You are reading

Two Anti-Semitic Incidents Reported in Kew Gardens Hills in Less Than One Week

Yeshiva Kesser Torah, 72-11 Vleigh Pl. (Google Maps)

May 27, 2021 By Allie Griffin

Two anti-Semitic incidents have have been reported to police in the Kew Gardens Hills area in less than a week, according to a local elected official.

The incidents have taken place in a neighborhood that has a large Jewish community and come at a time when anti-Semitic attacks are increasing across the city, Assembly Member Daniel Rosenthal said.

The first attack took place on Thursday, May 20 outside Yeshiva Kesser Torah, located at 72-11 Vleigh Pl.

Worshipers were leaving a prayer service at the synagogue when an individual came by and yelled anti-Semitic slurs at them and threatened them with a taser, Rosenthal said.

The second incident took place on Tuesday when a group of teenage girls had left a Jewish school they attend on Main Street for their lunch break. They were crossing the street when a driver sped directly toward them, causing them to hurry back onto the sidewalk. As the driver passed them, he yelled “Free Palestine,” Rosenthal said.

Rosenthal tweeted about the second incident on Tuesday and said that his office is in touch with the NYPD about it.

Many have attributed the spike in anti-Semitism across the city to the recent violence in Israel between the Israeli government and Hamas, the militant group in Gaza.

Rosenthal said opponents of Israel sometimes take their criticism of the country directly on Jewish communities. He said the tensions have been made worse by leaders on social media.

“When ever there is a rise in violence in Israel, opponents of Israel tend to take it out on the Jewish communities through out of the world,” Rosenthal said.

“I believe that it has been further inflamed by leaders who have irresponsibly used social media to provoke tensions in order to get more retweets despite that in their roles, they should be leaders and try to calm tensions.”

He said leaders must condemn the violence against Jewish communities.

“Those in positions that have a pulpit need to say that it’s unacceptable, condemn it and that we’re welcome here and do what they can to just lower the tensions overall.”

Rosenthal added that the rise of anti-Semitic attacks is similar to the uptick seen in hate crimes against the Asian American community — where language has direct consequences.

“Last year we had a president who was using inflammatory language towards the Asian community and because of that we saw an increase in hate crimes towards the Asian community,” he said.

“I think that it just shows that when people have a pulpit and they use it in dangerous and reckless ways, it leads to violence for those who don’t deserve it.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Repeat hate crime offender charged in anti-Muslim subway attack in Forest Hills: DA

A Southeast Queens man is being held without bail after he was criminally charged with assault in the first degree as a hate crime and other charges for allegedly punching and kicking a Muslim woman on an E train in Forest Hills during the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 18.

Naved Durrni, 34, of 106th Avenue in Jamaica, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Thursday and additionally charged with aggravated harassment in the first and second degrees.

Hate Crimes Task Force investigating bomb threats against Mamdani: NYPD

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force launched a probe into multiple death threats made against Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani after his district office at 24-08 32nd St. in Astoria received four expletive-filled phone voicemails, on various dates, making threatening anti-Muslim statements by an unknown individual, including a threat to blow up his car.

The calls were made from an untraceable number and labeled the mayoral candidate a “terrorist who is not welcome in New York or America” in a message phoned in on Wednesday morning.

Seven teens indicted for attempted murder in brutal Kissena Park gang attack on two girls: DA

A Queens grand jury indicted seven teenagers for attempted murder, gang assault, robbery, and other crimes for an attack on two girls inside Kissena Park in Flushing in early May.

The defendants, who are all 17 years old, were variously arraigned in Queens Supreme Court between June 4 and Wednesday in two separate 25-count indictments with two counts of attempted murder in the second degree. If convicted, they face up to 25 years in prison.