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At a December 19 rally protesting the anti-Semitic graffiti discovered in Montauk, Rabbi Aizik Baumgarten of Chabad of the Hamptons in East Hampton and Chabad of Montauk said that the latest instance of anti-Semitism does not reflect Montauk, which he called "a place of peace and love and unity between everybody." CHRISTOPHER WALSH
Anti-Semitic graffiti was discovered on December 19 at Shadmoor State Park in Montauk, the second such incident in the hamlet in just over a year.
The investigation of antisemitic graffiti discovered in Montauk last month, the second such incident in the hamlet in just over a year, has been turned over to State Police, after an initial investigation by the state’s Parks Police.
Swastikas and “SS,” standing for Schutzstaffel, the Nazi paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler, were discovered spray-painted on signs and structures in the park. The incident, which prompted a statement from Governor Kathy Hochul, echoed another of barely one year earlier, when swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti were discovered in two locations in the easternmost hamlet, including on the wall of a downtown commercial business.
A 74-year-old Montauk resident was arrested weeks later and admitted to being the perpetrator in the earlier incident.
“On December 19, 2024, the New York State Police received a call for swastikas spray-painted all throughout Shadmoor State Park in Montauk,” reads a January 3 statement to The Express News Group from the State Police’s public information officer. “The New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) was assigned and are investigating this as a hate crime.”
The investigation is ongoing, and the police have asked that anyone with information call 631-756-3300. Callers will remain anonymous, police said.
“Hate crimes are unacceptable and have serious consequences,” the statement continues. “Reporting any suspicious activity or information to law enforcement is essential.”
Both incidents reflect a historic spike in antisemitic sentiment in the United States since the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on October 7, 2023. According to the Anti-Defamation League, there were more than 10,000 such incidents in the first year since that attack.
A rally was quickly organized and held on December 19 on Montauk’s downtown green, during which speakers including Rabbi Josh Franklin of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, Rabbi Aizak Baumgarten of Chabad of the Hamptons and Chabad of Montauk, East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, Councilman Tom Flight and Joshua Odom, superintendent of the Montauk School, denounced the expressions of hatred and agreed that it is not representative of the hamlet or the town.
An email to the State Police public information officer on Monday had drawn no immediate response.
