Antisemitic hate and vandalism in the heart of Jewish Queens, New York: a failure of our public educational institutions. Ignorance on display.
By now, many of us are aware of the horrific acts of anti-Jewish “vandalism” (for lack of a better word) that occurred throughout the overnight hours of this Monday, May 4th 2026. At least five separate locations were targeted in the Forest Hills and Rego Park neighborhoods, including the Rego Park Jewish Center, Congregation Machane Chodosh, and adjacent private homes.
Surveillance footage captured four young men in hoodies spray-painting swastikas and the word “Hitler” on Jewish buildings, a car, and a plaque memorializing Holocaust victims. The suspects, captured on video footage, are being described as four teenagers. The suspects do appear to be in their later teens and possibly younger 20’s. They are, unfortunately, still not apprehended at the time of this writing.
I reviewed the released video surveillance many times over, and was involved in the cleaning-up efforts at one property the very next morning as these symbols of hate were discovered. The NYPD Hate Crime Unit was also involved in their efforts to try to gather evidence around the commission of these explicit anti-Jewish hate crimes. I asked one officer from that unit at the scene what will happen to the perpetrators of this offence when they are caught. His response was “it will be treated like any other offense”.
That quipped response conveyed to me much that is wrong in the understanding and managing of such hate offenses. It was a response utterly lacking in commitment. Moreover, it did not demonstrate an understanding of the particularity of this offense.
The fact that this was a hate crime is beyond dispute as a known symbol of hatred against the Jews was spray painted on the home of an actual Holocaust survivor.
According to the NYPD office of Hate Crimes/Bias Incidents, there is a clear distinction between “free speech” and the actual commission of a hate crime offense. The office defines a hate crime as “a criminal act that is motivated in whole or substantial part by the perceived identity of the victim”. They office further states “The hate crime designation can also apply to other crimes, such as criminal mischief and graffiti, like painting racial slurs or swastikas on public or private property …associated with particular religious or racial groups”. In addition, “free speech protections end with the commission of a criminal act, and hateful speech or writing in conjunction with a crime is a hate crime”. (https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/services/law-enforcement/hate-crimes.page)
The “free speech” argument can therefore be completely put to bed, for any of those still wondering. More truthfully, we know that most individuals and groups who claim this argument when it comes to hate being perpetrated against the Jewish people are only attempting to obfuscate reality and relying on the most dishonest “academic” arguments put forth by some of the biggest detractors and haters of Israel, and the Jewish People as a whole.
We do not yet know the identity of the perpetrators of this degeneracy. However, questions begin to form in my mind about the possible motivations behind their actions. I have been involved in many clean-up efforts with the Queens-based Shomrim group, and have spent many nights removing hateful antisemitic graffiti around Queens, New York. I look at the hate graffiti, I look at the wording, I look at the empty slogans of hate and conspiracy before I even begin washing it away. This most recent string of hate graffiti was clearly targeted.
From where is their hate emanating? We know there is a mayor in office that creates the conditions for such an openly hostile atmosphere against Jewish people, and Israel. He is more than culpable for his enablement of such a hostile environment, and you can be sure that if the same hostilities were targeted against any other ethno-religious minority group, there would be a massive public outcry. I believe the answer to this vexing question goes further, and we need to understand the role that educational institutions (especially in New York) are playing in this growing atmosphere of Jewish hate enablement.
It is evident to me the four individuals involved in this hate crime are driven by an ideology of hate, built upon a foundation of ignorance. They are seeking to equate Jewish values and life with hate and maliciousness. One can be certain that their understanding of authentic Jewish values and philosophy is nil. One can also be certain that their mis-understanding of Jewish values is most probably being provided to them via the plethora of online social media outlets propagating the worst blood libels against the Jewish people, and intentionally attempting to cause public condemnation of Jews as a whole.
We know that much of what passes as “diversity training” and “diversity studies” is almost always taught by academics that have an open hatred of Jewish people, and Israel. The cases are too numerous to list here, but there is an ongoing phenomenon of social studies, humanities, arts, and various other academic departments and whole institutions that are singularly interested in targeting Jews and Israel as the agents of human oppression. The fact that this entire narrative is upside-down and beyond ludicrous is a topic for another article. We also know these conspiracy theories and Jew-hating social narratives cloaked in the trendy lexicon of “social justice” are being propagated not only on “elite” college campuses, but also in high schools and even elementary schools.
In writing about the organized and long-standing coordinated educational onslaught and embedding of anti-Jewish hate conspiracies in American educational institutions, researchers Noam Petri and Franziska Sittig write “The image of Israel and the Jews that is ultimately formed in the still childish and unsuspecting minds of the pupils who are presented with this teaching material is difficult to reverse. The responsibility or irresponsibility shown by elite institutions …is more than shocking” (Intellectual Self-Destruction: How the West Gambles Away Its Future, 2025, p. 132).
I have spent more than three years working as a psychotherapist with individuals (just as the ones captured on video footage) arrested for the commission of various hate crimes. All the cases that have ever been referred to me from law enforcement agencies have been for individuals that have committed hate crimes against Jewish targets. In much of my ongoing work with such individuals (some within correctional institutions) it has become increasingly clear their hatred against the Jews is informed by the most base and clearly uneducated perspectives on issues connected to the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
From a situation which they have no firsthand knowledge of (only echoed propaganda), they extrapolate to make completely unfounded accusations against all Jewish people. That is not a co-incidence, and only underlies the reality of the enormously hateful environment that Jew haters (from social media “influencers” to the halls of academia to City Hall) have created in New York, and many other areas across this country.
What will happen to these individuals when they are apprehended? What should happen to them? I have a few ideas for true criminal justice reform. That is another question that I would like to address in my next article. Please stay tuned.
Author: Dmitri Oster, LCSW
