Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York state, has directed the state police to assist in an investigation after vandals broke the windows of a synagogue in Brooklyn during Rosh Hashanah prayer services.
CCTV footage from Monday showed a group approaching the Rivnitz synagogue in Williamsburg, with two members of the gang then hurling crates at the windows of the shul before running away.
At least one of the windows was broken; congregants were inside praying at the time.
— NYPD Hate Crimes (@NYPDHateCrimes)
October 3, 2019
Mr Cuomo said he was “disgusted and outraged by yet another antisemitic act of vandalism, the desecration of a synagogue in Williamsburg over Rosh Hashana, one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar.
“It is simply unconscionable.”
He said he was directing state police, which are under the governor’s authority, to “offer assistance to the NYPD as they investigate this disturbing act.
“This incident unfortunately underscores the need for State police to increase their patrols around houses of worship during the Jewish high holidays this year”, he continued, adding that “in New York we have no tolerance for hate.”
Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City, described the incident as “a shocking act of hate”, vowing to find the perpetrators” and stating that NYPD officers were “protecting Jewish institutions during [the] High Holy Days.”
The incident is the latest of a series of attacks on Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn, in which a number of Jewish residents have been hurt.
The previous evening, a Jewish woman in Williamsburg was assaulted by thugs who attempted to pull of her headscarf and wig, worn for religious reasons.
Commenting on the synagogue vandalism, a spokesperson for the Anti Defamation League called it "extremely upsetting...at a time when the Brooklyn Jewish community is already on edge in the wake of a series of antisemitic incidents."
