ADL calls kosher mart ransacking ‘a shocking hate crime’

The ransacking of a Kosher store in New York drew harsh condemnation from a US anti-Semitism watchdog, which called the attack a “shocking hate crime” Tuesday.

In a statement, the Anti-Defamation League called for the perpetrators of the Saturday night storming of a Crown Heights Kosher supermarket to be prosecuted, possibly for hate crimes.

“This outrageous attack on a Jewish business is a shocking hate crime that has left the Jewish community in Crown Heights deeply shaken and understandably angry and concerned for their safety,” Evan R. Bernstein, the ADL’s regional director, wrote in a press release.

“Law enforcement must do their utmost to ensure that the perpetrators are identified and prosecuted to the full extent of the law, including hate crime charges if warranted,” added Bernstein.

The group which targeted the store, which various media sources described as consisting of 30 to 70 youths, primarily African-American, had also damaged nearby cars and buses and were alleged to have been yelling “Heil Hitler” after leaving the scene of the crime.

The Crown Heights area of Brooklyn, home to a large population of both Hasidic Jews and African Americans, has in the past been a flash point of tension between the two communities.

According to an account posted on the neighborhood news site Crownheights.info, the store has been targeted in the past by similar acts of vandalism carried out by smaller groups or individuals, and the owner has requested more police presence in the area, but to no avail.

“[Very often] these kinds of kids come by my store and yell ‘Heil Hitler,’ or steal things that are on shelves near the door… I’ve asked the police to put an officer on my corner many times, but I feel like I am being ignored and these ‘minor’ problems keep happening.” Yanki Klein, the store’s owner, told ABC News.

Police said an investigation has been launched into the incident.