US EditionDozens of Swastikas Painted on Playground in Jewish Area of Brooklyn Prompts Hate Crime Investigation
The swastikas were painted over two days at a playground in a heavily Jewish neighborhood; antisemitic incidents made up 57% of hate crimes in NYC last year, police said.
- On January 22, 2026, investigators opened a probe after 57 swastikas were found at a children's playground in Gravesend Park playground, Brooklyn, and the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating it as a hate crime.
- The playground serves Orthodox Jewish families in Borough Park, home to 46,000 Jewish adults and 50,000 children, with 45% of households including a Jewish person, according to UJA-Federation of New York.
- The painted symbols covered playground slides and a handball court in red, yellow and blue paint, and by afternoon Parks Department crew members cleaned the site using paint thinner and light grey paint.
- Local religious leaders demanded arrests and accountability, with Rabbi Edgar Gluck saying `They got away with it once and tried to get away with it again` as City Council Speaker Julie Menin plans to speak at Gravesend Park.
- Broader data show antisemitic incidents accounted for 57% of hate crimes in 2025, while Jewish New Yorkers make up 10% of residents; ADL and leaders said the repeat attack increases fear among Holocaust survivors in Borough Park.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Dozens of swastikas painted on playground in Jewish area of Brooklyn prompts hate crime investigation
By Eric Levenson, August Phillips, CNN (CNN) — Dozens of swastikas were painted on a playground in a predominantly Jewish area of Brooklyn, New York, in two separate incidents this week, prompting a hate crime probe, the New York Police Department said. Gov. Kathy Hochul on X called the vandalism “a depraved act of antisemitism,” which comes during an extended period of such threats to the city’s Jewish community. Officers responded on Monday to…
2 teens charged after allegedly spray-painting swastikas on Brooklyn playground
Two teens were arrested and charged after allegedly spray painting dozens of swastikas and other antisemitic language at a Brooklyn playground where many Jewish children play, according to police. A hate crime investigation was launched after nearly five dozen of the hate symbols were found painted on walls, a court and a slide at Gravesend Park in Borough Park late...
57 Swastikas Found in Brooklyn Park
57 swastikas found in Brooklyn’s Borough Park, hate crime investigation underway. Second antisemitic attack in three days targets ultra-Orthodox community playground. NYC mayor and governor vow swift justice as NYPD escalates probe into vandalism spree. The post 57 swastikas found in Brooklyns Borough Park hate crime investigation underway appeared first on Jerusalem World News.
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