Anti-Semitic Hate: Vandals Spray-Paint 'Die Jews' & Swastikas on Brooklyn Buildings

Anti-Jewish hate crimes continue to plague New York City. Over the weekend, Midwood, Brooklyn, was the latest area to fall prey to anti-Semitic actions. At least three buildings were spray-painted with swastikas and the words "Die Jew" were painted on a garage door at a private home.

Following the most recent string of hate, residents are concerned that more anti-Jewish occurrences are soon to plague the local community. See, Midwood has one of the largest populations of Holocaust survivors in the United States. Gothamist has more:

The "Die Jews" message is believed to have been left sometime before midnight Saturday, and two swastikas were also painted on the door of an apartment building at across the street. On Sunday morning, two big swastikas were also found on the Yeshiva of Brooklyn school on Ocean Parkway and Avenue L.

"When people see this ultimate symbol of hate, you cannot imagine the pain," said New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who lives just feet away from the home that was defaced. "These things have been happening almost every single day in the tri-state area."

"For children to come to school to see a swastika on their school is really shocking and appalling and it's unacceptable," added NYC Councilman David Greenfield. "And it's just not the kind of behavior we expect in New York City, which has the largest Jewish population in the country."

Jewish Week also reported on another recent incident that occurred in the Bronx:

...last weekend, in the small Bronx community of City Island, vandals broke into Temple Beth-El and stole ritual items, including silver crowns from Holocaust-era Torah scrolls and kiddush cups shortly before Shabbat.

"Instead of preparing to welcome Shabbat with joyful song and dance, community members and clergy arrived to a mess in the sanctuary and police investigators saying, "Don't touch anything," said the congregation's rabbi, Shohama Weiner, and a shul member, David Evan Markus, in an email message to The Jewish Week.

These unfortunate incidents come on the heels of other anti-Jewish actions that occurred in New York City late last year. In November, we reported on swastikas that were painted onto NYC library branches and a synagogue. We also covered a subway sign that was vandalized during that same month.

Interestingly, the subway stop, called Avenue J (one of its signs was changed to read "Avenue Jew") is located in Midwood as well. Additionally, cars were torched in the same community late last year as well, although police are unsure whether the burnings were hate crimes or an insurance scam.

These prior crimes came around the same time that the Anti-Defamation League released a survey showing that anti-Semitic attitudes have risen in the United States. The study found that 15 percent of Americans — nearly 35 million adults — hold anti-Jewish views (up from 2009 by three percent).