Four Jewish school buses sprayed with swastikas in Brooklyn's Williamsburg

Four school buses that carry Jewish children in Brooklyn were covered in swastikas and anti-Israel graffiti on Monday morning. The New York City Police Department's Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating.

Officers were called to the area of Bedford Avenue and Williamsburg Street West, in the 90th Precinct, shortly before 10 a.m. An NYPD spokesman told JNS the report was of "antisemitic writing and swastikas" spray-painted on four school buses.

Photos of the damage show yellow buses with the names of the yeshivas printed in Hebrew on the side. The graffiti includes swastikas, "Free Palestine" and an obscene attack on Israel.

The local outlet Williamsburg 365 reported that the buses belonged to the Satmar and Klausenburg hassidic communities, and to Tiferes Yisroel, according to the Jerusalem Post. Williamsburg is home to one of the largest hassidic communities in the United States, and Satmar is among its biggest groups.

No arrests have been announced, and police have not said who was behind the vandalism.

Official reaction

New York Attorney General Letitia James called the vandalism "despicable" and asked anyone with information to contact law enforcement.

City Council member Lincoln Restler, who represents the district, called the graffiti "truly obscene." He said he is working with law enforcement to "track down those responsible." He added that the "decade-long rise in antisemitic incidents must be stopped."

Moshe Spern, president of the group United Jewish Teachers, called the incident "a blatant act of antisemitism." He told JNS that Jewish children should never have to board buses covered in Nazi symbols and anti-Israel hatred. He urged the NYPD to investigate thoroughly and to prosecute those responsible.

Spern also linked the attack to city politics. "In Mayor Mamdani's New York City, Jewish schools, synagogues and now even the buses that carry our children are being targeted with hate," he said. He called on city leadership to take "a clear stand." That is his characterization. Police have not suggested any link between the vandalism and city policy.

Why it matters

The buses were marked with the names of Jewish schools, and children ride them every day. The graffiti combined Nazi symbols with slogans aimed at Israel. That is a pattern Jewish communities in the diaspora have reported with growing concern: hostility to Israel that spills onto ordinary Jewish institutions, including schools and buses.

Investigators have not said whether the buses were targeted specifically or whether the same people were responsible for other recent incidents. Police have not released any suspect description.