Police searching for suspect after vandalism attack on Jewish centre ahead of holiday

‘Sukkot is about unity,’ says rabbi

Rabbi Uriel Vigler shared video showing the act of vandalism (Uriel Vigler / Facebook)

Police are searching for an individual they believe vandalised a structure outside a Jewish centre on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

The attack took place in the early hours of Sunday morning when a man was seen kicking the sukkah – a temporary hut put up for the festival – outside the Chabad Israel Center, said Rabbi Uriel Vigler.

He said in a Facebook post on Sunday morning following the attack: “We put up a gorgeous Sukka right outside our Chabad Israel Center on East 92nd St. The Sukka will be used by thousands of people on Sukkot.”

“At 1.22am on Shabbat morning someone came and kicked the Sukka breaking some glass. Let’s make it an extra joyous Sukkot by spreading joy and love!”

While the rabbi said the suspect had kicked the sukkah, Fox5 reported that the same man was suspected of urinating on the temporary wooden structure.

The rabbi told the news station that he had approached police and he would not be perturbed from marking Sukkot.

“What the public can do to fight back against this is to find a Sukka, wherever they are, and during Sukkot make a blessing there and shake the lulav and esrog,” said Mr Vigler. “Sukkot is about unity, and this Jewish year is a Hakhel year, a year of gathering, underscoring the theme of unity, so this presents another opportunity for people to come together and do a mitzvah.”

He said in video shared to Facebook that a good samaritan intervened to stop the attacker from vandalising more of the sukkah, and told Fox5: “We are grateful to the brave New Yorker, who demonstrated what New York is all about, standing up to look after one another.”

Sukkhas are temporary huts built as part of the week-long Sukkot holiday, which sees Jews eating underneath a canopy covered in greenery. The act is in commemoration of the protection sought by the ancient Israelites as they travelled to Jerusalem.

This year, there have been at least 149 hate crimes reported against Jewish New Yorkers, city crime figures show, with February seeing a 409 per cent increase in antisemitic crimes in comparison with the same month in 2021.

The Independent has approached the New York Police Department for comment.