One of the oldest, most venerated yeshivas in New York City was defaced by antisemitic, pro-Hamas vandals on Wednesday.
Mesivta Tiferes Jerusalem (MTJ), established in 1907, was once led by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, a rabbinic arbiter revered by an entire generation of Orthodox Jewry.
But this week, the Lower East Side yeshiva was slathered with “Free Palestine” graffiti by unknown Jew-haters.
It’s not the first time: In 2019, the yeshiva was also attacked by hate-filled antisemitic vandals. A clown face, ‘evil’ and and a series of letters and numbers meant to look like a racial slur were found daubed on the outside wall of the yeshiva.
Antisemitic Hate Crimes Skyrocket in NYC Since Start of Oct. 7 War Against Israel
This past Sunday, two Orthodox Jewish men were pelted with unknown objects while walking on the Upper West Side of Manhattan — the third antisemitic incident in the area over the weekend.
The two Jewish men, ages 65 and 19, were wearing “traditional garb including a headscarf and hat” while waiting at the West 100th Street and West End Avenue crosswalk when perpetrators in a passing car tossed the objects at them. The incident took place shortly after 9 pm, police said.
HATE CRIMES! Orthodox Jewish men hit by objects thrown from car in 3rd possible antisemitic incident in NYC's Upper West Side over 1 weekend. On Saturday, popular American-Israeli restaurant Effy’s Cafe was covered in grafitti. #news #NYC https://t.co/mfiOn6zDNZ
— No Liberals (Conservative News and Opinion) (@NoLiberals) March 21, 2024
The incidents come as antisemitic hate crimes have skyrocketed in the Big Apple since the October 7 war launched against Israel by Gaza’s Iranian-backed Hamas terrorist organization.
New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief Detective Joseph Kenny reported at a budget hearing on public safety Wednesday (March 20) in the City Council Chambers that the incidence antisemitic hate crime in the city has spiked since the start of the war.
“As of 10/7/23 the city was down in overall hate crime by 20 percent. After the conflict began in the Middle East we saw — the best way to describe it — we saw a steady increase in our decrease. This increase predominantly affected the Jewish community,” Kenny noted.
