STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The disturbing antisemitic vandalism that marred multiple signs along a stretch of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Boardwalk in South Beach has drawn national outrage.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organization, contacted the Advance/SILive.com on Wednesday to call for accountability.
“The swastika and anti-Jewish slurs defacing the Staten Island boardwalk aren’t graffiti; they’re a warning,” said Vlad Khaykin, executive vice president of Social Impact and Partnerships, North America, on behalf of the center. “They’re a message that antisemitism is getting comfortable in public spaces in one of the world’s largest Jewish hubs, and that should alarm every New Yorker. The Nazi symbol represents the industrialized murder of our families among 6 million Jews. When it shows up in a place meant for community and children, it’s not just vandalism, it’s an attack on decency itself.
Antisemitic messages on signs on the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Boardwalk in South Beach were either removed or painted over as of Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025.(Advance/SILive.com | Luke Peteley)
“Authorities must treat this for what it is: a hate crime. The symbols and hate speech should be gone, of course, but the investigation can’t end there,” he added. “We need accountability, education and zero tolerance for the normalization of antisemitism, anywhere, anytime.”
The center is headquartered in Los Angeles and — as mentioned on its website — has offices around the globe. Moreover, the center is an “accredited Non-Governmental Organization at the United Nations, UNESCO, the Organization of American States, the Latin American Parliament, and the Council of Europe,” as stated on the website.
Ultimately, the center is driven to combat antisemitism through advocacy, education and storytelling.
As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, two of the three signs vandalized had been wiped clean of the hateful graffiti. One of the other vandalized signs was partially spray painted in an effort to obscure the markings.
Defaced signs at a popular Staten Island destination
The three defaced signs were initially found by the Advance/SILive.com on Tuesday morning.
Each of these signs had swastikas and “271″ scribbled onto them with what appeared to be marker.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, 271 is used as code for Holocaust denial or minimization. It is a reference to the conspiratorial claim that only about 271,000 Jews were killed during the Holocaust as opposed to the widely-accepted figure of 6 million.
A couple of the signs also had antisemitic writings inscribed on them.
“Jews are pedophiles they did 9/11 + covid,” one read.
Another had “Jews did COVID” and “Mamdani is Gay,” written onto it.
Local outrage
Joining the Simon Wiesenthal Center in condemning the vandalism were local leaders.
“I do not know what to say more than people are disgusted with the rise of antisemitism,” Mendy Mirocznik, president of the Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island, said.
“It shakes up the community — we’re concerned,” he added. “We have concerns.”
District Attorney Michael E. McMahon vowed to investigate the matter.
“Antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and homophobia have absolutely no place on Staten Island and I, along with all members of the Staten Island Hate Crimes Task Force, forcefully condemn the hateful, ignorant, and vile vandalism committed by this shameful individual,” McMahon said. “Regardless of what you look like or who you pray to, all Staten Islanders have the right to practice their religion freely and to live their lives peacefully without fear or the threat of violence. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us and we will fully and immediately investigate these hateful acts alongside our partners in the NYPD.”
Ongoing concerns of antisemitism
Earlier this month, campaign signs on the North Shore were found with a smattering of red handprints in an act of vandalism. The head of Staten Island’s Republican Party called it a “despicable act” of antisemitism against two Jewish candidates.”
Earlier this year, the Advance/SILive.com reported an alleged antisemitic incident involving a man walking home in Tompkinsville on April 25.
The 55-year-old man told police that three males approached him, said, “hey, Jew,” punched him in the head multiple times and brandished a firearm before fleeing in an unknown direction.
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