New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned a series of swastika graffiti incidents in Queens after homes, synagogues and a plaque honoring Kristallnacht survivors were defaced over the weekend.
At least five reports of spray-painted swastikas were made to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) early Monday morning, an NYPD spokesperson told Newsweek by phone.
“I am horrified and angered,” Mamdani said in a post on X. “This is not just vandalism — it is a deliberate act of antisemitic hatred meant to instill fear.”
The incident comes as antisemitic attacks in the U.S. reach historic highs, with the Anti‑Defamation League reporting 9,354 antisemitic incidents in 2024—a 5 percent increase from 2023 and an 893 percent increase over the past decade, marking the highest level since the organization began tracking cases in 1979.
Local leaders say the defacement of a memorial tied to Kristallnacht, a pivotal moment in the lead‑up to the Holocaust, heightens the emotional impact and historical resonance of the crime.
What to Know
The NYPD spokesperson said that the reports of swastikas were all in Queens, with at least one confirmed to be on a synagogue.
The suspect or suspects used red and black spray paint to graffiti a 3-foot-by-4-foot swastika on a garage on 110th Street, the spokesperson said. There was also a spray-painted swastika on the front of Machane Chadosh, an Orthodox synagogue in the Forest Hills neighborhood.
Newsweek reached out to the congregation by email Monday for comment.
No further information has been released on a possible suspect or suspects, and information on additional locations was not yet available from the NYPD.
Mamdani said in his post that a plaque honoring survivors of Kristallnacht—the 1938 pogrom in Nazi Germany that marked a violent escalation of persecution against Jews—was also vandalized.
“There is no place for antisemitism in Queens or anywhere in our city,” Mamdani said. “I stand in solidarity with our Jewish neighbors. Their safety, dignity, and belonging are non-negotiable.”
What Happens Next
The mayor said that the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is reviewing surveillance footage, gathering witness statements and canvassing the affected neighborhoods.
The NYPD spokesperson said that the Hate Crimes Unit had been notified but could not confirm the investigation or if the reported graffiti had yet been deemed a hate crime.
Mamdani said he is confident that those responsible “will be held accountable.”
