Investigation underway after antisemitic graffiti vandalizes Queens synagogues and homes

Swastikas were spray-painted across five Queens locations overnight, hitting a Jewish community center, two homes, a vehicle and a synagogue in Rego Park and Forest Hills, two neighborhoods in the 112th Precinct with large Jewish populations.

Surveillance video showed multiple people moving from site to site before dawn, with local reporting describing four people in hoodies and police sources saying at least four teenagers were involved. One target was hit just after 1 a.m. and another around 1:30 a.m., according to the accounts reviewed by investigators. No arrests had been made.

The vandalism landed at institutions that anchor daily Jewish life in the area. The Rego Park Jewish Center and Congregation Machane Chodosh were among the sites defaced, turning a criminal episode into a direct assault on places that serve worshippers, children and seniors. At Congregation Machane Chodosh, the swastika was reported to have covered a plaque honoring Jews killed in the Holocaust, including a memorial connected to Kristallnacht.

Rabbi Yosef Mendelson said the synagogue had not seen an incident like this in 16 years. Rabbi Romiel Daniel said the Rego Park Jewish Center houses a daycare center and a senior center, a detail that sharpened fears among families who rely on the building throughout the day. Congregants and residents described anger, depression and shock, with some saying the attack punctured the sense of security they had long associated with the neighborhood.

City officials moved quickly to condemn the vandalism. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was horrified and angered, called the acts deliberate antisemitic hatred meant to instill fear, and said the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force was investigating. City Council Speaker Julie Menin, the first Jewish speaker of the council, called the graffiti completely unacceptable in a heavily Jewish community and urged anyone with information to come forward.

The case has deepened concern in a borough that has already seen similar attacks. In 2023, the NYPD said a suspect was linked to at least six antisemitic incidents across Forest Hills and Rego Park, including a swastika etched near a synagogue entrance. The broader backdrop is equally stark: the Anti-Defamation League recorded 1,437 antisemitic incidents in New York State in 2024, the highest total in any state, and 9,354 across the United States. In Queens, residents and clergy are now left weighing whether the latest vandalism was isolated or another sign of a wider pattern.