Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
New York officials condemn antisemitic swastikas at Brooklyn yeshiva
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Giulia Heyward
Published Nov 5, 2025
Modified Nov 5, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Google Maps
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Giulia Heyward
Published Nov 5, 2025
Modified Nov 5, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
State officials said they were increasing security funding for select sensitive locations, like synagogues and yeshivas, after several Jewish sites were vandalized on Wednesday morning.
Officers received a call around 6:30 a.m. reporting red swastikas spray-painted onto the Magen David Yeshivah on McDonald Avenue and Avenue S in Gravesend, prompting the deployment of state police to assist in the investigation. The symbols were sprayed onto pillars and windows, according to photos shared on social media by officials, including Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis.
The vandalism also affected a cemetery and a center along with the school, where children from preschool to twelfth grade were expected to gather just hours after it was discovered, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a press conference shortly after 3 p.m.
“We’re going to investigate this and send a message that you cannot engage in such hatred in our great state, in our great city and the great borough of Brooklyn,” she said. “You will be caught and you will be punished.”
Hochul said the state’s Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes program has grown from $15 million when it was launched to $70 million in recent funding rounds. She said the state will expand the program to $90 million, with the new funds becoming available in January.
Hochul said her administration was also able to secure $14 million in federal funds to counter terrorism.
“I view what happened today as an act of terrorism, a violation of our safety and security,” she said.
Mamdani also condemned the defacement, calling it a “disgusting and heartbreaking act of antisemitism.”
“As Mayor, I will always stand steadfast with our Jewish neighbors to root the scourge of antisemitism out of our city,” he wrote on X.
Hochul said in her own post on social media that the yeshiva was “one of several” Jewish sites defaced overnight with spray-painted swastikas.
Neither she nor the police immediately provided more information about the other locations, and NYPD officials did not have a description of a possible suspect, although Hochul did refer to the perpetrator as a single “individual” while speaking at the press conference.
The governor said state police were ready to help the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force with the investigation. New York Attorney General Letitia James also took to social media to speak out against the incident.
Representatives for the yeshiva did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.
This story has been updated with new information.
Tagged
Kathy Hochul
Zohran Mamdani
brooklyn
new york city
public safety
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
Read more
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .