“We Love Hitler”– Another Anti-Semitic Incident In Boro Park

BORO PARK – It’s no secret that anti-Semitism has been on the rise. Just over the weekend, anti-Semitic slurs were yelled at two Jewish teenagers. According to the NYPD, there has been an 82 percent increase of anti-Semitic attacks from last year.

On Saturday, May 18 between about 1 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., two boys ages 13 and 16, were walking on 52st Street and 12th Avenue, when hateful words were shouted at them, cops said, adding that someone had also shouted “Allahu akbar,” which translates to God is great.

According to former Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who joined the victims at the precinct, a group of men shouted, “Fucking Jews” and “Do you know Hitler? We love Hitler.”

The incident is investigated by the NYC Hate Crimes Task Force. As of now, no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

Just two weeks ago, there were two incidents of anti-Semitic attacks just blocks away from each other in Williamsburg. At the time, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, he was “appalled and disgusted” by the apparent attack and that this “abhorrent act of hate-fueled violence is deeply disturbing, especially in the wake of a reported spike in hate crimes and anti-Semitic incidents over the past year.”

In January, a series of anti-Semitic messages written on United States Postal Service mailing labels were discovered posted around Greenpoint. In February, swastikas were found drawn on playground equipment in Brighton Beach. Also in February, another swastika was drawn on a pole at the Newkirk Plaza Subway Station. Let’s also not forget the time when two vandals shattered the front window of the Chabad of Bushwick synagogue.

“There have been 176 hate crimes thus far in 2019. More than half of those – 59% – have been anti-Semitic in nature. These numbers are reflecting the reality we are seeing on the streets – with several identifiably Chassidic men being assaulted unprovoked in Williamsburg in just the past three weeks,” Council Member Chaim Deutsch, who is also the chair of the NYC Jewish Caucus said.

“This incident in Boro Park is indicative of a growing problem of intolerance, ignorance, and hatred that we are seeing here in New York City. And the aggressors have been successful in sowing fear and terror in the hearts of many Jewish New Yorkers. Nobody should ever be subjected to taunts and shouted slurs as they go about their daily business – and certainly not young teenagers.”

“I want to thank Council Speaker Corey Johnson for standing with Jewish community leaders to condemn anti-Semitism,” Deutsch said. “During this frightening time, the Jewish community is grateful for allies who are committed to fighting anti-Semitism.”