Brooklyn, NY – A Sheepshead Bay synagogue was defaced early Wednesday morning with graffiti spelling out “Hitler” scrawled on the side of the wall.
The graffiti was discovered Wednesday morning by Rabbi Asher Altshul, the leader of Congregation Beth Shalom of Kings Bay on Avenue X, as he arrived at work at around 6:30 am.
Councilmember Inna Vernikov, who is Jewish and lives close to the synagogue, said in a video posted on social media that many members of the congregation are elderly Holocaust survivors who are now being forced to see the name of the Nazi leader responsible for the atrocity.
“There are Holocaust survivors who attend this shul,” Vernikov said. “And after the atrocities they have seen during World War II, they now have to come to a synagogue in the United States of America in 2022 and see a Hitler sign on the wall.”
An NYPD spokesperson said that the matter is under investigation but had no further information. Vernikov’s office is facilitating the wall’s cleanup.
