After Antisemitic Vandalism Spree in Queens, Electeds and Community Leaders Demand the City Take Swift Action

QUEENS, NY (05/05/2026) (readMedia)-- This afternoon, elected officials and community leaders rallied outside of Congregation Machane Chodosh in Queens, the site of one of several locations vandalized with antisemitic graffiti just before the start of the Jewish holiday Lag BaOmer on Monday. The group called on the City to take immediate action to respond to the Queens attack and skyrocketing antisemitism across the city.

On Monday, a swastika was discovered on a plaque honoring survivors of Kristallnacht at Congregation Machane Chodosh, another swastika and an antisemitic slogan were found defacing the Rego Park Jewish Center, which houses a pre-K, with additional swastikas reported on homes and a parked vehicle in the surrounding area. The incident was reported on the same day that the NYPD released crime stats for last month indicating that 60% of reported hate crimes in the city targeted Jews.

JCRC-NY has been calling on city leaders to comprehensively combat skyrocketing antisemitism in NYC, from accountability to action through education and community building, including K-12 Jewish identity education, like the Hidden Voices: Jewish Americans curricular resource for public schools, stronger Title VI enforcement on college campuses, and other security measures.

Attendees at today's press conference included: JCRC-NY CEO Mark Treyger; City Council Speaker Julie Menin; NYC Comptroller Mark Levine; Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz; Congresswoman Grace Meng; Councilmember Lynn Schulman, co-chair of the Council's Jewish Caucus; Councilmember Phil Wong; UJA-Federation of NY; Stand With Us; Commonpoint Queens; Queens JCC; Imam Safraz Bacchus, Masjid Al Abidin; Rabbi Romiel Daniel, Rego Park Jewish Center, Rabbi Yossi Mendelson, Congregation Machane Chodosh, Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov, President of All My Children Day Care and Nursery School, whose institutions were targeted; Rabbi Daniel Graber, Forest Hills Jewish Center; and Cantor Emily Pincus from the Reform Temple of Forest Hills.

"The desecration of multiple sites in Queens, including a Jewish community center housing a pre-K where students and staff were subjected to vile hate, is yet another horrifying attack on Jewish New Yorkers amid skyrocketing antisemitism. This is not normal and must not be normalized. Thank you to the NYPD and Community Security Initiative, a joint security program supported by JCRC-NY and UJA-Federation of NY, for their swift response to this and other antisemitic attacks. Law enforcement alone cannot solve this; New York needs a comprehensive, enforceable strategy grounded in education, accountability, and sustained efforts to build understanding across communities. We need more than statements of condemnation. We need action. Thank you to all of the elected officials and community leaders who attended today, and for their continued support tackling antisemitism in New York, which threatens not only Jewish New Yorkers but the very fabric of our city," said Mark Treyger, CEO of JCRC-NY.

"Jewish people first came to New York seeking refuge from antisemitic persecution abroad, and we will not allow that hatred to take root here," said Congresswoman Grace Meng. "As New Yorkers and as Americans of all backgrounds, we have a duty to stand with our Jewish neighbors against antisemitism and all forms of hate. Let me be clear: justifying hate, vandalism, or violence by pointing to the actions of a foreign government is scapegoating-and it is wrong. No community should be targeted because of disagreements with another country. I'm grateful to the NYPD and the 112th Precinct for their swift response and to the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force who has taken over the investigation into this horrible vandalism. From Bondi Beach to Golders Green, these acts remind us that antisemitism is not just rhetoric-it is a real threat that undermines our shared society. Hate has no place in Queens, New York City, or anywhere in this country, and I will continue working to confront it at every turn," said Congresswoman Grace Meng.

"The antisemitic messages discovered at several Jewish institutions and private property – including over a plaque commemorating Kristallnacht, and a pre-k – remind us of the grim reality that these attacks continue to make up a majority of hate crimes in New York City," said City Comptroller Mark Levine. "This part of Queens has served as a refuge for Jews escaping oppression for nearly 80 years, which makes this heinous act even more devastating. But Lag Ba'omer offers an opportunity to honor Jewish tradition by turning sadness and anger into unity, and joining together across demographic and religious lines to combat this pervasive hate through genuine systemic change."

"There are few things more offensive than the scrawling of humanity's most notorious hate symbol onto a Jewish house of worship and a Jewish community center, along with private homes. This appalling act of anti-Semitism on the eve of a Jewish holiday, including the defacing of a Kristallnacht memorial, must be called out as the hate crime that it is," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "To Congregation Machane Chodosh, our neighbors who've had their homes vandalized and Queens' entire Jewish community, know that this borough stands firm with you against anti-Semitism in all its forms. Whoever perpetrated this hate must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

"The antisemitic vandalism in Queens is abhorrent. Defacing synagogues, private homes, and a memorial to Holocaust victims with swastikas and Nazi imagery is not mere vandalism. It is an act of hate meant to intimidate Jewish New Yorkers and make them feel unsafe in their own communities. As overt antisemitic acts become more common, we cannot allow them to become normalized or treat them as isolated incidents. These swastikas are a physical manifestation of the exclusion, harassment, and antisemitism that Jews experience every day. I stand with our Jewish neighbors, and I will not sit idly by while antisemites try to spread fear in New York City," said Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, Chair of the Jewish Caucus and Co-Chair of the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism.

"We're extremely disturbed by the hateful, antisemitic graffiti found on vandalized synagogues and private homes this morning in Queens. This kind of hate has no place in our city and must be met with unity and swift accountability. We're grateful to Speaker Julie Menin for her leadership, to Councilmembers Lynn Schulman and Phil Wong, and to Rep. Grace Meng for showing up immediately after the incident and their strong support of the community," said Daniel Rosenthal, Vice President, Government Relations, UJA-Federation of New York.