‘Die Jew Rats’: Hate-Filled Messages Found Scrawled Inside Brooklyn Synagogue: Cops

What to Know

Anti-Semitic messages were found written in black marker inside Union Temple in Prospect Heights on Thursday, police said
The hate-filled message read 'Die Jew Rats We Are Here,' 'Jews Better Be Ready' 'Hitler' and 'Rose,' according to the NYPD
Brooklyn has been the target of anti-Semitic acts in recent weeks and last weekend a gunman killed 11 at a Pittsburgh synagogue

Hate-filled messages were scrawled inside a Brooklyn synagogue, the latest incident in a string of alarming attacks on New York City's Jewish population in the borough, police say.

The anti-Semitic messages written in black marker at Union Temple in Prospect Heights come less than a week after a gunman stormed into a synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 people.

The NYPD said the messages, which include “Die Jew Rats We Are Here,” “Jews Better Be Ready,” "Rose" and “Hitler,” were discovered by a woman congregant around 8 p.m. Thursday on the second and fourth floors of the house of worship.

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My friends surprised me for my birthday tonight with tickets to see @ilanusglazer speak at @generatorcollective - a series of talks with activists and politicians about the importance of voting and humanizing politics. Unfortunately, after waiting for over an hour to enter the auditorium, we were notified that some emboldened bigot had covered the walls of the Jewish temple that was housing the event with anti-Semitic symbols and slurs. Organizers felt unsafe and uncomfortable carrying on with the event, and rightfully shut it down. THIS IS WHY WE NEED TO ELECT GOOD PEOPLE INTO OFFICE. This is why we gathered tonight. This is why we protest and demand real, direct action against acts of hate and violence. Thank you to the ever-badass @ilanusglazer and Amy Goodman of @democracynow for putting these kinds of events together and staying strong in the face of incredible intolerance. We will not be stopped or silenced. Your hate has no place in this country. ✊🏽 #VOTE

A post shared by Shelby Quackenbush (@shelbyyq) on Nov 1, 2018 at 6:21pm PDT

A political event hosted by “Broad City” star Ilana Glazer was canceled after the messages were found. A video posted to Instagram shows Glazer addressing a crowd. Glazer was scheduled to moderate a talk with a journalist and state senate candidates, including Andrew Gounardes.

Gounardes told News 4 he had been "incredibly excited" to appear on Glazer's series and to work alongside State Senate candidate Jim Gaughran and Amy Goodman of "Democracy Now!" to talk about the importance of the election.

"Hate speech and anti-Semitic graffiti have no place in New York State. I am outraged that cowards would make threats and deface property to spread their hate," he said in a statement. "I am proud to stand with my brothers and sisters in the Jewish community and all religious affiliations because we are all Americans and all New Yorkers."

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A quiet block in Brooklyn Heights famed for its popularity with trick-or-treaters was defaced with Nazi symbols and other slurs the night before Halloween. John Chandler reports.

Neighborhoods in the borough have been the targets of anti-Semitic acts in recent weeks. Several days ago, swastikas were found in Brooklyn Heights and last month a man was charged with assault as a hate crime in a beating of a Jewish man in the middle of a Borough Park street.

A Hate Crimes Unit is investigating.

Acts of hate against Jews have also been on the rise across the country. In February, the Anti-Defamation League reported that the number of anti-Semitic incidents against Jewish institutions rose nearly 60 percent last year over 2016, the largest single-year increase on record.