The homes of the Brooklyn Museum’s director and several Jewish board members were vandalized Tuesday night with antisemitic graffiti, officials said.
The NYPD is investigating after red paint was found splattered in front of the building where director Anne Pasternak lives in Brooklyn Heights, authorities said.
Several museum board members and the director are Jewish, according to City Comptroller Brad Lander, who posted about the incident on X.
The vandalism occurred after the museum has come under fire by pro-Palestinian protesters calling on the facility to divest from Israel.
“We are deeply troubled by these horrible acts,” Brooklyn Museum officials said in a statement Wednesday.
On X, Mayor Eric Adams said, “This is not peaceful protest or free speech. This is a crime, and it’s overt, unacceptable antisemitism. These actions will never be tolerated in New York City for any reason. I’m sorry to Anne Pasternak and members of the Brooklyn Museum’s board who woke up to hatred like this.”
The NYPD is currently investigating the incident, Adams said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul also on X responded to the vandalism as an “act of antisemitism,” which “has no place in New York or anywhere else.”
“We stand with the Jewish community in the face of hate and will continue to fight antisemitism wherever it rears its ugly head,” Hochul said.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at the Senate floor Wednesday, "This is not New York. This is not America. And we must confront this intolerance and bigotry with courage, with perseverance, and with common cause, with all those who wish to promote tolerance and acceptance, here in America.”