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The graffiti was discovered on Thursday, Jan. 25 at the Jewish-owned Cheryl's Closet clothing store and Scoop Shop at the Golden Horseshoe shopping center on the border of Scarsdale and New Rochelle at 1088 Wilmot Rd., according to New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman.
In a statement, Bowman condemned the act.
"Let me be clear: I strongly condemn antisemitic actions that target Jewish Americans because of their religion or conflate the actions of the Israeli government with our Jewish neighbors," Bowman said, adding, "Throughout history, vandalism has been used to target and harass Jewish communities, and the use of vandalism today against Jewish-owned shops here in our district is unacceptable. There is no place for vandalism or violence anywhere in our communities."
Bowman also said he had sent a representative from his office to meet with the store owner.
The Westchester County District Attorney's Office and New Rochelle Police Department gave a statement on the vandalism and said they are looking for whoever created it.
"We understand the unsettling atmosphere of fear across all impacted communities and the safety of our residents and businesses remains a top priority for law enforcement," authorities said, adding, "We have zero tolerance for hatred and bias in Westchester and we will use the full force of the law to hold perpetrators accountable and keep our communities safe.”
The city of New Rochelle also gave a statement condemning the vandalism.
"We are deeply saddened and disturbed by the recent acts of antisemitism targeting two of our city's storefronts," city officials said, adding, "Hate crimes like the vandalization of Cheryl’s Closet and Scoop Shop have no place in our community and we vehemently condemn this behavior. We stand by our Jewish citizens and will not tolerate these types of attacks."
Additionally, the city detailed plans to prevent any similar incidents in the future.
"Our commitment to supporting their efforts in investigating this incident remains steadfast. Property security inspections for local businesses and synagogues have been conducted and are underway. We plan to monitor the situation closely and inform all residents of any updates.”
This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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