{"id":97932,"date":"2026-01-12T23:04:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T23:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/97932\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T23:04:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T23:04:07","slug":"exclusive-trump-justice-dept-urged-to-probe-antisemitic-incidents-in-queens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/97932\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | Trump Justice Dept. urged to probe antisemitic incidents in Queens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Queens activists are urging President Trump\u2019s Justice Department to investigate a years-long rash of antisemitic incidents in the Jackson Heights vicinity \u2014 including the desecration of<\/a> a menorah<\/a> during the Hanukkah holiday last month, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n

Former Queens Councilman Hiram Monserrate and retired City College of New York professor Samuel Kleinplatz filed a civil rights complaint with the DOJ that also includes evidence of hateful graffiti and symbols including swastikas and \u201cgas the Jews\u201d found around the neighborhood over the last two years.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis latest in a string of incidents in the area occurring subsequent to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel, appear to constitute hate crimes motivated by religious bias against the Jewish community, and I request that the Department of Justice investigate this matter promptly to prevent further escalation and ensure accountability,\u201d the Jan. 10 complaint states.<\/p>\n

Queens activists are calling on the DOJ to investigate a series of antisemitic incidents in Jackson Heights \u2014 including the desecration of a menorah in December. Courtesy of Rabbi Meir Pape<\/p>\n

Foam was sprayed underneath the menorah the day before the public lighting ceremony. Courtesy of Rabbi Meir Pape<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand that these acts are a concerted effort by a group of individuals of which at least one resides here in Jackson Heights,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite this matter being reported to local police numerous times, to date no arrests have been made.\u201d<\/p>\n

The complaint provides photos of a resident who resides on 80th Street, which the community activists believe to be involved in spreading the Jew hatred.<\/p>\n

Some of the incidents cited in the complaint <\/a>include:<\/p>\n

A large public menorah in Travers Park, at 34th Avenue between 77th and 78th Streets, being vandalized during Hanukkah in mid-December 2025. The menorah was affiliated with Chabad of Jackson Heights, Congregation Tifereth Israel.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 1, 2025, a swastika was seen carved into the sidewalk at 84th Street and Roosevelt Avenue \u2014 adjacent to the Jackson Heights Mural Project celebrating tolerance and diversity.<\/p>\n

On Sept. 22, 2025, coinciding with the Rosh Hashanah holiday, graffiti was found that said \u201cDeath (to) Zionists\u201d around the corner from the Jackson Heights Jewish Center.<\/p>\n

Swastikas seen scrawled iin Jackson Heights Obtained by the NY Post<\/p>\n

Swastikas were sprayed throughout the area, including one on the garage door of a homeowner just before the Yom Kippur holiday in October 2024.<\/p>\n

An antisemitic vandal scrawled \u201cGas the Jews\u201d inside a Q49 bus that runs through East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights in November 2023.<\/p>\n

On Sept. 13, 2023, graffiti was found on 37th Avenue and 83rd Street, saying \u201cFck Isrl\u201d along with stickers that read \u201cSLAP YOUR LOCAL ZIONISTS.\u201d<\/p>\n

The message \u201cDeath Zionists\u201d written on the side of a building in Jackson Heights. Obtained by the NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cFree Palestine\u201d and the antisemitic red triangle symbol drawn on a pole in Jackson Heights. Obtained by the NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cThese incidents violate federal laws prohibiting interference with religious practices and property damage motivated by bias and create a hostile environment by intimidation and willful interference with the right to be housed within the community based on the protected characteristic of religion,\u201d the complaint said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimilar acts in nearby areas, such as vandalism targeting Jewish schools and synagogues, highlight the need for federal intervention to address this disturbing pattern.\u201d<\/p>\n

The DOJ had no immediate comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Queens activists are urging President Trump\u2019s Justice Department to investigate a years-long rash of antisemitic incidents in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":97933,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[3862,68,7591,10400,1082,57,9,24,63,122,124,123,58],"class_list":{"0":"post-97932","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-antisemitism","9":"tag-exclusive","10":"tag-hiram-monserrate","11":"tag-jackson-heights","12":"tag-justice-department","13":"tag-metro","14":"tag-new-york","15":"tag-new-york-city","16":"tag-nyc","17":"tag-queens","18":"tag-queens-headlines","19":"tag-queens-news","20":"tag-us-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97932"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97932\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}