Bronx, NY – Sholem Aleichem Cultural Center, a Jewish center located at 3301 Bainbridge Avenue in the Norwood section of The Bronx, was vandalized on Tuesday, Oct. 31, police said.
It comes as reports of antisemitism and Islamophobia rise across the City in the wake of the escalation of tensions in the Middle East following the attack by Hamas on southern Israel (close to the Gaza strip in Palestine) on Oct. 7.
On Wednesday, Nov. 1, police were seen outside the center, which was cordoned off, carrying out an investigation. Spray-painted in the colors purple and black on the front-facing wall of the building were the words “Free Palestine.”
The NYPD press team later said the person who reported the crime said she had been made aware by a neighbor that the front of the building and the door had been vandalized with black and purple paint with the words, “Free Palestine.”
Police said they estimate the incident occurred on Halloween night, Oct. 31, some time between 10.15 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. The spokesperson added, “They don’t have any suspect description in here.”.
The spokesperson said the incident has been classified as “criminal mischief” but that details had been shared with the NYPD Hate Crimes Unit for further potential classification. The graffiti has since been removed.
Norwood News reached out to Sholem Aleichem Cultural Center for comment on the incident. Itzik Gottesman, co-president of the center, was not in New York at the time it occurred. He said he believes nothing was broken and that it was just graffiti. Asked if anybody was hurt, he said, “no.”
“We are saddened by the defacing of our building,” he said. “This is the first time something like this has happened to our Center in 50 years and it has no place in our neighborhood.” The Center has a weekly conversation group, lecturers in Yiddish, and a community library of Yiddish books.
