Overview
- Multiple Jewish sites in Forest Hills and Rego Park were found Monday morning with swastikas and “Heil Hitler” graffiti, including the Rego Park Jewish Center, Congregation Machane Chodosh, several homes, and a plaque tied to Kristallnacht.
- Surveillance video shows four people spray‑painting outside the Rego Park Jewish Center, and the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is reviewing footage, taking statements, and searching for at least four suspects.
- No arrests had been announced by late Monday, and police said the investigation is active across at least five locations, with graffiti slated for cleanup after evidence collection.
- At Congregation Machane Chodosh, founded by refugees from Nazi Germany, a swastika reached a Holocaust memorial plaque on a building designed with no street‑facing glass because founders feared attacks on synagogues.
- City and state leaders condemned the vandalism, and newly released police data show Jews made up about 60% of confirmed hate-crime victims last month in New York City.