Police are investigating yet another anti-Semitic hate crime, after finding graffiti at Brooklyn’s Holocaust Memorial Park in Sheephead Bay.
A jogger came across the graffiti Wednesday morning, according to Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz.
Cymbrowitz, the son of Holocaust survivors, called the vandalism “an affront to the memory of the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust, as well as to all Holocaust survivors in my district.
“This memorial is a symbol of peace and has provided comfort to not only the Holocaust survivors in my community, but to thousands from throughout the city. The callous vandalism of this memorial must not go unpunished. As I told the police officers at the scene, everything must be done to catch these perpetrators of hate,” Cymbrowitz said.
“We have such a large number of Holocaust survivors here in southern Brooklyn and all of Brooklyn, your reaction is always one of total disgust,” he added.
Thick paint thinner was put on the vandalized granite, part of the effort to erase expletive language and a Star of David spray-painted at the memorial, CBS reported.
Police said that the only clue left behind was a shoe print in the spray paint at the base of the memorial, which isn’t much to go on. Regardless, officials have vowed to bring those responsible to justice.
Comptroller John Liu issued a statement calling the vandalism “hurtful and hateful.”
The park, which was officially dedicated in 1985, is New York City’s first public memorial dedicated to the Holocaust, according to the Holocaust Memorial Committee’s website.
There have been several acts of anti-Semitic vandalism in Brooklyn over the past several months.
In June, six swastikas were found painted at multiple locations in Borough Park, including a school, a synagogue and two stores.
In May, swastikas were found etched into cars in Bay Ridge.
In January, swastikas and other hate messages were spray painted onto homes in Midwood.
Anti-Semitic graffiti was also found in Queens and on Long Island earlier this year.