FDNY Firefighter Arrested for Vandalizing on Chabad Sukkah in Manhattan
A New York City Fire Department (NYFD) firefighter has been arrested for allegedly vandalizing in October a sukkah put up by the Manhattan-based Chabad Israel Center of the Upper East Side • Full Story
By Chabadinfo Reporter
A firefighter from the New York City Fire Department (NYFD) has been arrested on charges of vandalizing a sukkah belonging to the Manhattan-based Chabad Israel Center of the Upper East Side in October. 37-year-old Marty Party has been accused of kicking the sukkah and urinating on it while highly intoxicated and off duty, according to PIX 11.
In response to the incident, the NYFD has suspended Party for four weeks without pay.
In a statement to The Algemeiner, Rabbi Uriel Vigler expressed gratitude towards the New York City Police Department for their thorough investigation and resolution of the case. He added, “In the spirit of Chanukah we urge everyone to do their part in illuminating the world by doing a good deed today. This is the most effective tool we have in our possession. Let’s ignite the world with good deeds.”
In another incident previously reported by Chabadinfo, a menorah that Chabad Israel Center had sculpted from ice and mounted on 93rd Street and Second Avenue was destroyed. Rabbi Vigler commented on the vandalism, saying, “This was definitely a malicious and intentional act. The ice was smashed from both sides.” He went on to say, “The forces of hatred will never be victorious! Even though we no longer have this ice menorah we still plan to light the 5th tonight and pray that light will win over darkness like it always has for the Jewish people.”
Before & After 💔 @JewsOfNY and @StopAntisemites are very sad to learn that the beautiful UES ice menorah, on 93rd & Second Avenue was vandalized and completely destroyed during the last night. Head over to our Instagram for the full statement from @RabbiVigler pic.twitter.com/25dutKMrFB
— Jews_of_NY (@JewsOfNY) December 22, 2022
These incidents of vandalism occurred during a significant increase in antisemitic hate crimes in New York City. The New York City Police Department recorded 45 such crimes in November 2022, compared to 20 in November 2021. Jewish New Yorkers were the most targeted group, accounting for 60% of all hate crimes in November 2022. According to the department’s data, there has been a year-over-year increase in antisemitic hate crimes every month in 2022 except for April and May. In April, the Anti-Defamation League reported that New York state has the highest number of recorded antisemitic incidents in the country, comprising 15% of the total reported incidents nationwide.
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