Brooklyn Jewish center vandalized again

NEW YORK (JTA) — The same vandal who apparently defaced the Avenue Z Jewish Center in Brooklyn several times may have struck again.

A Star of David and the word “Jew” were found etched into the sidewalk near the synagogue in the Sheepshead Bay section with the initials “RUS” inscribed near the graffiti. The same initials have been linked to several other incidents at the center, such as tagging and destroying its windows.

Center president Jay Freese told the Brooklyn Daily, “We’ve been targeted for a while. There’s no swastikas yet, but it’s obvious anti-Semitism is in the neighborhood.”

Last year a vandal broke into the center by smashing a window, stole a Torah scroll and other religious objects, and money. The thief was never found.

Earlier this year, swastikas were painted on trees in a community garden, and cars in Midwood were torched and covered with swastikas and other hate graffiti.