Vandalism of Synagogues Shakes Riverdale Community
Sam McIntosh/The Riverdale Review
The New York Police Department outside the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale.
Antisemitic hate crimes have been on the rise in the United States and have recently impacted the Riverdale neighborhood directly. On Saturday, April 24th, the windows of four synagogues in Riverdale were smashed. Authorities arrested the man suspected of the vandalism, and the investigation of his crimes is ongoing.
New York City and Riverdale contain significant numbers of Jewish residents, making this recent act of vandalism particularly upsetting. About 13% of New York City’s population, and 35% of Riverdale’s, is Jewish. Despite its large Jewish population, New York City has experienced an increase in antisemitic crimes over the past few years. According to the Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, hate crimes commited against the Jewish community in New York have increased by 26% since 2019; in the United States at large, they have increased by 14% since 2019.
Despite these recent increases in antisemitic hate crimes, some argue that the media has largely ignored the hate directed towards the Jewish community. Junior Lindsey Brail, co-leader of Jewish in New York (JiNY), Riverdale’s Jewish affinity group, commented on this lack of media coverage: “Antisemitic attacks that have happened in New York City tend to be overshadowed because people think that New York is a safe space for Jews, but the fact is that antisemitic hate crimes do happen in New York and this attack proves it.” Brail explained that “the media really forgets about the Jewish community because there are so many [Jewish people] in New York City, and when an antisemitic crime happens, it’s just ignored.” Brail said she initially “felt sad and upset, but unsurprised. It’s also really hard to digest that someone can have so much hate within themself.”
Photo courtesy of NYPD Crime Stoppers
Security camera footage of the suspect.
Senior Sabrina Schlesinger, the other leader of JiNY, shared her thoughts on the recent attacks: “It was very upsetting and even though I don’t live here, I go to school here; I do sports here; I have friends that live here that have connections to those synagogues.” Ms. Madeleine Prenner, a Middle and Upper School mathematics teacher and advisor to JiNY, commented, “People tend to believe that this kind of antisemitism is no longer a problem or isn’t a significant issue, and it is and it’s growing.” Ms. Prenner also mentioned that “it’s not only the Jewish community that has been targeted recently. Hate crimes towards marginalized groups in general have been on the rise, and many people ignore that.”
Members of the Riverdale school community encourage others to advocate for the Jewish community in order to stop future hate crimes and to raise awareness. Brail advises that “if you hear someone making a joke about a Jewish stereotype, shut it down. Simply stopping microaggressions like that is still extremely helpful.” Ms. Prenner also remarked that “there is nothing different between showing allyship for any community and showing allyship towards the Jewish community. Speaking out and saying something is wrong, standing up, not making jokes are all ways to advocate. The Jewish community deserves to feel supported.”
