Swastikas found painted on Brooklyn yeshiva hours after Zohran Mamdani elected NYC mayor

A hateful vandal scrawled red swastikas on the front of a Brooklyn yeshiva overnight Wednesday, just hours after the election of anti-Israel Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani raised fears of a new “normalization of antisemitism.”

Security staff called 911 when they discovered the hateful symbols drawn in red paint on the pillars and window of the Magen David Yeshiva on McDonald Avenue near Avenue S in Gravesend around 6:30 a.m., police said. The solo suspect, who wore all black during the brazen act, fled on foot and had not been arrested by early Wednesday, cops said.

The hateful display sparked backlash from Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who urged Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to immediately condemn it.

“Brooklyn’s Jewish community wakes up to two swastikas at Magen David Yeshiva in Gravesend,” said Malliotakis, who represents Staten Island and parts of Southern Brooklyn.

“While @NYPDHateCrimes investigates, the Mayor-elect must unequivocally condemn this hateful graffiti…Time to represent and protect ALL New Yorkers.”

Pinny Ringel, a district leader within Assembly District 48, which covers the area, chimed in that “Hate has no place in this city and should be condemned by everyone.”

The disturbing discovery came hours after Jewish groups vowed to hold 34-year-old Mamdani – who frequently came under fire throughout his campaign for his anti-Israel ideology – “fully accountable.”

“Tonight the quiet normalization of antisemitism just got very loud. For years, Mayor-elect Mamdani’s activism was steeped in coded language about Jews, performative boycotts, exclusion, and overt hostility toward Israel,” Sarah Forman, Executive Director of New York Solidarity Network said.

“Now, his views gain a platform with real consequences for the city that is home to the largest Jewish community in the diaspora.”