On Thursday night, Council Member Shaun Abreu shared in a tweet that swastikas had been drawn outside the New Jewish Home at 120 West 106th Street.
On the eve of @newjewishhome’s 175th anniversary, swastikas were drawn outside their health center on the UWS.
This is an act of pure hatred—not just against Jews, but a proud organization that cares for New Yorkers of all backgrounds.
Antisemitism has no place here. pic.twitter.com/tEz2LDWTAO
— Shaun Abreu (@ShaunAbreu) October 27, 2023
“These hate crimes are sad, misguided, and sickening,” said a spokesperson for The New Jewish Home. “As global events inflame antisemitism in the city, we remain proud to provide healthcare to older New Yorkers of all backgrounds and ethnicities, as we have for 175 years, and we are committed to ensuring the safety of our community. Since the incident came to our attention, we immediately began working in coordination with law enforcement and anti-hate organizations including Community Security Initiative (CSI) and ADL. We are grateful for Council Member Abreu’s vocal support and denunciation of these abhorrent acts on the eve of our 175th anniversary and we ask that our city’s leaders continue to unequivocally condemn such flagrant and wholly unacceptable crimes of hate and antisemitism.”
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On Sunday, the New Jewish Home will be hosting a street fair to celebrate its 175th anniversary. It will be taking place on 106th and Amsterdam Ave. from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Please note that our 175th Anniversary Celebration has been postponed to Sunday, October 29th. We hope to see you there! pic.twitter.com/Qmn5j4DpVk
— The New Jewish Home (@newjewishhome) October 20, 2023
In partnership with the Columbus Amsterdam BID, the street fair will offer up some of TNJH’s most popular programming for residents — including therapy dogs and a group chair yoga session, as well as live music, arts and crafts, and games. Attendees will also get a chance to learn more about the nonprofit’s community opportunities, such as SkillSpring—a workforce development program that empowers local young adults to access health care careers while supporting providers dealing with staffing challenges
This, of course, is a completely different ilk from taking down “kidnapped” posters that are at best ineffective (since they will not even “reach” Hamas or the Israeli government, so they are ultimately useless except as a form of “solidarity” – which can be done in more effective ways than mucking up one’s neighborhood with flyers), and at worst provocative, controversial and, in some cases, hurtful (there is an increasing number of parents who find them extremely troubling for their school-aged children). While I suppose SOME people who remove those flyers do so with in an anti-Semitism fashion, the mere removal of them is NOT anti-Semitic.
However, drawing swastikas and writing anti-Jewish “hate speech” IS anti-Semitic, in the clearest and most decisive way. And it must be fought against in all possible ways.
I should add here that, while it does not make much difference, many people who do this are teenagers who may not understand the “import” of their actions, and do it simply to be provocative. That means it is up to parents to educate and inform their children about WHY this is unacceptable.
it’s disgusting that we have these antisemitic miscreants trying to harm us and our property,
are they teens: adults? both? how did they get so infiltrated with hate for us and love for Hamas. maybe they should be shipped out to the Gaza and assist the Hamas. they could see what a wonderful experience that would be.
Careful what you wish for Harriet. Someone could easily turn and say, “now who is the knot see?”