Orthodox Jews Moving From Williamsburg to Bed-Stuy Targeted by Anti-Semites

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish organization that raises awareness about persisting anti-Semitism around the world, said Thursday that it is ”deeply troubled” by recent reports of vandalism and harassment at a newly Orthodox Jewish home in Bed-Stuy.

“This shocking incident... was clearly motivated by extreme anti-Jewish animus,” Evan Bernstein, ADL’s regional director in New York, said in a statement.

Bernstein was referring to a host of offensive words and symbols that police say were scrawled onto the front door of 59 Vernon St. late last Friday night, Jan. 1.

The NYPD is investigating the incident as a hate crime.

59 Vernon is a three-story apartment building in upper Bed-Stuy. According to community news site Vos Iz Neias, the building was recently renovated to house three Orthodox Jewish families (of the Satmar Chasidim variety) who couldn’t find homes north of Bed-Stuy‘s Marcy Houses, within their community’s historic Williamsburg cluster.

From the Orthodox Jewish news site:

“Yehuda Kohn, who performed renovations to the property, said that Satmar Chasidim have been slowly moving southward as they look for housing in the Williamsburg area and that while he found most of the neighbors were welcoming while he was working on the house, someone is clearly less than pleased to welcome the three young Satmar families who moved in two months ago.”

Friday night around 11:30 p.m., as the building’s residents were observing Sabbath, an NYPD spokesman told Patch that someone on the second floor heard the doorbell being pressed, as well as “a person shouting profanity and banging on the door.”

By the light of the following morning, residents found the words “Hitler Was a Hero” penned onto their front door, along with a swastika and “vulgar drawings,” police said.

Vos Iz Neias and DNAinfo both ran photos of the graffiti.

Prior to Jan. 1, the families at 59 Vernon have also received unsolicited late-night orders of Chinese food and pizza — seen as insulting to their faith — according to Vos Iz Neias.

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force was notified of the graffiti incident, a police spokesman said. However, nearly one week later, cops have yet to identify a suspect or suspects.

Khon, the building’s renovator, told DNAinfo: “Most people on the block are very friendly. But this weekend someone took it to the next level. ... The community feels that it’s a safer neighborhood, it’s just that one kid who’s doing that who needs to turn himself in.”