At 11:45 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, footage reviewed by the Queens Jewish Link shows a man sprinting past the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates and flinging a substance toward the shul’s entrance.
The act lasts only seconds. The man moves too quickly for the camera to capture a clearly identifiable face, and the recording alone does not reveal what was thrown. Only upon examining the scene did the full depravity of the attack become clear: Motor oil and excrement had been hurled at the entrance just hours before congregants would arrive for t’filah and preparations for Shabbos.
By Friday morning, July 17, the same substances had been discovered at the Young Israel of Holliswood, located at 86-25 Francis Lewis Boulevard – roughly three-quarters of a mile from the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates at 83-10 188th Street.
The narrow time frame, close proximity, and substantially similar method strongly indicate that the incidents were connected. Police have not publicly determined whether one person carried out both acts or whether others were involved.
At Jamaica Estates, the recording captures the speed and brazenness of the vandalism. At Holliswood, photos show a dark, oily substance spread across the concrete entrance and toward the base of the glass doors. What appears to be a torn plastic bag lies in the residue near the walkway, although authorities have not said whether it carried the substances or yielded evidence.
Crime Scene Unit personnel responded to each location, and the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating. The department has not publicly released a suspect description, announced an arrest, or detailed the evidence recovered. Detectives are comparing recordings, examining physical evidence, and confirming leads before releasing information that could affect the case.
Another disturbing detail has emerged.
Within the past month, a bag containing human excrement was found inside the Queens Jewish Link distribution box positioned alongside other publication boxes outside the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates. At the time, the discovery appeared to be an isolated act of vandalism.
Thursday night’s attack changes the context entirely. The repeated use of excrement in the same immediate area raises the serious possibility that the location had previously been targeted by the same person – or that someone returned to a method already used there. The earlier incident has now been reported to the NYPD and may help detectives determine whether the vandalism is part of an escalating pattern.
The physical damage may have been limited, but the vandalism was degrading and unmistakably anti-Semitic.
Assemblymember Nily Rozic said she was in contact with the 107th Precinct, which increased patrol coverage in the area over the weekend.
The Jamaica Estates recording gives investigators an exact time and location, but cameras at nearby homes, businesses, and institutions may hold the key to tracking the perpetrator’s movements. A person walking with an ordinary shopping bag, a vehicle pausing, or someone moving hurriedly along a residential block might appear unremarkable in isolation but could help detectives link the two scenes.
Because many surveillance systems automatically overwrite older footage, time is critical. Residents and institutions near 188th Street, Francis Lewis Boulevard, Midland Parkway, Palo Alto Street, and surrounding blocks should immediately review and preserve recordings from Thursday evening through Friday morning – particularly around 11:45 p.m.
The Hate Crimes Task Force’s involvement reflects the suspected anti-Semitic motive, but any prosecution must be built on evidence. Under New York Penal Law, a hate crime occurs when someone commits a specified underlying offense – such as criminal mischief – and intentionally selects the victim or property, in whole or substantial part, because of religion or another protected characteristic.
The choice of neighboring Orthodox synagogues, the similar method used at both locations, and the repeated use of excrement outside the Jamaica Estates shul would all be relevant to that determination. A hate-crime conviction can increase the classification or sentencing consequences of the underlying offense, depending on the charge.
The case comes amid an alarming level of anti-Semitism across New York City. During the first six months of 2026, the NYPD recorded 178 confirmed anti-Jewish hate crimes – more than half of all confirmed hate crimes citywide.
Anti-Jewish incidents represented 55.3 percent of confirmed hate crimes in the city, despite Jewish New Yorkers comprising approximately ten percent of New York City’s population. Overall, confirmed hate crimes increased by 7.7 percent during the same six-month period.
Those figures expose a disturbing contradiction. Jewish New Yorkers are told that the city is becoming safer overall, while synagogues, schools, businesses, homes, and visibly Jewish individuals continue to bear a disproportionate share of bias-driven attacks.
The vandalism also renews concerns about synagogue security. Additional police patrols provide immediate reassurance, but proper lighting, overlapping high-definition cameras, controlled access, reinforced entrances, shatter-resistant materials, emergency communications, and reliable storage of surveillance footage offer protection long after a temporary deployment ends.
New York’s Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes program and the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program remain vital resources for institutions seeking help with the cost of those improvements.
No shul should have to become a fortress. Families should be able to enter without fear, while anyone approaching with malicious intent must understand that the act may be recorded, investigated, and prosecuted.
Whoever carried out these attacks sought to degrade sacred spaces and frighten the people who depend upon them. Instead, the incidents brought investigators to the community and strengthened its resolve to confront anti-Semitism rather than accept it as something Jews are simply expected to endure.
Both congregations proceeded into Shabbos shaken but unwilling to be driven from their shuls. Their resilience deserves admiration, but resilience cannot become an excuse for society to expect Jews to withstand one attack after another.
Anyone with information or relevant footage should contact Queens Shmira at 718-329-4444 and NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. Crime Stoppers tips may be submitted anonymously.
By Shabsie Saphirstein