A graffiti message reading “Kill a Jew, go to heaven” was found over the weekend on a bike trail in New York City’s Riverside Park.
The sprayed sentence was discovered on a large stone along the trail between 97th Street and 105th Street, located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a major hub of the Jewish community.
The Combat Antisemitism Movement, a global coalition of pro-Jewish groups, tweeted that it was “a direct public call for violence against Jews.”
The nonprofit added, “Last month alone, 28 antisemitic incidents were reported in New York.”
This weekend in Riverside Park, New York City, antisemitic graffiti reading “Kill a Jew, go to heaven” was found painted on a public rock. It was a direct public call for violence against Jews. Last month alone, 28 antisemitic incidents were reported in New York. pic.twitter.com/60WINS23oV
— Combat Antisemitism Movement (@CombatASemitism) March 16, 2026
U.S.-based organization StopAntisemitism also responded to the incident, lamenting “this level of open hatred” in a city that was once a “safe haven for Jewish life.”
Riverside Park NYC this weekend: chilling graffiti openly inciting violence against Jews.
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) March 16, 2026
"Kill a Jew, Go to Heaven"
How did a city once seen as a safe haven for Jewish life allow this level of open hatred to take root? pic.twitter.com/11jtsoDvf9
The NYPD and the New York City Parks Department have opened an inquiry into the incident. No suspects were arrested.
