A dental office in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, New York was targeted with antisemitic graffiti on Saturday.
The vandalism was denounced by city politicians, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams calling the incident “vicious hatred.”
“This would be disgusting anytime but it’s especially outrageous as we come to the end of Shabbos,” Adams said.
He added that he won’t let the hateful defacement “go unanswered in our city,” stating that the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force is investigating.
New York Councillor Lynn Schulman wrote on social media that the antisemitic graffiti was discovered by a local rabbi after Shabbat ended. She referred the vandalism to the commanding officer of the NYPD’s 112th Precinct and to the Hate Crime Task Force.
“There is no place for this disgusting antisemitic vandalism anywhere,” she said.
Schulman’s office told QNS that the graffiti – the phrase “**** Jews” written in black marker – has been removed from the dental office’s window by police.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said on Twitter that “hate cannot be accepted anywhere,” emphasizing that it was especially repugnant that it happened in Queens.
“There are no words to accurately describe how hideous and vile this is,” Richards said. “If you spew antisemitism or hate in our borough, you will be caught. You will be prosecuted. You will never win.”
A joint statement was also issued by State Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, Congresswoman Grace Meng and state Senator Joseph Addabbo praising the fast response by the NYPD’s 112th Precinct when alerted about the vandalism.
“The antisemitic graffiti found on Saturday night has no place in Queens or anywhere in our society. We will not tolerate this hate. Our offices have been in contact with the 112th Precinct and the NYPD Hate Crimes Unit. We stand united with our Jewish community,” the statement said.
Adams called on New Yorkers with any information to contact the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force.