From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Red swastikas painted in playground in New York Jewish neighborhood
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLuke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
Blood-red swastikas have been sprayed in a playground in a Jewish area of Brooklyn.
Photos posted by the local community board show a string of swastikas on a children’s slide and on the playground’s pavement in Gravesend Park.
The park is adjacent to Boro Park, a neighborhood with a large Orthodox population.
The community board says the park’s walkways and equipment were “littered with swastikas” and that the NYPD’s hate crimes unit is investigating.
We're yet again at Gravesend Park with @NYPD66Pct and @BPShomrim where the walkways and play equipment were littered with swastikas. These sick individuals need to find out that actions have consequences. @NYPDHateCrimes is investigating. Hopefully justice will be served swiftly. pic.twitter.com/UriRDE9lUe
— Community Board 12 (@BrooklynCB12) January 20, 2026
The Anti-Defamation League’s New York and New Jersey branch says, “Parents should never have to fear that their children will encounter vile hatred at the playground.”
In November, vandals scrawled swastikas on a nearby yeshiva.
Jews are targeted in hate crimes more than all other groups combined in New York City.
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