Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Menorah vandalized outside Jewish food pantry in Queens, NY

A photo of the suspect shows a man clad in a dark beanie, sunglasses and layered outerwear while carrying a dark bag.

New York City Police Department officer patch. Credit: BrandonKleinPhoto/Shutterstock.
New York City Police Department officer patch. Credit: BrandonKleinPhoto/Shutterstock.

The New York City Police Department is reportedly investigating the Dec. 15 vandalism of a menorah outside Tomchei Shabbos of Queens, N.Y., a Jewish food pantry, as a possible hate crime.

The New York Post reported that, according to police, a suspect approached a vehicle parked in front of the charity at about 3:12 pm and tore a Chanukah menorah from the vehicle’s roof, damaging the display. The menorah was valued at about $250.

A photo of the suspect shows a man clad in a dark-colored beanie, sunglasses, gray hoodie and black coat while carrying a dark bag.

Lynn Schulman, a member of the New York City Council, said that the “heinous act of antisemitism” took place in her district “and is being thoroughly investigated by the NYPD.”

She added that “these incidents are happening more frequently and are totally unacceptable.”

“Mamdani could not even give us one day to mourn without defaming the Jewish people and giving cover to our enemies,” Inna Vernikov, a Jewish member of the New York City Council, told JNS. “We will not let Mamdani and his radical pals rewrite Oct. 7.”
“This is my responsibility, that each one of the kids will get the same treatment, the same money,” Mody Kidon of the Israeli Children’s Fund told JNS.
Of the 6,000 Gazans who invaded the country on Oct. 7, 2023, 4,000 have been eliminated, said Israel Katz.
Three years after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, the families of Capt. Elay Adany and those he helped rescue remain bound by his final acts of courage.