It is no secret that antisemitism is on the rise. Social media has become a breeding ground for antisemitic rhetoric, with Kanye West being the most recent aggressor. The rate of anti-Jewish incidents is rapidly increasing both globally and in our very own neighborhood— New York City. 

Just last week, three Jewish institutions—the Ramaz Middle School, Saba’s Pizza, and Grill Point—were vandalized. On Tuesday night, November 8th, at around 10:00 PM, the perpetrator broke through the glass door of Saba’s Pizza, before stealing more than $1,800 dollars from the cash register. A worker from Grill Point next door also reported a stolen cash register the Saturday before. This was not the first time that Saba’s Pizza was vandalized—in May of 2021, a brick was thrown at the exterior windows, shattering the glass. 

The next night, on November 9, at about 9:40 PM, the Ramaz Middle School’s security cameras showed a man throwing rocks several times at the bullet-proof glass door and leaving shortly after. An email sent out the following day by the school administration reads: 

“We are writing to make you aware of a vandalism incident that occurred last night at the Middle School. Fortunately, no Ramaz community members were on the premises when the incident occurred. Nonetheless, we are addressing this issue with the utmost urgency. At approximately 9:40 pm last night, after our Middle School security guards had left for the evening, Ramaz’s security cameras show a man throwing a rock at the building’s bullet-proof glass door…We are working closely with the 19th police precinct to support their investigation. While the security provisions that we have in place were effective, we are nonetheless, scaling up our already extensive security measures. We are also aware that both Saba’s Pizza and Grill Point were vandalized this week. At this time, the police don’t have reason to believe the incidents are connected, however, the police are actively exploring all possibilities. Although this is a continuing investigation, we feel that it is important to share the facts as we currently know them, and we will update you if there are any further developments. We know this information is disconcerting, but rest assured, we are taking every possible measure to keep our school safe. As we say frequently, but cannot say often enough, the safety and security of our staff and students is our highest priority.”

These attacks are strikingly similar to each other. Each faced a similar assault: the perpetrators threw rocks or bricks at the glass windows and doors. Further, they all occurred on or near the day on which we commemorate Kristallnacht worldwide. 

Kristallnacht, otherwise known as The Night of Broken Glass, was a series of pogroms in Germany and Austria in 1938. In the span of two days—November 9th and 10th—hundreds of synagogues, Jewish businesses and homes were destroyed by rioters. Jewish cemeteries were also desecrated. Hundreds of Jewish people were killed, and 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and subsequently transported to concentration camps. Eighty four years later, the vandalism that took place last week resembles this terrible event in Jewish history, as windows and doors of Jewish buildings were shattered in the same manner. 

It is important to reflect on these incidents. When we say “Never Again,” we commit to never allowing a genocide such as the Holocaust to occur in the future. Further, we commit to not letting history repeat itself and to eradicate antisemitism. It is disheartening to our school and our places at the mercy of antisemitic violence. As a Jewish community, we have the responsibility to call out antisemitism, in all of its forms, whenever we see it. This should be a lesson to all: we must speak out and denounce hate wherever it appears.