Two Orthodox men were struck by small objects sprayed at them from a passing car, and antisemitic graffiti at two separate locations was discovered in the Upper West Side over the weekend of March 17.
On Sunday night March 17, Jeffrey Solomon, 65, and Eliezer Siegel, 19, were at 100th Street and West End Avenue when they were sprayed with projectiles from what appeared to be a BB gun by a person in an SUV who drove by them. Although hurt and stunned, neither of the men sustained serious physical injuries.
Speaking to The Jewish Link, Solomon said that he and Siegel were identifiably Jewish as he was wearing a knit kippah and tzitzit, and Siegal was wearing Hasidic garb including a long black coat and hat, and payot.
The same weekend, vandals also hit the Upper West Side with antisemitic graffiti, images of which started circulating widely on social media on March 17.
At West 103rd Street and Riverside Drive inside of Riverside Park, messages of hate such as “Save Gaza,” “Free Palestine” and “Israel Bombs Kids” were spray-painted all over large concrete barriers in black, red and green paint.
Less than 10 blocks away, the popular Israeli-owned Effy’s Café on 96th Street near Columbus Avenue was also vandalized with spray-painted messages, “Form Line Here to Support Genocide” and “Free Gaza.”
The community immediately came out in force to support the beloved Effy’s. Volunteers washed away the hate-filled messages, and many others, such as Dalia Schwalb, came to patronize the café. As Schwalb told The Jewish Link: “The community is really banding together to support Effy’s. This type of hate only makes us stronger.”
Upper West Sider Meghan Lapides spearheaded an initiative to raise funds to replace the small trees in front of Effy’s, which were also spray-painted by the vandals. “It’s scary to think that there were three antisemitic incidents near our home,” she said. “My family loves Effy’s and we wanted to show them our support.” Lapides also stated that The Mini Rose Co. florist donated an olive tree to Effy’s after the vandalism.
Reflecting on all of the support for the café was Jewish activist Lizzy Savetsky, who told the media gathered at Effy’s on March 18: “One of the most amazing, remarkable things about this community is that so many Jewish people and our allies have shown up today to patronize and support, and I just want to applaud that.”
However, continued Savetsky, “It does start to feel a bit like we’re in 1930s Germany when we’re seeing vandalization on a business simply because it is owned and patronized by Jews.”
The Upper West Side community remains hopeful that the perpetrators of these crimes will be brought to justice. The NYPD Hate Crime Task Force was notified of all three incidents, and as of press time the investigations remained ongoing.
Council Member Gale A. Brewer, who represents a district encompassing much of the Upper West Side, told The Jewish Link: “Hate crimes are abhorrent and intolerable, and even without an underlying crime, bias incidents perpetuate discrimination and prejudice and make communities less safe for us all.
“All three incidents are heartbreaking, but sadness must be met with action,” Brewer continued. “I support Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposal to expand the list of charges eligible to be prosecuted as hate crimes, which she included in her 2024 State of the State policy agenda. Under current law, there are 66 offenses that can be charged as hate crimes. Hochul’s plan would increase the number to 97, including graffiti.”
Rabbi Yosie Levine of The Jewish Center stated: “The mayor’s office, our City Council member and the DA’s office have all been responsive. This is a priority for them and they want to get it right. Now we just have to translate those good intentions into concrete results that make us safer.”
UJA is also monitoring the situation. Hindy Poupko, senior vice president, community strategy and external relations, said: “UJA, together with the Community Security Initiative (which helps protect Jews and our local institutions) are deeply grateful to the NYPD for their swift response in investigating these vile actions targeting Jews. Our elected leaders and law enforcement agencies have made clear that hate and bias incidents of any kind will be met with appropriate consequences. Despite the hateful actions of the few, Jewish life flourishes in New York, and UJA is proud to strengthen and lift up our entire Jewish community.”
The importance of lifting each other up is not something to be taken lightly. As Ron Segev, a survivor of the October 7 Nova massacre, told The Jewish Link while in New York to speak about his miraculous story of survival: “I came to Effy’s when I heard about the vandalism, because we must continue strengthening and supporting each other, wherever we are.”
Judith Falk is the creator of the Upper West Side Shtetl Facebook Group. You can follow her on instagram @upperwestsideshtetl. She is an employee of The City of New York and is writing this article in her personal capacity, and not as an employee of The City of New York.
