Antisemitic graffiti discovered in Queens as new stats show Jews targeted in 60% of NYC hate crimes

Colin Mixson, New York Daily News on May 4, 2026

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NEW YORK — Vandals spray-painted swastikas and antisemitic slogans on religious centers, homes and vehicles in Queens on the eve of a Jewish holiday Monday morning as new stats show the extent of hate crimes targeting Jewish people in New York.

A swastika was found partially covering a plaque honoring survivors of Kristallnacht, an antisemitic pogrom in which businesses were vandalized and Jews killed in Nazi Germany, at Congregation Machane Chodosh located on 108th Street near 67th Road in Rego Park, according to Queens Shmira, a Jewish neighborhood watch group. A few blocks away, an antisemitic slogan and a swastika were discovered scrawled on the Rego Park Jewish Center on Queens Boulevard near 65th Road.

Swastikas were also found spray-painted on the garage door of a private home, the window of another home, and on a gray sedan all located in the area.

An NYPD spokeswoman said police were informed of the vandalism shortly before noon.

The discovery comes as the the NYPD released new stats showing that Jewish victims were targeted in 60 percent of all hate crimes citywide last month.

“When a family woke up, they were prepared to begin an otherwise normal week. Instead, they were met with terrifying signals of hatred and threats of violence,” City Council Speaker Julie Menin posted on X. “With antisemitism on the rise here and across the globe, we will always stand up for our Jewish community and fight back against hate.”

The vandalism occurred just hours before community members were set to begin celebrating the holiday of Lag BaOmer, which kicks off at sunset Monday, Abraham Pinkhasov, a supervisor at Queens Shmira, told the Daily News. Surveillance footage obtained by Queens Shmira shows a group of four suspects lurking outside one of the vandalized homes around 1:30 a.m., where they can be seen chucking an egg at the house.

“It was obviously a big shock to us,” Pinkhasov said. “People have their spirits up and then they have to deal with this. Some people were saying they didn’t want to take their kids out tonight, because they didn’t feel safe.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the vandalism as a “deliberate act of antisemitic hatred” in a post on X Monday.

“There is no place for antisemitism in Queens or anywhere in our city,” Mamdani wrote on social media. “I stand in solidarity with our Jewish neighbors. Their safety, dignity, and belonging are non-negotiable. The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating and I am confident those responsible will be held accountable.”

The discovery of the antisemitic graffiti follows the arrest of two teenage vandals for desecrating a Brooklyn playground in a Jewish neighborhood with more than 50-swastikas in January.

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