Sukkah Vandalized In Upper East Side Park, Police Say

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating anti-Israeli graffiti found on a Sukkah — a religious structure built to observe the Jewish holiday Sukkot — in an Upper East Side park, an NYPD spokeswoman said.

The words "free Gaza" were spray painted onto a Sukkah located in Carl Schurz Park between 12-8 a.m. Sunday, police said. Officers were called to the scene after the graffiti was discovered around 8:15 a.m., an NYPD spokeswoman said.

The graffiti was covered up by a message reading "Sukkah of unity."

The week-long holiday of Sukkot is observed after Yom Kippur to commemorate the divine protection of the Jews after fleeing slavery in Egypt. During the holiday, observers erect tent-like structures called Sukkah and eat all their meals inside.

The Anti-Demafation League released a statement on Twitter saying it was "appalled" by images of the vandalized Sukkah.

"Appalled by images of a vandalized Sukkah in Carl Schurz Park in #NYC this morning. Targeting a premises used for religious purposes during the #Jewish holiday of Sukkot is simply beyond the pale."

The Sukkah in Carl Schurz Park was built by the Upper East Side chapter of Chabad. The group's Rabbi, Ben Tzion Krasnianski, released a statement saying that the vandalism would not keep the chapter from celebrating the final night of Sukkot.

"This hate has no place in our city, that's why we are responding with love, light and pride. That's why we are taking the Torah scrolls out to the street tomorrow night and invite the entire community to dance with us!" Krasnianski said in a statement.

Photo by Patch