Temple Emanu-El (Google Maps)
The New York City Police Department is looking for a suspect accused of scrawling potentially offensive graffiti on the steps of the Upper East Side’s Temple Emanu-El (located at 1 E 65th Street).
According to the police report, the incident took place just after midnight on Thursday, June 13, when an unidentified individual (pictured below) drew a red eye on the steps. The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident, though the image is not included in the Anti-Defamation League’s database of hate symbols.
NYPD
The NYPD and Temple Emanu-El provided no further comments or updates on the case.
Advertisement
As the war in Gaza rages on, New York has seen a major uptick in antisemitic hate crimes. In April, the NYPD reported a 45 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
The Upper East Side is home to approximately 50,000 Jewish people, according to UJA-Federation of New York. Though many posters and stickers in support of the Israeli hostages can be seen throughout parts of the neighborhood, many have been repeatedly torn down or scrawled over with pro-Palestinian phrases such as “from the river to the sea.”
A recent Op-Ed in Vanity Fair described the tensions plaguing the wealthier part of the Upper East Side’s Jewish community since October 7, the date of the horrific terrorist attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians that sparked the current conflict.
“If you feel a need to take a stance on the Israel-Gaza war, perhaps another area of New York would be a better place to live,” Amanda Uhry, the CEO and founder of Manhattan Private School Advisors, is quoted as saying in the article. “If you want to make a stance on anything, the Upper East Side is probably not an ideal place to do it.”
Still, the neighborhood, particularly Yorkville, has seen several pro-Palestinian demonstrations since mayoral residence Gracie Mansion is located there. While pro-Palestinian protests are not automatically antisemitic by default, they sometimes attract bad actors who use the demonstrations to provide cover for their hateful views.
Current estimates put the Palestinian death toll at a massive 39,000, according to the Associated Press.
“from the river to the sea.” is a call to germicide, not “Pro-palestine”. And please point out one of these protests that hasn’t been anti-semitic. This is a pathetic white washing of an article. Maybe just report facts.