Following recent calls from pro-Hamas protesters for the Brooklyn Museum to divest from Israel, the homes of the museum’s director and several Jewish board members were targeted with antisemitic vandalism on Tuesday night, according to officials.
Authorities reported that red paint was found splattered in front of the Brooklyn Heights building where Anne Pasternak, the museum’s director, resides. The NYPD is currently investigating the incident.
City Comptroller Brad Lander, who shared information about the incident on Twitter, noted that the director and several board members of the museum are Jewish.
Last night vandals defaced the homes of the Jewish director & several Jewish board members of the @brooklynmuseum.
The cowards who did this are way over the line into antisemitism, harming the cause they claim to care about, and making everyone less safe. pic.twitter.com/MzEVgJYCwQ
— Brad Lander (@bradlander) June 12, 2024
In a statement released on Wednesday, Brooklyn Museum officials expressed their deep concern, stating, “We are deeply troubled by these horrible acts.”
Mayor Eric Adams took to Twitter to condemn the vandalism, stressing that it goes beyond peaceful protest or free speech. “This is a crime, and it’s overt, unacceptable antisemitism,” he wrote. “These actions will never be tolerated in New York City for any reason. I’m sorry to Anne Pasternak and members of the Brooklyn Museum’s board who woke up to hatred like this.”
The mayor confirmed that the NYPD is currently investigating the incident.
Gov. Kathy Hochul also called the vandalism an “act of antisemitism,” which “has no place in New York or anywhere else,” adding, “We stand with the Jewish community in the face of hate and will continue to fight antisemitism wherever it rears its ugly head.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Wednesday, “This is not New York. This is not America. And we must confront this intolerance and bigotry with courage, with perseverance, and with a common cause, with all those who wish to promote tolerance and acceptance, here in America.”
