Hundreds rallied Thursday in support of a kosher bagel shop in Queens that was trashed by an antisemitic maniac in Muslim garb — with demonstrators declaring “enough is enough” and urging police to catch the culprit.
Roughly 300 demonstrators flocked to Bagels & Company, a popular Israeli-owned business in Jamaica Estates, where the vandal was caught on camera wildly smashing potted plants and tossing chairs and tables Friday.
“Enough is enough,” said Elan Kornblum, president of Great Kosher Restaurant School, who attended the rally.
“Seeing kosher restaurants, and Jewish owned businesses vandalized, on a weekly, and sometimes even daily basis, is not only heartbreaking, it is deeply frightening,” he said.
The crowd of demonstrators — Jewish activists, influencers and students among them — bought bagels to boost the shop and spoke out against a recent rise in antisemitic incidents.
Jaw-dropping footage shows the mad man trashing the outside of the bagel shop for roughly five minutes at around 1 a.m.
He slipped away but the incident was is being investigated as a possible hate crime, law enforcement sources said Monday.
“This shall not stand.”,” said Daniel Rosen, president of IMPACT, a non-profit that fights antisemitism.
“I’m calling on all elected officials to take action, and enact stronger penalties for hate crimes, against businesses, help cover the cost damages caused by these attacks,” said Rosen, whose group planned the rally.
Hila Ashkenazi, who owns the bagel shop, said cops in the neighborhood are working to arrest the suspect.
“They are working, they are patrolling. I hope they’re going to catch him soon,” Ashkenazi said.
He added that he was blown away by the community support.
“It’s sad, but we stand, still, and again, we have each other to support,” he said. “It’s been amazing support. Since the morning [of the vandalism], people showed up.
Gina Friedlander, local resident, meanwhile waved a sign declaring: “We stand for Israel and for bagels.”
“I’m here today because I refuse to stay silent while Jewish Americans are targeted, intimidated, and being told that their fear is somehow not real,” said Mizrahi, Jewish-Iranian singer, whose parents immigrated from Iran to escape anti semitism. “New York City belongs to all of us.”
Antisemitic incidents have increased in New York City since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on a Jewish settlement sparked an Israeli counter attack in the Gaza strip, sparking tension in the US.
Antisemitic attacks in the city spiked by 182% in January compared to the same month last year, accounting for the bulk of Big Apple hate crimes, according to the NYPD.