Queens Synagogues, Homes Vandalized with Swastikas

Several synagogues and private homes in Queens, New York, were vandalized overnight from Sunday into Monday, May 4-5, 2026, with swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti, prompting a hate crimes investigation by the New York Police Department.

The attacks targeted at least two synagogues, multiple residences, and possibly a vehicle, according to city officials and local reports. Among the sites were the Rego Park Jewish Center, where swastikas, the phrase "Heil Hitler," a pentagram, and other markings appeared, and Congregation Machane Chodosh in Forest Hills, where a swastika was sprayed over a plaque honoring victims of Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi pogrom against German Jews. Rabbi Yosef Mendelson of Congregation Machane Chodosh noted that the synagogue was founded by German Jewish refugees. Rabbi Romiel Daniel of the Rego Park Jewish Center described the vandalism occurring before dawn.

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, along with council members Lynn Schulman and Phil Wong, visited Congregation Machane Chodosh after the graffiti was discovered. "When rabbis and congregants arrived to pray this morning, they expected to be met with their usual loving community. When...