{"id":109572,"date":"2026-01-23T10:24:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T10:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/109572\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T10:24:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T10:24:18","slug":"officials-tour-borough-park-playground-after-antisemitic-graffiti-attack-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/109572\/","title":{"rendered":"Officials tour Borough Park playground after antisemitic graffiti attack \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

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City Council Speaker Julie Menin toured Gravesend Park after vandals painted 57 swastikas throughout the space.<\/p>\n

Photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n

After back-to-back incidents of antisemitic vandalism at Gravesend Park on Tuesday and Wednesday \u2014 in which vandals painted a total of 57 swastikas and the name of Adolf Hitler on playground equipment, walkways and walls in red and blue \u2014 City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Member Eric Dinowitz (D-Bronx) toured the playground Jan. 22 alongside community members, condemning the hateful attacks.<\/p>\n

The park, located at 18th Avenue and 56th Street in Borough Park, sits in a neighborhood home to about 100,000 Jewish New Yorkers and is frequented by many Orthodox Jewish children.\n<\/p>\n

Menin, the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and the first Jewish speaker of the City Council, called the vandalism \u201cdisgusting, deplorable, and unconscionable.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re here today because it\u2019s completely unacceptable that two days in a row, over 57 swastikas have been painted onto this playground,\u201d Menin said, noting that the City Council will introduce a package of bills addressing antisemitism on Jan. 29, with a vote scheduled for Feb. 12.<\/p>\n

\"\"One of the slides that was covered in swastikas.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann \"\"City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Member Eric Dinowitz toured Gravesend Park on Thursday, Jan. 22.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n

The five-point action plan <\/a> to combat antisemitism includes establishing buffer zones around houses of worship to protect congregants from protesters, creating a dedicated antisemitism reporting hotline, funding security at private schools, and providing community-based security training for Jewish organizations.<\/p>\n

Menin pointed out that while Jewish New Yorkers make up about 10% of the city\u2019s population, 57% of all reported hate crimes are antisemitic, underscoring the importance of education.\n<\/p>\n

Last year, then-Council Member Menin launched a Holocaust education initiative in partnership with the Museum of Jewish Heritage aimed at teaching 85,000 eighth graders about the Holocaust in an effort to combat rising antisemitism. As part of the five-point plan, $1.25 million in new funding over two fiscal years is allocated to the museum for a virtual Holocaust education experience, expanded school outreach and broader access for students citywide.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudies are showing that 34% of young people believe the Holocaust is a myth or exaggerated. When you have that kind of disinformation and misinformation, that is what fuels hate, and that is why education is simply the best antidote to fight hate,\u201d Menin explained. \u201cWhen we hear about a young person painting 57 swastikas, then we need to make sure that the schools in New York City and the city government is doing its job to educate young people about hate. We must do more to combat hate, and the key is through education.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A community member shows City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Member Eric Dinowitz photos of vandalism at Gravesend Park. \"\"Elected officials and community members gather at Gravesend Park on Jan. 22 to condemn antisemitic graffiti found on playground equipment.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n

Dinowitz, chair of the City Council Committee on Education, called the incidents \u201catrocious\u201d and urged government action.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to educate our kids, and we have to make sure people are safe to go to school and to go to synagogue. And this is the type of action we need to take. We need to take a page out of the book from the Jewish community that comes together in times of crisis, and really make sure things like this do not happen again, both through education and prevention,\u201d Dinowitz said.<\/p>\n

Same park different day. A day later and this is what happened. We are requesting that @NYPDHateCrimes<\/a> pull out all the stops to catch these vile Jew haters. https:\/\/t.co\/Fpmad1Y0KJ<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/46EbLKu4hK<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Community Board 12 (@BrooklynCB12) January 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Deborah Halberstam, whose 16-year-old son Ari was murdered in a terrorist attack on the Brooklyn Bridge in 1994, said condemnation alone was insufficient and called for \u201cimmediate\u201d change and accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am appalled and disgusted by today\u2019s news. It is not enough that our elected officials and social media outlets are condemning this attack. There should be a line of all people from all races and all religions lined up in support and condemnation of this around the block, in every park in this city,\u201d Halberstam said, stressing the importance of the five-point plan and education.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this does not happen, it will lead to much, much worse,\u201d she added.\n<\/p>\n

NYPD Assistant Chief Charles Minch, who oversees Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, said one person of interest was in custody but declined to comment on the individual\u2019s age. He said the NYPD takes hate crimes \u201cvery seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"An NYPD patrol vehicle is parked at Gravesend Park in Borough Park on Jan. 22 following reports of antisemitic vandalism.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann \"\"NYPD Assistant Chief at Patrol Borough Brooklyn South Charles Minch said the NYPD had one person of interest in custody.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann<\/p>\n

\u201cThe investigation is still ongoing,\u201d Minch said. \u201cOur Hate Crimes Task Force is working on this tirelessly from the start, and also our community partners, who have been a great help with this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul also condemned the vandalism, which remains under investigation by the NYPD\u2019s Hate Crimes Task Force.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI am sickened by this antisemitic vandalism in Borough Park. Antisemitism has no place in our city, and I stand shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish New Yorkers who were targeted,\u201d Mamdani wrote on X, adding that his administration was working closely with the NYPD and the Parks Department and that those responsible would be held accountable.<\/p>\n

Hochul said on X that she had directed the New York State Crimes Task Force to assist the NYPD.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cA depraved act of antisemitism. In a children\u2019s playground where our kids should feel safe and have fun. There is no excuse. There is zero tolerance,\u201d the governor wrote.3<\/p>\n