horror? To survive Nazi deaths camps only to live in America and be confronted with a symbol that represents the deaths of their family that did not survive?!”
BREAKING: Swastikas drawn in front of Holocaust survivors apartment!
Can you imagine the horror? To survive Nazi deaths camps only to live in America and be confronted with a symbol that represents the deaths of their family that did not survive?!
— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) September 26, 2019
Democratic New York Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein said in a statement to Boro Park 24, “Every day we see stories of disgusting anti-Semitic hate crimes. This type of hate speech doesn’t belong in our neighborhood or anywhere in our country. I am glad that the NYPD is on the case and look forward to a quick resolution. Tweets and statements carry no weight any longer. What we need is serious action.”
The reported swastika comes amidst myriad assaults against Jews in Brooklyn. According to the New York Police Department, 152 recorded anti-Semitic hate crimes have occurred in 2019, a marked increase from 93 in 2018.
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