What appears to be the latest in a series of anti-Semitic defacements of the Avenue Z Jewish Center in southern Brooklyn has left the Jewish community wondering when the attacks will come to an end.
A Star of David and the word “Jew” were found on the sidewalk in front of the synagogue between Coney Island Avenue and East 7th Street in Sheepshead Bay.
Authorities believe this attack – one of many which have occurred at the site in recent years – was committed by the same person believed to have scrawled previous graffiti. The graffiti tag “RUS” was found at the site, the same tag used by a vandal who scratched the synagogues windows several times in the last few years. Last year, the center’s window was smashed, a Torah scroll and other religious objects were damaged, and $200 was stolen.
Democratic Assemblyman from Sheepshead Bay Steven Symbrowitz condemned the attack and urged local police to find and stop the attacker. He and Councilman Mike Nelson (D–Brighton Beach) offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to arrests in the attacks – which have been classified as hate crimes.