NEW YORK (JTA) — Swastikas were painted on two public libraries and a synagogue in New York City.
The vandalism, which occurred on the night of Nov. 3, targeted the East Elmhurst Library, the Jackson Heights Library and Congregation Tifereth Israel in Corona, all in the borough of Queens.
The swastikas were removed from the libraries and covered up at the synagogue by the next afternoon. Police reportedly are investigating the vandalism as hate crimes.
On Nov. 4, elected officials held a rally against hate and bias crimes at one of the vandalized libraries.
Swastikas had been painted in the area before, most recently in July.
“We had swastikas painted on houses of worship in Flushing and in Bayside and we fought it,” state Sen. Toby Stavisky told WCBS-TV in New York. “The perpetrators were arrested, and the tips led to arrest and convictions.”
