Three Jewish-owned businesses located close to each other on Manhattan's Upper East Side were vandalized early Wednesday morning, with their glass doors and windows shattered. The affected establishments were Level 78 barber shop on 78th Street and Third Avenue, kosher restaurant Rothschild TLV on Lexington Avenue and 79th Street, and The Nuts Factory candy shop on Third Avenue and 74th Street. The incidents occurred around 2 a.m. on Wednesday, coinciding with Israel's Independence Day.
In addition to Rothschild TLV and The Nuts Factory, a third Jewish owned business on the UES, Level 78 barber shop, was also broken into last night.
Photos the Israeli owner sent me show a mezuzah on the smashed front door. pic.twitter.com/foJ8BaeSRB— Haley Cohen (@HaleyCohen19) May 15, 2024
A City Hall spokesperson acknowledged the attacks, telling Jewish Insider, "The NYPD is aware of a series of incidents that took place at several businesses on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and is investigating. We are also aware that many of these sites are visibly Jewish-run businesses, and we understand how unsettling this news may be for a community that is already on edge."
The spokesperson further added, "As part of the investigation, the NYPD is looking into whether these were biased attacks, and if found to be true, will not hesitate to arrest and charge the individuals responsible accordingly."
Owners suspect hate crimes
Rami "Richie" Yagudayev, the owner of Level 78, told JI that a phone used for playing music was stolen, but no money was taken from the register. He described the culprit as "an Asian man with his face covered by a mask," based on surveillance footage. Yagudayev, who is from Israel and has owned the barber shop for 10 years, said, "The blessings saved my shop," referring to the mezuzah – a sacred Jewish object fixed to doorstops – and photos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe displayed in the store. Upon learning about the vandalized windows at Rothschild TLV and The Nuts Factory, Yagudayev stated, "Now [it seems like] a hate crime."
Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, the rebbetzin at Altneu Synagogue on the Upper East Side, also spoke with JI, saying, "History doesn't repeat but it definitely rhymes," drawing a parallel to Kristallnacht, the widespread attacks on Jewish-owned businesses in Germany in 1938. She emphasized that the Upper East Side attacks were "clearly an effort by terrorists to intimidate the local Jewish community."
Surge in antisemitic incidents
The incidents come amid a dramatic spike in antisemitism in New York City and in the US in general since Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel. According to the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), there has been a 140% increase in 2023 from the 3,698 incidents recorded in 2022, highlighting the growing concerns within the Jewish community.
