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Officials condemn ‘anti-Semitic’ attacks on museum guides’ homes – The Forward

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On Tuesday, vandals defaced the facade of Anne Pasternack, the Jewish director of the Brooklyn Museum. The city administration calls it an anti-Semitic attack.

On Tuesday, vandals defaced the facade of Anne Pasternack, the Jewish director of the Brooklyn Museum. The city administration calls it an anti-Semitic attack. Photo by X Screenshot

Lauren Markoe

By Lauren Markoe
June 12, 2024

New York Mayor Eric Adams vowed to bring to justice what he called “criminals” responsible for defacing the home of five Jewish board members of the Brooklyn Museum, and called the anti-Zionist graffiti on X (formerly Twitter) “blatant, unacceptable anti-Semitism.”

Vandals sprayed the facades of the houses – including that of museum director Anne Pasternack – with fake blood and inverted red triangles, a symbol used by Hamas to mark targets of violence.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed regret over what she described as “a heinous act of anti-Semitism that has no place in New York or anywhere else” and promised to “continue to fight anti-Semitism wherever it raises its ugly head.”

Police said they were investigating the incidents and reviewing surveillance footage from the homes.

The episode followed a Protest in front of an exhibition in Manhattan to honor the victims of the Nova Music Festival, which was attacked by Hamas on October 7 and left hundreds of young attendees dead. This protest was also condemned by local and national politicians.

The October 7 massacre at the festival site and other locations in southern Israel sparked the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which, according to local health authorities, resulted in the deaths of more than 35,000 Palestinians.

Protests against the war have emerged University campus and cities, including about 1,000 demonstrations in New York City, according to police. And although Jews were part of the protests, some demonstrations crossed the line into anti-Semitism, with protesters chanting: “Back to Poland.”

In their responses to accusations of anti-Semitism, protesters often say that they detest anti-Semitism but want to eradicate Zionism – a stance that many Jews, the Anti-Defamation League and others consider anti-Semitic.

A banner draped over Pasternack’s house read: “White racist Zionist.”

City Treasurer Brad Lander condemned the attack on the Brooklyn Museum’s leadership, saying on X: “While no one deserves this, it is worth noting that few museums have done more to grapple with difficult questions about power, colonialism, racism and the role of art.”

Lauren Markoe is news editor at the Forward. Follow her on Twitter @lmarkoe.

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