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Queens rally planned after anti-Israel vandalism targets kosher bagel shop

Jewish groups and local leaders are expected to gather in support of the Israeli-owned business as police continue searching for the suspect.

Police Car
Police car. Credit: tevenet/Pixabay.

Several Jewish organizations are planning a rally in support of a kosher bagel shop vandalized in Queens, N.Y., on May 22 in what police are investigating as a possible hate crime.

Surveillance footage showed a man dressed in traditional Muslim attire rampaging for nearly five minutes outside Bagels & Co., an Israeli-owned restaurant in the Jamaica Estates neighborhood, overturning tables and chairs, smashing flower pots and hurling objects at the storefront at around 1 a.m. on Friday.

No injuries were reported, and the extent of the damage was not immediately clear. The suspect remains unidentified and at large. The incident was first reported by JFeed.

The New York City Police Department reported earlier this month that antisemitic incidents in the city fell 30.2% in April compared with the same month last year. However, hate crimes overall rose more than 11% during the first quarter of 2026, with Jews targeted in 55% of the incidents, according to NYPD statistics.

The advocacy group IMPACT, together with Young Israel of Jamaica Estates, Young Israel of Holliswood, Chazaq, Great Kosher Restaurant Foodies, Yeshiva University High School for Girls and Emet Outreach, is organizing a lunchtime rally on May 28 outside the restaurant.

Daniel Rosen, chairman and co-founder of IMPACT, told JNS that several hundred people are expected to attend, including elected officials and members of local synagogue and school communities.

Queens has seen a series of recent antisemitic incidents, including graffiti targeting Jewish homes and institutions and the desecration of a Kristallnacht memorial.

Mike Wagenheim is a Washington-based correspondent for JNS, primarily covering the U.S. State Department and Congress. He is the senior U.S. correspondent at the Israel-based i24NEWS TV network.
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