Police: Anti-Semitic Vandalism in Rockland

A swastika, the Nazi symbol recognized for its use in messages of hate, was found this morning on the street in front of a New City community leader's home.

Steve Gold said a neighbor was the first to spot the swastika painted on Lady Godiva Way in the Camelot development, located between Route 304 and Congers Road in New City.

The incident comes just weeks before Gold, and his wife Helene, are being honored by the Rockland Holocaust Museum & Study Center at its Annual Benefit Brunch, where they are scheduled to receive the Leadership Award on Oct. 21 at the Crowne Plaza in Montebello.

Clarkstown police are investigating the incident.

The incident quickly prompted angry reaction:

“I am outraged by anti-Semitic vandalism in New City near the home of a prominent member of the Jewish community whose parents survived the Holocaust," said U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-Rockland/Westchester. “I know Clarkstown Police Department will investigate this crime and hold accountable anyone who would deface public roads with such a symbol of hate. 

“This shocking act is another reminder that even in the most diverse and educated areas of the country, the scourge of intolerance and anti-Semitism must be erased," Lowey said. "All members of our community have a responsibility to reject intolerance and speak out against hate speech directed against individuals for no reason other than their religion.”

Steve Gold is a vice president of JCC Rockland in West Nyack. He chairs the Munich 11 Minute of Silence Campaign.

At a recent memorial to the Munich 11, Gold said, "By the International Olympic Committee saying no [to a moment of silence], they failed to inspire a new generation of combating anti-semitism."

This summer Sleepy Hollow Police reported finding a swastika symbol painted on a building in DeVries Park among other offensive graffiti.

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